What am I doing wrong?

[muttley mk2]

I am not new to welding but new to this forum, I am a self taught welder and I think I got it wrong The trouble I have is that the wire constantly sticks at the contact tip. I have a snap on mig 2000 and a Kamanchi Platinum 185 and I have the same problem with both. I dont know enough about wire feed and amperage/voltage to overcome this on my own Can some kind soul enlighten me ?

 

[Wozzaaah]

Welcome to the forum.

Assuming the wire speed controls on both machines are functioning correctly then the main things to check on them are;
1) the wire itself, make sure it's clean and rust-free. If there's surface rust then wind the layers off until it's clean and shiny.
2) the contact tip, nice new one to start with, that way you've changed the cheapest part.
3) the torch liner, if they've never been replaced then it's probably time they were. Lots of machines have plastic liners, a steel one is a very worthwhile upgrade and only costs a few pounds.
4) Swan neck liner, some torches have these, some don't. You'd need to check to see if yours have them. They, along with the liners get clogged up with dust.

If all the above are good then the wire should glide through nicely, if it doesn't then it could be pilot error.

 

[muttley mk2]

Thanks, I believe it to be pilot error as I have had the Snap on since new and I have always had this problem I will check the swan necks though

 

[Wozzaaah]

In which case you could simply be holding the torch too close to the workpiece.
Check the wire though, even light surface rust will cause feed problems.
If they're euro torches (removable ones) then you could pull the liners out and blow compressed air through them.

 

[muttley mk2]

Yeah, deffo holding too close a candidate, wire is a new reel. How far away from workpiece is normal?

 

[Wozzaaah]

Around 10mm is pretty normal.

 

[muttley mk2]

Righto, I'll have another go tomorrow, cheers

 

[Engineer]

If you have always had the same problem, it may be to do with adjustment of the wire feed rollers. This is well worth checking before changing anything, and costs nothing.

To check wire feed tension, hold a gloved hand over the end of the torch, trigger and the wire should just about stop when it comes into contact with your gloved hand.

If it stops very easily then increase the tension on the wire feed rollers.............in some cases problems with wire feed are simply a matter of increasing the tension, and this is always the first thing to check if you have feed issues.

 

[awemawson]

If your welder has a burn back control it could be set for far too long a period. This is often an internal tweak rather than an external knob.