setting the volts and wire speed on a mig welder

[green-welder]

Got a fairly new welder at our shop thru an auction and was looking to get some pointers on operating the welder.Any suggestions on setting the volts and wire speed.Possibly a area here that give a break down on troubleshooting mig welders

 

[Cappy]

Got a fairly new welder at our shop thru an auction and was looking to get some pointers on operating the welder.Any suggestions on setting the volts and wire speed.Possibly a area here that give a break down on troubleshooting mig welders

Try here,

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/calculators/mig_solid_amperage_calculator.php

Also don't forget to have a look at the Tutorial at the top of the forum page, lots of excellent advice from somone who has already walked the path

For wire and material thickness could also try

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/tech_tips/MIG_tips/

Good luck

 

[malcolm]

The biggest problem with MIG is setting up the power and wire speed. Once you've done that then if the weld works out badly you know it's technique.

I'm planning to figure out a foolproof way of doing this. (I'm actually getting close - I reckon it's all about getting the wire speed correct then adjusting the power knob to suit, and it's easy to measure the wire speed if you have a tape measure and a stopwatch). In the meantime Cappy's calculator link is a very good place to start.

 

[rtbcomp]

(..... it's easy to measure the wire speed if you have a tape measure and a stopwatch).

Actually if you timed one revolution of the spool you could calculate the speed from the time and diameter of the stock on the spool.

 

[Cappy]

I'm planning to figure out a foolproof way of doing this. (I'm actually getting close - I reckon it's all about getting the wire speed correct then adjusting the power knob to suit, and it's easy to measure the wire speed if you have a tape measure and a stopwatch). In the meantime Cappy's calculator link is a very good place to start.

Hi Malcolm,

You're dead right it is a combination of power and wire speed but the advice that I have been getting (and bear in mind I am not a mig welder, and only slowly improving as an amateur) is an alternative, and nearly opposite, way to your suggestion.

Set the power where you reckon it should be for the given thickness and type of material, strike the arc on some scrap and keep it going, then with the other hand (best to have it in place before you start) adjust the wire speed to get the correct sizzle.

I am not sure but I think this might have something to do with the voltage control being stepped, whereas the wire feed is smoothly variable between min and max. It certainly is on the railway one

I guess at the end of the day though it is what works for you isn't it. I know with stick welding that I tend to run the rods a little bit hotter than other people, but having received some good comments from professional welders I guess it is almost a personal thing

 

[malcolm]

You are right of course. I've been thinking about transfering power settings between welders, but the problem is the wire speed is the only constant. Voltages and the internals that affect current vary between welders.

On the other hand, it's possible to tell whether the power setting is about right by looking at the other side of the sheet to see if the weld has make it all the way through.

Probably from a learning MIG point of view your approach would work much better - It's possible to lay a neat weld on the same thickness with all sorts of different settings so long as he wire speed and technique are about right for the power setting.