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Why are my welds garbage, dammit

K85 Octane

K85 Octane

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So I've been halted, hydro assist in almost done but I'm beside myself with welding. I haven't been at it very long, so I'm still learning. I'm running 120v mig with argon mix. Running power 4/4, wire speed 6/10, and gas @ 15psi. I've gone up and down the wire speed and gas. Here are some pictures. The nice weld was done first, then it all went to s***. :doah:

zzz001.jpg



zzz003.jpg







I'm getting drops and it's plugging up my tip. Didn't even melt my last trigger pull, just bent the wire.

zzz005.jpg
 
You have to turn the wire speed for welding upside down

You really need a bigger welder to be welding stuff that thick also, top weld is pretty cold, basically you need to keep the same wire speed but add more heat
 
There is about three things that would be doing that.
The ground sounds like the most likely.
Plus, if you changed size of wire, the tip size must be changed too.

It almost looks like two different problems. First, it looks like the full current is not there.
That makes me think ground.
But, the balling up makes me think too slow wire.
Double check the ground first, then make sure everything is good in the gun. Right size tube, wire drive not slipping.

Also, for thick steel, I like CO2 over Argon.....
 
Fordum said:
There is about three things that would be doing that.
The ground sounds like the most likely.
Plus, if you changed size of wire, the tip size must be changed too.

It almost looks like two different problems. First, it looks like the full current is not there.
That makes me think ground.
But, the balling up makes me think too slow wire.
Double check the ground first, then make sure everything is good in the gun. Right size tube, wire drive not slipping.

Also, for thick steel, I like CO2 over Argon.....
Click to expand...


I concur. Argon is for TIG welding or Aluminum welding with a MIG. For MIG I use the standard 75/25 mix Argon/CO2.
 
I'm running the 75/25 mix. The top weld and underside of the top bracket were done with the same grounding point. Wire is .30 and tip is .30 (or 31, something odd like that, not 35) If the welder doesn't have the balls for this thick of steel, I'll switch back to flux core as a professional welder told me they run hotter.

hmmmm
 
Go grab you a piece of scrap. Clamp the one side, make sure it's clean, blah blah, and then zap it, see if it boogers up or if it burns good. I still suspect your ground is bad.

-- A
 
K85 Octane said:
I'm running the 75/25 mix. The top weld and underside of the top bracket were done with the same grounding point. Wire is .30 and tip is .30 (or 31, something odd like that, not 35) If the welder doesn't have the balls for this thick of steel, I'll switch back to flux core as a professional welder told me they run hotter.

hmmmm
Click to expand...


Flux does burn hotter but I have welded 1/4 thich with my SP100 Lincoln welder and it welded just fine. Cast center sections like to be pre-heated before welding to them. Or it that a diff cover. If so no pre heat necessary, just more welder voltage. Make small adjustments to your welder when needed. Big adjustments will throw things off and yield poor results.
 
I used to have trouble like that second weld and when I contacted Miller about it they said the liner is most likely dirty and either needs to be cleaned (remove wire from liner and blow out with air) or just replace the liner. I removed the wire and blew the liner out with air and all was fine afterwards.
 
I agree with what's already been said, also if you have some spare tips, swap that out as well, on my old miller 140, it seemed like the tips would "go bad" once you had contact like you have pictured :dunno:
 
I've never had trouble with the liner in my Miller getting dirty, but mine is the old obsolete gun with the spool inside the gun.
Liner is about 6 inches long.
The newer improved ones have the shorter liners which would tend to cause that.

It sure looks like bad contact somewhere, and that sounds like the place.

I did have a problem when I switched from .045 to .030 and did not change the liner.
Darn wire would burn off halfway down the liner.

But, it was only the second time I used it, and it did not come with instructions.
 
I can only agree with whats been already said...

Looks like a bad ground in some spots

Not enough heat in others

Honestly Ive been welding with a 110v machine for a long time. Theyre really maxed out at 3/16ths to 3/16ths with fluxcore. Sure your can bevel stuff, run 3 passes with two root welds and a bridge but when you get very important with structural its time to step up to a 220 machine.
 
well, here's hoping if the ram breaks off, it does so cleanly :) easier to grind down and start over again.

I've never read of "tips going bad" or "liners getting dirty" in any of the welding threads. Can someone elaborate for me? I love welding, then again it's been pretty straight forward, pull trigger, lay bead, adjust machine. Haven't had difficulty till now.
 
First weld pictured looks pretty cold.

Second and third look to me like the tip was fubar and not letting the wire feed properly.

Sometime you can get a bit of splatter on/in the end of the tip that will screw up the feed pretty good. Once that happens you'll feed wire but slow enough that its mostly spraying the arc, which is what your next two pictured welds look like and that booger on the nozzle can certainly be caused by the same thing.

All in the tip is my guess.
 
Might also want to check your rollers and see if they are tight enough to feed well but not so tight they bird cage the wire when the wire sticks in the tip. It'll happen sooner or later.

How long have you been using this machine and what thicknesses have you welded in the past?
 
Other things to consider.....

Are you using an extension cord? Is it the proper gage?

Also,,, duty cycle on 110 volt machines is pretty low.....

Burn a few minutes....let the machine cool before starting the next weld...
 
Just reread your posts and noticed something.

When you are going from flux core to gas, are you switching the polarity of the machine? Or is it gasless wire not flux core.... I can't remember.
 
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Looks like bad ground and gas may be a little low if you are outside. Any breeze can screw up the bead. You shouldn't be seeing a porcupine like that if your ground is solid and your heat is good. I tend to burn faster and hotter than most to get good penetration.
 
Looks like bad ground and gas may be a little low if you are outside. Any breeze can screw up the bead. You shouldn't be seeing a porcupine like that if your ground is solid and your heat is good. I tend to burn faster and hotter than most to get good penetration.
 
I should say, that top weld is my second pass. There is a flatter one under it.

1) for shiggles, I put a new 35 tip to replace the 30 I was using. Wire is 30.
2) polarity is correct
3) super clean ground, fresh ground steel
4) Yes, using extension cord, awg I dunno, cord is at least as thick as my thumb
5) With or without cone/tip, the wire feeds smooth, no hiccups. Wasted a lot of wire checking that one.
6) Been using the machine for some time now. Maybe 1.5 rolls of flux (the silver stuff) and 1/4 roll of steel. Before that, it was Olanchamedic's welder, but damn near new when I got it.
7) At one point had gas up to 18psi. Gauge only goes to 20


After all this checking, it continued to do the same thing. So I got fed up and wanting to finish the project I switched out the roll to flux core, changed polarity, turned gas off, and burned some hot beads with nice bluing. Hitting the tabs with a mini sledge, ~5/10, 10= swinging for your life, they didn't budge.

I'm wondering, does it matter that my bottle spends its live horizontal? Also, I was grounding on the tabs, if that maters.
 
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