Mig Gone Haywire

Hi Franko,

One more thought.....the last time I had a horrible time welding was just after I moved my Lincoln 180 for some remote welding. All I could make was a mess! I gave up on that project temporarily, and when I moved back to the shop I found a little plastic washer on the floor and immediately recognized it as the one that goes between the flow meter and the shield gas tank!

I had almost written it off to a shield gas issue due to wind.

I still cannot believe that Lincoln did not use a captive washer/seal at that gas joint.
Since then I've been fanatical about keeping track of that washer.
I really need to find/make a captive replacement.

-brino
 
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Yeah, it looks like a 'no shield gas at the arc' problem - but y'all must be in really odd environments if you're using 20 cfm of shield gas.

That'd be enough to blow the arc out. Maybe you really mean 20 cf per hour? (cfh)

<grin>

Stu
 
minutes, hours they all blur together......;)
 
If you can't hear the shielding gas at the nozzle then start tracing the hose line from the solenoid forward. Disconnect the line and check for flow at the solenoid then to the nipple going into the whip. if you have flow to the nipple, you'll need to check your liner. Also, as other have mentioned, check your polarity, it should be electrode positive for MIG welding. Doses the solenoid "click" when you squeeze the trigger? It probably does if the flow meter activates. Should be a simple fix.
 
Here is a great site that will help you. https://www.youtube.com/user/weldingtipsandtricks
Looks to me like every one else says, lack of gas and or wrong polarity. Once you sort it out I would use slightly less gas, 15 to 18 cfh. No sense using more than needed given the cost these days.
Your TIG welds show signs of welding over impurities, too many amps and too much filler. When MIG welding practice on butt joints with vee'd edges and fillet welds. Welding on top of a flat plate sometimes makes it difficult to set your parameters. Remember when you are actually welding something, it involves these type of joints more often than not.
Watch Jody's videos, there are a ton, and practice. practice, practice. If you know some one local to you that is a competent welder, ask if they will give you a few quick demos. Hands on practice with some one knowledgeable is the best way to learn IMHO.

Darrell
 
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Franko'
I have bought 3 of the hobart handler 175s and have the hobart 210 ironman. The hobart regulators are not reliable. Make sure the regulator is flowing by disconnecting the gas line from the welder. Sometimes you need to tap on the regulators to make them work. I live near you and am a welder. if you can use my assistance let me know. I am working in garland and get off work at 4:30 most days.
 
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All great advise, Darrell. Laying rows of beads is a recommended exercise by Mr. Tig and Jody, too. I subscribe to them and have seen all of them. (not ChuckE, he likes the sound of his own voice way too much)

I suspect watching all those videos enabled me to have some success with the TIG. Several years ago, I purchased a Lincoln 250 squarewave TIG. I was never able to make even one successful weld with it and ended up giving up and selling it. All I learned to do was burn holes and grind tungsten. :) It was embarrassing. I've never tried anything that I couldn't eventually figure out. TIG is one of the most difficult things I've ever tried.

I'm resolved to the reality that my TIG welds will never be as pretty as someone who does it every day. It's probably not possible for the occasional welder, such as myself. What I hope for is that, while they may not be perfectly stacked dimes, they will have good penetration and be sound.

Thanks for the head's up on amperage. I worked from the lower end of the recommended range (130-180 amps) to about 170 amps using 3/32 rod. The angle iron was 3/16". The material I will be welding is 1/4" and 3/8".

It's been a couple months since I practiced with the TIG, so I needed to make some bead rows to work on my right hand movement and torch speed. I have a very difficult time sliding my right hand, so my welds can be slanted and off line. I'm aware of the proper technique, but it is very difficult for me.

I have cut practice pieces that resemble the joints I need to make for my project. They will be ground with bevels and nice and shiny. I expect to spend most of a morning or afternoon until I'm comfortable that I won't mess up the pieces I've so carefully fabricated for my project. with great effort and expense. There are outside corners that will be beveled and weld like butt joints, lap joints and T-joints. There will be some drilled spot welds, too.

Due to the geometry of the thing I'm making and my primitive clamping fixture, I may have to make some climbing welds. I haven't tried that yet. I need to review Jody's and Mr. Tig's videos. Hopefully, I can figure how to clamp them so I can weld them horizontally. Or, get my MIG working properly. I can do vertical welds with it just fine.

This is a isometric of the project I'm doing. It is a stand for my someday to arrive PM1228 lathe. It's 42" x 18". Corner welds have to be one-sided on the outside corners because a big lower tool case fits inside and beads will interfere with the fit. They'll be beveled and clamped with about a tenth inch gap. I cut some 3 x 3 angle brackets for clamp up. The gussets on the right side won't be necessary, as I found a piece of 6 x 6 x 3/8" angle. Big leveling casters attach there.

-1.jpg
 
chuck said:
Franko'
I have bought 3 of the hobart handler 175s and have the hobart 210 ironman. The hobart regulators are not reliable. Make sure the regulator is flowing by disconnecting the gas line from the welder. Sometimes you need to tap on the regulators to make them work. I live near you and am a welder. if you can use my assistance let me know. I am working in garland and get off work at 4:30 most days.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Chuck. That's a very generous offer. I'd love to get some welding tips from a real welder person.

I don't use regulators. I have flow meters. The bead on the meter is rising, so I'm pretty sure it is passing gas. :)

I had a golf tournament this morning, and as you know it was brutally hot all day, so I haven't looked at the gas connections this afternoon, yet. It was 70º at 8am with the dewpoint at 71º. Humidly was 98%. Mosquitoes were hatching right out of the air. It took me 3 hours to recover after I got home this afternoon.
 
Franko,
Nothing to be embarrassed about. TIG welding Is like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time. I think you will find welding up your brackets will produce better welds. Something about fillet versus flat plate welds. Conventional wisdom on TIG is 1 amp per .001" of material thickness. I find this to be too high on steel unless you have a large machine and a large torch. When you get up in the higher amp ranges you need large tungstens or they just ball up and melt away. Mig would be the preferred choice or even stick when welding 3/8" steel. Not that it can't be done though. Remember if you are using a 70,000psi rod, you will not need 100 % welds. A nice fillet with Tig with good penetration will do the job. Too much amperage is detrimental to a good tig weld as it tends to oxidize.
I no longer am required to weld at work as much, and it is just as well. Too many years of it has been hard on the eyesight. I feel your pain regarding only doing TIG welding sporadically. It takes a while for even a good TIG welder to get up to speed if it has been a while.
Keep studying and keep practicing. You will only get better.

Darrell
 
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