Help Please - My old Cebora is poorly and...

[moffmeister]

...I'm making a BBQ for my son's 12th birthday party on Saturday

To be honest the lastr time I used it it was a bit tempremental (about 6 months ago) It's a Pocket Turbo 130

I started tonight and the first thing was that the wire kept getting stuck in the tip - is this just it needs a new tip and shroud?: confused: (can't remember the last time they were replaced)

Also there is rust starting to come through the copper coating on the wire - could this be the problem?

The other problems are:

1) the speed control is erratic i.e. sometime full speed then will drop off and then speed up again
2) sometimes the wire feeds but the contactor does not come in - bloody frustrating

I've had it 15 years so maybe it's just had it?

Please help I'm off out tomorrow to buy some spares (or maybe even a new one - or maybe just a BBQ instead )

 

[malcolm]

Rusty wire will probably be causing the wire feed problems. The rust seems to act as a lubricant in the wire feed rollers and would cause the slowing down. Pull the wire out of the welder and unwind the rusty stuff - you should find good stuff underneath.

The wire sticking to the tip might well be due to the wire speed being too low, which is perhaps because the rusty wire is slipping. Although having a new tip handy is always a good thing, especially if they've been damaged by burn back. I'd go for a new tip before buying a new welder (they are a little cheaper).

The contactor? you mean the welder doesn't do it's welding thing? Possibly a dirty contact between the earth clamp and the BBQ.

Don't give in, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Eurotorch]

I would do exactly what malcolm has suggested, the contactor not pulling in could be due to overload on the feed motor caused by what malcolm has described, give the plant a good clean, especially the feed rollers and liner, or you could end up with a burnt out rectifier, after cleaning run the wire through without the tip in place to check for smooth, consitant operation.

 

[moffmeister]

thanks guys,

I'll try and get a new tip (damaged by burn back = definate yes) tomorrow and wind the wire off to find clean and give the thing a good clean/

the wire speed is definately not too low though

there's life int he old gal yet

 

[Drains]

If you want your tips to last (almost) forever, use Tip dip. Murex make a good one, comes in a tub. Ask at your local welding supplier. A fiver will save you loads of grief and money in the long term. It protects the tip and shroud and makes them very easy to clean. Also, avoid rust (it will ALWAYS stop your mig from working properly)