- Thread starter Fultonius
- Start date
Would it be possible try the welder plugged into the house sockets, even on a short extension lead to rule out voltage drop?
You're asking a lot from a long length of 1.5mm cable
My Old Landy
Engineering Mayhem
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I agree, mine is on a separate 32a socket with its own breaker on 6mm run from the house board. I have no problem with 0.8mm or 0.6mm and I use 80/20 gas. I have posted test pieces before and they look nothing like the OPs.
I am not a 'good' welder and I felt the machine made me look almost like a proper one!!
I've been trying again today. Despite thinking I had stumbled across some good settings yesterday, and getting some good runs today I thought I had it nailed but I was still getting random flare ups.
I finally tried upping the voltage to about 1.5 with the wire speed down at 2.2 and starting with the wire almost touching, about 15mm from the surface to the torch. After playing around a while this seemed to give me fairly consistent results doing either continuous beads or spot/tack/stitch welds (which will be important for doing the van.
I did some runs on 1mm steel, then a lap joint, then a hacksaw slot, finally a grinder blade slot (beyond my skill level...)
I still can't quite fathom how lower wire speed and higher voltage is getting better results, but maybe it's just stabilising more quickly. I dunno...
Lap weld done in short overlapping spots:
Reverse:
Hacksaw Slot:
Finished:
(I know, technique still poor but you have to start somewhere)
Reverse, not quite full penetration.
General bead runs. Brown **** in the middle was with yesterdays settings, and then trying really low volts:
Beads in the top right seemed the most consistent using the new settings / technique.
I wonder if pulling the trigger with the wire too far from the surface was allowing more charge to build up in the DC link and then just dumping it all on first contact?
I've emailed RallyDesign to see what they have to say.
I finally tried upping the voltage to about 1.5 with the wire speed down at 2.2 and starting with the wire almost touching, about 15mm from the surface to the torch. After playing around a while this seemed to give me fairly consistent results doing either continuous beads or spot/tack/stitch welds (which will be important for doing the van.
I did some runs on 1mm steel, then a lap joint, then a hacksaw slot, finally a grinder blade slot (beyond my skill level...)
I still can't quite fathom how lower wire speed and higher voltage is getting better results, but maybe it's just stabilising more quickly. I dunno...
Lap weld done in short overlapping spots:
Reverse:
Hacksaw Slot:
Finished:
General bead runs. Brown **** in the middle was with yesterdays settings, and then trying really low volts:
I wonder if pulling the trigger with the wire too far from the surface was allowing more charge to build up in the DC link and then just dumping it all on first contact?
I've emailed RallyDesign to see what they have to say.
Would love to. I'd even pay a couple of hours of someone's time but alas, I don't know any good welders...
Bravheart
"Tomorrow will be a good day"captain Tom1920-2021
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In mig welding wire speed = amperage, volts will effect the puddle flow but not the actual power so you probably need less wire speed yet!
Takes a while to get your head round it but opposite from stick welding
Takes a while to get your head round it but opposite from stick welding
I've never done stick.
OK, so less wire speed = less amps, but I was suffering from burn-back which made me think I needed more wire speed?
Maybe I was chasing my tail from being so far off with settings that I was having to try to compensate. Seems like I've maybe got a good place to start from and can attempt dialling back the wire speed a bit to reduce the heat input?
Just had another blast (****, forgot to turn the gas off) and tweaked it back another 0.5 on the wire speed, steady arc and less heat. Getting there....
I don't like the sound of 100 feet of 1.5mm2 feeding the welder, and agree you should try it on a socket in the house. Check the voltage in the garage with a steady 2kW load there ( fan heater, kettle ).
The distance from the torch tip to the work should be a lot less than your 15mm - more like 10mm ( 3/8 inch ).
Your latest photos still show brown staining. For welding indoors with a typical 150 Amp torch, you should be able to get by with just 8 litres/min. I would suggest getting a flow meter fitted to the regulator, as well as or instead of a round dial gauge, plus using a "pea shooter" to confirm the flow rate at the torch shroud.
The Eurotorch plug does look loose. The plug is loose in the socket, and the socket itself seems to be moving.
Does the gas connection nipple on the Euro plug still have an O-ring?
The distance from the torch tip to the work should be a lot less than your 15mm - more like 10mm ( 3/8 inch ).
