Newbie need help

[Tristan]

Hello all, first I would like to say thank you for populating this Forum with such great information.

I just got a Lincoln MigPak10. I never welded before and I am in the process of learning by trial and error. I plan on using this machine for fabrication work and body work on my Jeep.

Here is my problem, It seem that I cannot have a stable arc. Each time I start welding the arc goes on and off. Some times I have been able to do about 2 inch straight with no stopping of the arc but now it seem that I cannot have a stable arc at all. Always on and off.

I checked my return wire and it is tight everywhere. I changed the position of the return wire on my piece of work, I grinded the metal to make sure the connection was right. I tried different distance for the welding and still the same problem. Any advice ?

BTW: I do not use gas just flux core.

Thank you

 

[zardoz]

Hello all, first I would like to say thank you for populating this Forum with such great information.

I just got a Lincoln MigPak10. I never welded before and I am in the process of learning by trial and error. I plan on using this machine for fabrication work and body work on my Jeep.

Here is my problem, It seem that I cannot have a stable arc. Each time I start welding the arc goes on and off. Some times I have been able to do about 2 inch straight with no stopping of the arc but now it seem that I cannot have a stable arc at all. Always on and off.

I checked my return wire and it is tight everywhere. I changed the position of the return wire on my piece of work, I grinded the metal to make sure the connection was right. I tried different distance for the welding and still the same problem. Any advice ?

BTW: I do not use gas just flux core.

Thank you

If you can send a pic of your welds, then we have some wiser and experienced heads than I, on here who will be able to diagnose, im sure.

NB: Tip for picture takers. I often see pictures on here and, well, all over the interweb in fact, that are way too contrasty/Dark to see properly. If your pic is a bit dark after you have taken it and put it on computer. Then put it in your fave image editor* and lighten the brightness a small amount, and maybe the contrast too. It will work wonders.
*Irfanviewer is free and very good. http://www.irfanview.com/

 

[Tristan]

I could do that but I just can't weld it is just like if I was spot welding all the time.

 

[oddball90]

Is the wire pushing the arc away from the metal, ie wire speed to fast for power. Or is the arc coming back up to the torch, wire speed to slow.
Sounds like your have got the wire speed set to high.
Check conections in the torch to see if everything is tight, but normally the torch gets hot if there any lose connections.

 

[Tristan]

Thank you, it was actually ma wire that was too tight in the roller so it was not going out smoothly.