Ps, if I was adamant I wanted to change the regulator for use with the disposable bottles (as I have 3 double capacity ones still to use) could someone show me a good one in a link?
when I took my gas flow reading I simply shoved the pea shooter over the gun nozzle and pressed the button halfway til the gas wascoming out but no wire. this is the correct way to do it, right?
If I were you I would swing the top wire feed roller away & try it as well, just to check that the gas valve in the torch is fully open in that position. If you know that the gas flow is at full volume before the wire feed engages, do it as you said in future.
Ok, so went out today. Butt welded 1.5mm steel. MAX setting and W/S - 5. Steel had 45 degree bevels with around half a mil to a mil gap.
These are images of the underside penetration...
Still that gap showing lol
I get the impression after speaking to other welders that on max settings and on 1.5mm steel a press of the trigger should blow straight through! Haha!
Anyways, I know we've spoke about the extension lead. I'm still using it cos I got no other plug sockets where I'm welding. Could this have an effect on power?
Finally (and im so sorry this threadsstill going on and apologies if youre bored of my posts) would it help if IRONICALLY I actually backed the setting down to around low-mid setting...allowing me to spend a longer puddle time on the joint without blowing through?
You will get voltage drop running from an extension so yes it will have an effect on your machines out put. No stick to high setting and travel faster, travelling slower on o lower setting dramatically increases heat input which as I explained is not good for weld properties and also causes worse distortion. You will get through it keep playing with gap distance between the joint
It is easier to penetrate through with a bigger gap but I would not exceed the gap any more then the thickness of your material and I would not try welding material thicker than 2-2.5mm. If your not getting through 1.5 mm steel with a 1.5mm gap then there is an issue somewhere with your out put as most beginners would be having problems on the other side of the scale (blowing through too much)
Are you using 100% CO2 gas? I don't usually rate it too highly but it should help you a little further as it burns a bit hotter than argon mix there for penetrates a little better.
ps... is the stick out a big problem? my contact tip is quite recessed in the nozzle. I presume I need to bug a longer tip to get it flush with the nozzle (or just sticking out?
When you are welding, what are you welding on? I mean are you welding on a steel topped bench?- remember, anything that gets hot (steel/ally) etc will conduct heat away from the workpiece. Its a heat thief-sometimes used as a benefit/dodge when welding some stuff like bleeding poxy friggin aluminium when you don't have a pedal-not that I'm going off on a rant or anything.
But back on track-so, you can start off ok, then find the jobs getting cold because the heat is being drawn off.
As a sort of example, (not sure if relevant) a farmer up the road from me was having problems with a little job-it was brazing a copper fitting. He was trying to do it in his bench vice.
There would be more chance of the bench catching fire than any capilliary action going on because the copper simply transferred the heat into the vice, and the bench had an aluminium sheet on it.
So his workshop was nice n cosy, but the workpiece just laid back and chilled out and smiled at him.
Also, think outside the box-you leave a gap in the workpiece-wheres the gas gonna go? when migging on a gap I get a quick starter shot, then another, then get going but keeping the arc/puddle just on the where the bead has solidified-it looks like a horseshoe shape sort of. I also angle the torch back towards the direction of start-I push the torch for this type of job.
Your torch hand is angled downwards-I call it Larry Grayson style-and no-I'm not posting images of me doing it.Work it out for yourself heartface
At the moment, with no suitable workbench I'm using an old metal chair to put my workpiece on. I clamp it to that and put the ground clamp on the workpiece.
When I weld I put the gun to the workpiece and then when I pull the trigger I am finding that I'm having to quickly shift the gun about til the puddle is forming and then I try my best to keep that exact distance.
My tip is recessed in to the nozzle quite a bit. and I'm also finding that to get a consistent puddle I'm about 10mm away from the work piece. Any closer and it seems to just ball up and spread splatter everywhere.
Wondering if a longer tip so that its just sticking out the nozzle may help?
the chair might be cast ali or iron, whatever, depending on where and in how many places, your job contacts it, it will suck heat down.
You might want to try cutting the shroud/nozzlz back to expose the tip. Get a small pipe cutter from your local DIY shed or builders merchants, run it around the nozzle to mark it, then cut it off nice n square.Do the minimum each time until you get it right.