welder or wire problem?

firebird350 · Jan 2, 2011

Hi,
My welder is a butters mig 211. I start a weld and l get a nice healthy crackle and a good weld , however , occassionally the arc becomes a small ball and no crackle just a hiss then a big blob lands on the floor
Its doing it on old and new metal, and different power settings, even tried earth in different places. I've had the welder 3 years, still on the first 5 kg roll :whistle:

but i've only recently found time to start my project again. The wire has been left in the machine, in a very dry garage, and looks o:k, any ideas on whats causing the problem? if its the welder are Butters still going?
Thanks in advance.

mike os · Jan 2, 2011

first place to start is the wire & wire feed rollers... make sure teh wire is clean, rollers clean and tension is correct.

firebird350 · Jan 2, 2011

is there a good or bad wire, think it has SIP in it. Tensioned ok, and rollers clean

Wozzaaah · Jan 2, 2011

SIP wire can be rubbish, had exactly the same symptoms in my machine (also Butters 211 quite coincidentally) and the only cure was another reel.
If the wire is old, is it still clean or does it have surface rust on it?
If it's rusty then strip layers off until it's clean, remove the contact tip, blow the torch liner through with compressed air, fit a new tip and have another go.
If it still gives trouble then scrap the wire and put a nice new reel in it.

firebird350 · Jan 2, 2011

Just been out and had a quick look, and wire does look very clean, and seems odd that it started the other week, i have a roll of parweld wire, brand new, should i try that?

Wozzaaah · Jan 2, 2011

Change the contact tip and try the old wire first.

the snooper · Jan 2, 2011

also blow the liner out could be full of dust

Hitch · Jan 2, 2011

If you have wire anyway, try that to eliminate that problem...put a new tip in too.

The tip could be getting tight as it gets hot, bit of rust on the wire and in the liner will not help, making it hard to push through.

firebird350 · Jan 2, 2011

I'll try that tomorrow and let you know how it goes, thanks for the replies, only just joined and replies already, very friendly :hug:

the snooper · Jan 2, 2011

firebird350 said:
only just joined and replies already, very friendly

they are all friendly on here and willing to help

mike os · Jan 2, 2011

we try

the snooper · Jan 2, 2011

mike os said:
we try

and some can be trying :whistle:

firebird350 · Jan 2, 2011

How often should the tip be changed, can't remember when it was done last :ashamed:

the snooper · Jan 2, 2011

i dont suppose there is a specific time just if it looks as though its had it or you start to get problems

mike os · Jan 2, 2011

the snooper said:
and some can be trying

sorry... thats what I meant :ashamed:

the snooper · Jan 2, 2011

mike os said:
sorry... thats what I meant

wasnt refering to you mike :laughing:

firebird350 · Jan 5, 2011

I've changed the wire and the tip and blown the line through, the wire had a black coating which came off on a cloth, the rollers were very black as well.
Not doing welding till the week-end, but before i use it, is there anything electrical to check, don't want to seem dumb, but the clamp is earth, so where dose the positive actually contact the wire, is it the tip, as that was very black, should i check anything in the trigger.
Thanks again, great advice on here :clapping:

Wozzaaah · Jan 5, 2011

Yes, the wire gets it's power as it slides through the contact tip.
Nothing else to check really, it's just a case of testing it now but I expect you'll see a marked improvement.

firebird350 · Mar 6, 2011

Hi, been a while, but been welding today and it's still the same, sometimes welds ok, then it plays up. Have cleaned everything, new wire, tip and shroud, so what next ?

Bsmith · Mar 6, 2011

If there is a tension/resistance screw in the middle of the wire reel holder which prevents reel over-run, it's not set too tight is it?

welder or wire problem?

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