Your latest photos still show brown staining. For welding indoors with a typical 150 Amp torch, you should be able to get by with just 8 litres/min. I would suggest getting a flow meter fitted to the regulator, as well as or instead of a round dial gauge, plus using a "pea shooter" to confirm the flow rate at the torch shroud.
The Eurotorch plug does look loose. The plug is loose in the socket, and the socket itself seems to be moving.
Does the gas connection nipple on the Euro plug still have an O-ring?
Bravheart
"Tomorrow will be a good day"captain Tom1920-2021
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Just tried mine, the plug still has a bit of play similar to yours when the nuts tight.
Bravheart
"Tomorrow will be a good day"captain Tom1920-2021
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@Fultonius was doing a spot of welding today with the blackline and when I finished I thought I'd try what your trying. Rusty galvanised 1mm plate, no fancy stuff just laying down a bead. Top run all dialed back so too cold, next wire speed up to 2 and volts around 3, still to cold so wire speed 6 and volts 4, blowing holes so last one as the picture still needs wire back a bit but you get the idea. Last picture back of the plate, runs 3 and 4 through so definitely needs wire speed back a bit but gives you the idea of where to start and no burn back issues.
NB. 0.6 wire and wire feed tensioner on three and a half.
NB. 0.6 wire and wire feed tensioner on three and a half.
AVI_8
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I’m a beginner at welding but you’re more than welcome to come and try my welder if you find yourself in the Prestwick area. I’ve a 200 amp Paton PSI
Would love to, but the need for the welder is to fix up the van so I've currently no way to get there!!
8ob
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Had a quick play and think I have some base settings for you.. Found a bit of rusty 1mm and buffed it up with a flap disc so its probably nearer .8mm thick, welder settings were 4.75 on the wire feed and 2.1 on the V, I currently have .6 wire in there.
Top
A tad of over penetration on the underside but not hanging.
Slowly getting there! (I did email RallyDesigns and they've still not replied).
I'm still not 100% sure what my early issues were, I suspect I had quite a few competing problems but the things that seem to have made the most difference were upping the volts (which I initially couldn't get my head around as I was melting the **** out of everything) and starting with the wire touching or very close. I still get the odd flare up if I leave too much arc gap (not nozzle to workpiece, but the initial mig wire to workpiece gap) - it almost seems like it builds up too much charge and dumps it all on first strike.
With my 0.8mm wire I've settled on about 2.5 on the power dial and 3.25 on the wire speed. Got some ok 6mm plug welds (what I'll need for the front outrigger on the van - tomorrow's job). No picasso but they do seem to have penetrated well:
Reverse:
then did some practice on some 1.4mm stuff, ran a fillet weld on same settings and got no penetration so upped the speed and volts and managed this:
An hour with someone who knew what they were doing with this welder would have saved me 5 hours and you lot a load of time, so hopefully someone else trips across this and finds it's useful in some way!
Cheers all for the tips and ideas. I think now all I need to do is actually get some skills!
I'm still not 100% sure what my early issues were, I suspect I had quite a few competing problems but the things that seem to have made the most difference were upping the volts (which I initially couldn't get my head around as I was melting the **** out of everything) and starting with the wire touching or very close. I still get the odd flare up if I leave too much arc gap (not nozzle to workpiece, but the initial mig wire to workpiece gap) - it almost seems like it builds up too much charge and dumps it all on first strike.
With my 0.8mm wire I've settled on about 2.5 on the power dial and 3.25 on the wire speed. Got some ok 6mm plug welds (what I'll need for the front outrigger on the van - tomorrow's job). No picasso but they do seem to have penetrated well:
Reverse:
then did some practice on some 1.4mm stuff, ran a fillet weld on same settings and got no penetration so upped the speed and volts and managed this:
An hour with someone who knew what they were doing with this welder would have saved me 5 hours and you lot a load of time, so hopefully someone else trips across this and finds it's useful in some way!
Cheers all for the tips and ideas. I think now all I need to do is actually get some skills!
mtt.tr
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I havent made it to my workshop for long enough to try. With time and within reason the settings can be out / too hot you just learn to overcome it.
When you start it feels like it all 120mph as you are trying to concentrate on so much stuff
When you start it feels like it all 120mph as you are trying to concentrate on so much stuff
