Inconsistent weld/wire speed?

[adam_lambert]

Hello,

I just picked up my new mig welder (Clarke 135te turbo). I have run a few practice pieces and so far am really pleased. It is so much easier and less hassle than the stick welding I am used to, especially on the thinner steel that I usually work with!

One thing that has got me a bit baffled is how the weld sometimes looks/sounds a bit inconsistent. I feel my speed and nozzle distance from the sheet is fairy consistent but every now and again I get some pop and splatter similar to what I get with a slower wire feed.

Could this be down to an inconsistent wire feed/wrong wire tension? The welder is second hand so I don't know if a component needs replacing? The wire itself looks in fairly good condition but is slightly orange. No rust build up but not silver (i'm not sure what it is supposed to look like to be honest!)

Any tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks,Adam

 

[BrokenBiker]

the wire is orange because it is copper coated, which it should be.

sounds like you could either be getting an inconsistent voltage to the feed motor, or the gearbox could be dragging, my sealey had a similar issue and i found it stopped after i took the gearbox apart and cleaned all the old grease off and put my own teflon grease on instead

 

[adam_lambert]

I am running this on the end of a 15 meter extension lead at the moment. Not sure if that could cause any problems?

 

[J.B. Welding]

Are you welding steel that is a bit dirty/rusty. If the parent metal has blue scale it will make your welds crackle and spit. have you tried welding shiney, ground steel and see if it still happens? you need a lot of power to burn through scale on steel. Extension lead could be the problem as the voltage will drop, but that will always be a consistant thing.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I have the same machine and if yours is like mine the wire speed control is VERY sensitive, it takes a while to find the right speed and this is usually achieved by micro adjustment, even turning the control a quarter turn can knock it off spec...it is that sensitive when it's close to being correct.

It may be due a new liner, cheap and easy to replace, also make sure the rollers are clean and the wire feeds evenly off the spool.

Once you have it sorted the 135 is an excellent machine, it far exceeded my expectations.

 

[mike 109444]

Much as Steve said and I would add if you don't know the full history of the welder then gets some new tips (to match the wire size you are using, 0.6 0r 0.8). Also worth checking the cable to earth clamp for security and clean/file/wire brush the jaws of the clamp. Effectively give the machine a "service"

 

[adam_lambert]

Great, Cheers for the help guys.

I will try the things you have mentioned tomorrow and see how it goes.

One more thing - I think that I found it to be getting slightly worse as the sheet got hotter. I was running multiple beads over a 2mm thick sheet so needless to say it got extremely hot! I don't know if the change in temp may require a setting change on the welder or anything like that?

Does anyone have a recommendation for type of extension lead to reduce voltage drop. A big thick one I guess!

 

[BrokenBiker]

Great, Cheers for the help guys.

I will try the things you have mentioned tomorrow and see how it goes.

One more thing - I think that I found it to be getting slightly worse as the sheet got hotter. I was running multiple beads over a 2mm thick sheet so needless to say it got extremely hot! I don't know if the change in temp may require a setting change on the welder or anything like that?

Does anyone have a recommendation for type of extension lead to reduce voltage drop. A big thick one I guess!

2.5mm flex is the biggest cable you will fit into a 13amp plug, ideally you need to keep the lead as short as possible though

 

[cumbriasteve]

One more thing - I think that I found it to be getting slightly worse as the sheet got hotter

Which would also mean the tip is getting hotter and if the tip is an old one or clogged slightly it could be nipping the wire as it heats up, they are so cheap they should always be replaced if in doubt.