gas less MIG welder problems

[turbojolt]

right i bought this welder for 80 quid, got loads of gas less (fluxed) wire for it for around 35 quid, also bought a auto dimming mask for 30 odd quid, so i dont want to give up on trying to weld all together when Ive sunk a fair bit of cash into it already!

these are the problems I'm having, they could be down to the same thing i dont know :confused:

the problem I'm having is the wire speed seems to be random, stops and then starts again intermediately

the other problem is the wire jumps out of the roller that feeds it, Ive tried it on both sides (the larger deeper one and the shallower thinner one), this problem only seems to stop if i jam a screw driver in to the leaver to really squeeze the feeding roller on to the 2nd (detachable) roller, but that doesn't last long either!

do i need to change the tip or one of the rollers?


i know alot of people say gas less is **** etc etc.. but I'm not looking to buy a new welder :wtf: just yet anyway, would rather try and get this one working better

so can some one help me out as the last time i tried using it i booted it across the garage floor and really hurt my foot :cry:

[jonn]

how old is the welder? if it was secondhand it could need a new liner, this is what the wire travel through inside out to the torch. they build up with dirt, sometimes you can blow them out with compressed air and it could be fine again. a new tip for the same size wire could help as well.

[turbojolt]

i wouldnt say its mega old but it was 2nd hand, how much would i be looking at for a new tube mate?

[mowgli]

sounds like liner & tip to me. i'd guess you are welding too hot & fast, cos most people do

[John]

What condition is the wire in? when i leave mine for a long period of time, i always run the outer layer of wire off.

[turbojolt]

this is the welder, i changed the high/low wire speed switch to see if it would help but it didnt, the only other switch on it is on and off

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/46830_10151411237012118_1191561087_n.jpg

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/557958_10151411236982118_998154464_n.jpg

http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/307701_10151411237317118_168156983_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/148321_10151411237522118_1840017931_n.jpg

[turbojolt]

What condition is the wire in? when i leave mine for a long period of time, i always run the outer layer of wire off.

i have no idea what you mean mate

[meritlover]

this is the welder, i changed the high/low wire speed switch to see if it would help but it didnt, the only other switch on it is on and off


http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/148321_10151411237522118_1840017931_n.jpg

look closely and you will see the answer to your problem........

[turbojolt]

lol ive tried it from the bottom aswell and still have the same problem, i switched it around to see if it made it any better

[meritlover]

its the liner then. check its not kinked or twisted before you go buying a new one.

[turbojolt]

ok i will pull it apart tomorow and have a look, change the high low speed switch back and switch the reel around

im going to buy a pack of tips aswell as the one on it looks really worn to me, i really want to get it working so i can do the bits of welding to the nova myself

[turbojolt]

another thing i was wondering, when you put a new real on are you ment to leave it tightly rolled or let it spin out a little, so its no to tight when its being feed throught the welder?

[John]

It's supposed to roll easily. I meant if the wire is poor it'll snag in the liner (ie corrosion)

[turbojolt]

ooo im with you now, no the wire has always been in really good condition mate

[vessey]

Have you tighten the the bit that hold the wire on to much As that acts as a brake

[turbojolt]

i use to fully tighten it, but slacked it off a little improved it a bit but still ended up with the same problems after a little while

[vessey]

On the roller at the front will probs have 0.6 or 0.8 on it that will make a difference aswell

[MK999]

i use to fully tighten it, but slacked it off a little improved it a bit but still ended up with the same problems after a little while

back it up until it carries on spinning a little when the feed stops, then back on a bit. Basically you want the lowest possible tension that stops it rolling on for ages and making a mess of the wire.

[John]

The wire "clamp" (rollers) needs to be just right to, to tight and it'll snag. What size wire are you using? what size wire is it designed to run?

[turbojolt]

the wire im using is .8 i think, how do i know what its designed to use

[meritlover]

you will REALLY struggle to weld a car with .8 gas less wire.

the tips and feed rollers are marked for the wire size.

spares here:

http://www.sipuk.co.uk/tools/Mig_Spare_Parts.html

[Jon_nova1]

it's the rollers/mechanism, i've got one of those welders lying around somewhere and after a few years use, the flat steel plate that provides the springyness in the rollers deteriorates, it also doesn't help that the rollers are made out of what appear to be low grade stainless so with continual use the groove wears.

