BrokenBiker
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Just for fun, 250amp uphil with a very slight weave. Torch was getting hot at this point so only short runs
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Just for fun, 250amp uphil with a very slight weave. Torch was getting hot at this point so only short runs
BrokenBiker
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And finally a 200 amp fillet.
Thats it for today.
I'm not sure if its the wire as I didn't really do anything with it in the old welder that required me to actually look at the welds afterwards, but it seems to pick up porosity quite easy, but then that could be me or the welder. It seems to be very 'twitchy' with regards to torch/travel angle and if the torch is slightly off (too much angle) it seems to flare up and if its too upright the spatter is crazy (yes ive got the polarity correct) but when I concentrate on torch angle it welds quite nicely. Only problem is im so used to being able to just do whatever I want with the transformer and still get decent results that having to concentrate on torch angle means I stop paying attention to where the puddle is
Thats it for today.
I'm not sure if its the wire as I didn't really do anything with it in the old welder that required me to actually look at the welds afterwards, but it seems to pick up porosity quite easy, but then that could be me or the welder. It seems to be very 'twitchy' with regards to torch/travel angle and if the torch is slightly off (too much angle) it seems to flare up and if its too upright the spatter is crazy (yes ive got the polarity correct) but when I concentrate on torch angle it welds quite nicely. Only problem is im so used to being able to just do whatever I want with the transformer and still get decent results that having to concentrate on torch angle means I stop paying attention to where the puddle is
BrokenBiker
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Few practice beads on admittedly not very clean steel (and turns out waaayyyyy too much gas)
Not entirely sure I've done it any justice, been a while since I've welded with solid wire but varying amps and voltage and seems to lay a nice weld. I will admit, I did expect a supposed 250amp machine to penetrate through 5mm a bit better, but then I supposed you'd want 1mm wire for that.
Got a few things to make so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it again
Not entirely sure I've done it any justice, been a while since I've welded with solid wire but varying amps and voltage and seems to lay a nice weld. I will admit, I did expect a supposed 250amp machine to penetrate through 5mm a bit better, but then I supposed you'd want 1mm wire for that.
Got a few things to make so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it again
BrokenBiker
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yes...not sure why though as a few of them were set flat out 250 (claimed) amps and full voltage!
i will have a proper play with settings saturday morning and see whats actually going on but the bracket repair for a mate was made from 2mm wall box section and set at 100amps and 16.5V it felt and welded like my old mig, full penetration on the butt and fillet welds and they were a lot flatter.
i think realistically, now the fun of having a 250 amp mig has worn off, with 0.8mm wire i will likely need to stick below around 150amps, whcih is fine as ill rarely weld anything thicker than 3mm with it, and 150 amps is what i estimated my old mig to be putting out with the same wire based on penetration etc.
BrokenBiker
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Ok...entirely my fault, I'm an idiot...
Just gone back out for a play and while I still believe I need 1mm wire to achieve much over 160ish amps...I also believe I'm an idiot
I must have bumped the mode button while setting up as I had it set to 1.2mm AL MG wire...but wire and polarity still set for normal mig...
I've just changed the menu back to 0.8mm steel wire and mixed gas and run a quick butt joint at 130amps on some 3mm box side to side and it's a lot more like an actual mild steel mig weld now...sound more like mig too, before it sounded like spray transfer but from what I can see, in ALU modes it is pulsed, but I just assumed I was in spray being at the higher voltages and with 5% gas mix...but no, I had it set completely wrong
(I also turned my mask shade down as that was still on 12 from stick welding the other day...surprising how much difference it makes, being able to see)
Just gone back out for a play and while I still believe I need 1mm wire to achieve much over 160ish amps...I also believe I'm an idiot
I must have bumped the mode button while setting up as I had it set to 1.2mm AL MG wire...but wire and polarity still set for normal mig...
