makkelsay Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Well I've been welding for a few weeks now and been using fluxcore wire with my 140 hobart mig and have gotten pretty decent at it and my welds penetrate well and look good But here's my problem... I have a 5ft 75/25 tank and solid wire that I started using yesterday I started welding and after about 3 hours I'm still not getting this crap looking nice and there's air bubbles in my welds and they aren't penetrating as well for some reason I'm running 20cfh and know how to adjust my wire heat and speed but no matter what I can't make these welds look nice... I thought mig with gas was supposed to be easier than fluxcore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Flanagan Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Are you sure the CO2/Argon is coming out of the gun along with the wire? I know it sounds dumb, but on occasion, I forget to open the valve on the tank and start welding and my welds turn out just like what you're describing. Shut the welder off and hit the trigger and you should hear the gas hissing out of the gun tip. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe the surfaces you're working with are not clean. Are you welding inside or outside? Sometimes if a wind is blowing, it can blow the gas away from the site of the weld, thereby preventing it from shielding the weld, and this can produce that bubbly effect you mentioned. I find that it's helpful to put the nozzle against a scrap piece of metal, hit the trigger, and while it's welding, tune in the wire speed until you get good flow and a smooth buzzing sound with no crackling. I've also found that the closer you have your ground clamp to the place where you're working, the better the welds turn out. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Yeah the gas was coming out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan D25 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 What do you have your tank regulator set at? I use CO2 and mine is usually at 15 psi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Between 15-20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezeldoc Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Make sure the metal is clean, 75/25 does not like dirt. fluxcore will weld through dirt. you will need more heat with the solid core also. the air bubbles are porosity in the weld=dirt. also make sure you are not welding in the wind it will blow away the gas from the weld. more heat,less wire and slow down your gun movement.15-20 on the gas should be fine. for welding old steel I like 02 better it will cut through the dirt better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Between 15-20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 I'm gonna try and weld some more and make sure the metals clean Can u use a medical o2 tank for welding?I can get those all day long for free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezeldoc Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 it should work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Well worked some more today and its still sucking I cranked my gas to 25 and upped my wire speed and still it looks like crap I jjust can't get a steady arc to save my life I need to get some plate and sqaure tubing to weld on cause this junk I've been messing with sucks It seems like I'm dumping more weld than penetrating into the metal...guess I need to crank my heat up and try that...I'm going back to work at it tonight after my fire training Everyone says my 140 is enough to do any auto stuff I want but man I want a bigger welder already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezeldoc Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Heat up wire down!! anytime you are getting a ball of weld and no penetration up the heat and down with the wire speed. watch your weld and you will see the puddle. you should not feel the gun pushing against your hand. hold the tip about 1/8-1/4 " away from the work. Also slow down your travel with the gun. again CLEAN CLEAN the metal. try putting the heat on 4 and the wire on 3 and see what that gets ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatie46 Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 What are you welding? What kind of metal? The 140 really should be all you need automotive wise. Hobart is a good welder, it's actually made by miller. Are you using.035 wire and running it dc- for the flux core wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 haha its set up right for the voltage tomorrow im gonna hit the welding hard i made a welding cart from an old shopping cart but im not sure if i like it for not...mainly because i put my tank on it im im scared about it falling over...which i tried to do but it wasnt happening but i guess im just cautious guess ill be getting a longer hose from my tank to the welder so i can just have the welder on the cart and the tank attached to the wall i know ill be going by the welding supply shop and getting me some nozzle gel and a new nozzle...mines fried:mad: i need some leathers...i forgot to wear a jacket today and my arms have 1st degree burns haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony WestOZ Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Good clean nozzles and diffusers can make a lot of difference to the weld. Is the gas coming out the end of the gun. I had a problem with mine a while ago when a clip inside the hand piece came loose and though it sounded like the gas was coming out the end it was actually coming out through the hand piece. Nothing like having a trolley so you can move you gear around the workshop. This started out as a shopping trolley. The wheels are the only original bits left. There is usually an invertor tig sitting in there to. Must get that back off my mate before he thinks he owns it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoparMontana Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Hi there, It sounds like a polarity issue to me Flux core wire or FCAW, takes DCEN/Straight Polarity with the gun to negative(-) output terminal and ground to positive (+) output terminal. Solid core wire with gas or GMAW, takes DCEP/Reverse Polarity with gun to positive (+) output terminal and ground to negative (-) output terminal. That should take care of you porosity issues. Hope that helps, Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan D25 Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Pedro, where would you change polarity? When I originally bought my Forney 110 (Clarke) about 12 yrs ago, I first used flux core for a short time and then started using CO2 gas, but never changed polarity. I and others always said that this welder was a piece of sh*t. So maybe you might have hit on something for me also. Brendan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 On dads hobart there is a chart inside on the side door that tells you various settings for materials etc. I believe one of them is polarity for diff materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezeldoc Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 You switch the wires inside where the gun lead goes into the machine.their should be a stud for each wire UNPLUG the machine and swap the wires, one will go to the ground clamp and the other will go to the gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan D25 Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thanks guys, I will have a look at it tomorrow and try it out and see what happens. Brendan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 its not a polarity issue that was the first thing i did when i hooked up the gas cause my buddy made it a point to tell me when i got the welder to change it when i went to gas i welded some more tonight and again i ended up angry and with crappy welds so i switched my machine back to fluxcore and will probablY keep it that way till i can get someone to show me the ropes of welding with gas i got some anti-spatter gel and that helped but regardless to whatr i was doing i couldnt get a weld looking nice for anything does 75/25 really hate everything except bare metal? if so i might be looking for another gas to use when i start my engine swap i need to invest in a sandblaster...sheesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezeldoc Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 If you are not doing any cleaning it will never weld right. got a grinder? use that and clean it up. post up a pic of the controls on the welder as you have been trying to weld with. also a shot of the metal you are using and your weld. that should get us somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200306073_200306073 this except from bilo and has fatter tubing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezeldoc Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Well that is one problem chrome don't weld worth a crap. you need to grind it down for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Well that is one problem chrome don't weld worth a crap. you need to grind it down for sure. It aint chrome its painted..but I grinded what I've been welding I'm gonna using gas again with some bare metal sqaure tubing today cause I'm convinced its crappy material I'm welding that's causin all my pain Cause flux fumes make me sick I want a better welder for sure...I need something with a higher duty cycle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makkelsay Posted February 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 good news i got myself a new nozzle and some nozzle gel and a bunch of scrap from my buddies work to play with sorry the pics are form my phone...bad qaulity heres some photos of my first successful time mig welding with gas! and the "welding cart" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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