[brainsnova]

You want a gas welder :thumb:

[camels toe]

Sip welders are known for wire feed problems. I bought one as my 1st welder and struggled for about a year wondering why i couldnt ever get it set up right even though i could weld ok with my mates snap on welder. Wasnt till i started reading the forums i realised how completly and utterly ****e they are. There just cheap horrible ****e.
Do yourself a favour and throw it away and cut your losses.You`ve already made the mistake of buying a gasless one dont make another one by trying to get along with this one and waste more time and money.
Get yourself a 2nd hand snap on ect or go to machine mart and get a clarke one and you wont look back. You`ll never teach yourself to weld with a sip.

[turbojolt]

You want a gas welder :thumb:

thats right i do and its my birthday on the 5th, you getting me one

[meritlover]

gas less is truly awful. Don't throw good money after bad even if you cant afford a gas MIG.

[John]

Sell the one you've got and rent a good one.

[Edd]

I can't use them gas less ones

Had one on lend, smashed the crap out of it and had to buy my mate a new one lol

You'll seriously struggle to get it working correctly mate, buy a gas one and sell that one

[turbojolt]

would some thing like this be any good 'clarke 100e migwelder gas/gasless'


im going to list up my welder, all the gasless wire (4 rolls), pair of gloves, and a old mask i have laying about for £100 then keep a eye out for a ebay bargin

i dont want to give up on the idea of welding stuff myself, as its bound to save me a fortune in the long run!

[GRUNT 16V]

the best small welder to go for is the cebora 130 amp they are the nuts but you will pay a fair bit for them second hand !!

[GRUNT 16V]

http://www.migtigarc.co.uk/MIG_Welder/Sureweld_Monomig_253/Test_Cart_MIG/Untitled83/Cebora_Pocket_Turbo_130_Mig_Welder02.jpg
one of these best for budget if not get the Esab caddy 200I this is the welder im packing and its the nuts but expect to pay over £850.00
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/ProductImageCompressAll300/A185_1_20120608_6876329.jpgTHIS IS MY WEAPON OF CHOICE

[turbojolt]

thats a ridiculous amount of money for me to spend on something to sit in the garage barely being used lol

[meritlover]

if you are barely going to use it you had best consider how you are going to pay for the gas. its about £35 a month to hire a decent size cylinder, but you can buy rental free bottles now for a one off fee of about £145 and each refil after that is about £80 inc delivery but the bottles are much smaller than the hire ones.
It all depends much and how often you use it. Dont even think about using the 800g disposable mini cylinders.

for a one of project or a once in a blue moon, you should seriously consider a complete bottle and welder hire package and blitz all your welding in one go.

[turbojolt]

i will obtain a bottle dont worrie about that, then ive just got the cost of a refill

[mowgli]

most problems with migs are caused by the knob on the end of the lance

[camels toe]

Theres no need to rent bottles any more.If you can get an indate bottle just go to a fire extinguisher place and have it filled for next to nowt. I got my bottle from ebay,search for yorkshire-co2gas. If im down that way i drop in for it to be filled if not go to a local place.
You`ll get people saying you need a co2/argon mix but tbh ive never really seen the difference in the end product.
Make sure if you buy one of the gas/gasless ones that it comes with the gas setup too or budget for that ontop. I got my clarke 150te for about 200 quid i think in a vat free day.

[meritlover]

having a CO2/Ar mix does make a difference, it just depends what quality of weld you are willing to live with. some places are funny about filling other peoples bottles so bare this in mind. likewise some regulators arent interchangable either on other fittings. The some Air Products bottles dont even use regulators, they just have fittings for different flows.

[meritlover]

most problems with migs are caused by the knob on the end of the lance

giggles, sometimes i have hold my lance with both hands and if i squeeze it really hard stuff comes out the end of it, i wear a mask to stop it going in my face.