I've just changed the menu back to 0.8mm steel wire and mixed gas and run a quick butt joint at 130amps on some 3mm box side to side and it's a lot more like an actual mild steel mig weld now...sound more like mig too, before it sounded like spray transfer but from what I can see, in ALU modes it is pulsed, but I just assumed I was in spray being at the higher voltages and with 5% gas mix...but no, I had it set completely wrong
(I also turned my mask shade down as that was still on 12 from stick welding the other day...surprising how much difference it makes, being able to see)
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BrokenBiker
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update to this, slightly annoying deature has been discovered...every time you turn the welder on it defaults to AL Si settings...i stupidly assumed it would remember the last used program but clearly not.
got a fair bit of steel turning up either tomorrow or thursday though so plenty of torch time with it coming up though
got a fair bit of steel turning up either tomorrow or thursday though so plenty of torch time with it coming up though
BrokenBiker
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Slowly starting to dial the settings in...don't know if it's because I've never had a current display on a mig before, but seems to need to be set higher than expected...this was 120 amps and 17.1V (maxed voltage) on 2mm wall thickness 50x25...but I can see it sinking in and on the open ends I can look down and see penetration.
Usually just opt for a straight bead but as I've been walking the settings up I found myself manipulating the puddle more than usual, the smaller bead on the left was 100 amps and the one below was 110 uphill, then the long one at the stated settings with a whip motion. Almost there now but seems a decent welder when you get used to it. The start was a bit cold but that was likely my fault for getting after it a bit too soon
Usually just opt for a straight bead but as I've been walking the settings up I found myself manipulating the puddle more than usual, the smaller bead on the left was 100 amps and the one below was 110 uphill, then the long one at the stated settings with a whip motion. Almost there now but seems a decent welder when you get used to it. The start was a bit cold but that was likely my fault for getting after it a bit too soon
Personally Id warm it up a tad , and wouldnt worry about the weaving , just a nice smooth weld with decent pen and a tidy finish, hang a bit longer at the start , and te wee bit of extra heat will sort out the end and leave it tidy too , sometimes if you look at the haz [ heat affected zone] the colour will tell you where you need to slow down or speed up , you can gain a lot of information by not only looking at the weld , but by looking around it too.
BrokenBiker
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the weaving was more of 'ive started so ill finish' and a way to fill the weld out without stopping and turning it up again.
i will try the next lot of fillets at 130 amps...ive noticed that 115-120 seems to do well when im butt welding, or when i have the radius of the box section corner and welding a square end to it flush, i get a nice flat weld that ties in nicely to both sides.
i also found the weave helped keep travel speed consistent, i noticed i was travelling a bit too slowly some times and was on the verge of blowing through, so then would speed up and ended up with an inconcistent weld.
been a fair while since i did any proper mig but slowly getting back into it. when brundles eventually deliver my order i have 2 stands, a set of side steps for the freelander and a load of roof risers to make for the shed so will get plenty more time with it in first week of november while im off. gasless seems a lot easierr by comparison, maybe its because im more used to dragging the puddle and usually welding thicker stuff with it so less worry about burning through but all in all, its getting better and the amchine itself seems to be working just fine.
i will try the next lot of fillets at 130 amps...ive noticed that 115-120 seems to do well when im butt welding, or when i have the radius of the box section corner and welding a square end to it flush, i get a nice flat weld that ties in nicely to both sides.
i also found the weave helped keep travel speed consistent, i noticed i was travelling a bit too slowly some times and was on the verge of blowing through, so then would speed up and ended up with an inconcistent weld.
been a fair while since i did any proper mig but slowly getting back into it. when brundles eventually deliver my order i have 2 stands, a set of side steps for the freelander and a load of roof risers to make for the shed so will get plenty more time with it in first week of november while im off. gasless seems a lot easierr by comparison, maybe its because im more used to dragging the puddle and usually welding thicker stuff with it so less worry about burning through but all in all, its getting better and the amchine itself seems to be working just fine.
BrokenBiker
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135 amps, still found myself with a bit of a weave on, but I am also finding it helps not blow through as it's getting a bit warm now for 2mm and a slightly slow travel speed has a hole forming.
Getting better though, although still looks a bit cold in the lower toe
The butt weld on the side was done earlier at 110 I think
Getting better though, although still looks a bit cold in the lower toe
The butt weld on the side was done earlier at 110 I think
BrokenBiker
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I have got Monday off now, so as I won't have much time over the weekend, I will cut some little sections of the same material, weld them full at 135 amps and then Muller then with a bfh and see what's what, with the added advantage that small sections will mean I can see inside easier
Islander71
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Could you put a clamp meter on the earth lead, set the welder to max amps and see if it does produce the full 250 amps? I suspect sometimes Chinese amps are not quite the same as ours. It doesn't really matter if it produces enough for what you want it for, but would be interesting to know.
BrokenBiker
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Don't have a clamp meter otherwise I would.
