I need some advice about using my MIG welder. I've got a Miller 200 that I bought used. The guy that I bought it off of demonstrated it for me when I bought it and it welded beautifully. It is in geat condition and looks like it has hardly been used. The seller was a professional welder and was selling it because he bought a square wave machine for himself. And I've even welded with other MIG machines and done pretty well. It seems like almost anybody should be able to do a passable job with a MIG if things are even close to right.
But I've been having trouble when I try to weld. It acts like there is not enough heat, even when I crank it up to full voltage and I keep decreasing the wire speed. I've made sure the metal was cleaned down to shiny in the area of the weld, made sure the ground was tight and the area where the ground is clamped is clean, and adjusted my gas pressure all over the place. But it still seems like I can't get the bead to penetrate and it just acts like it's too cold and almost ***** up on top of the steel. At the settings I've tried, I ought to burning a hole in the metal. And like I said, the guy I bought it from had it welding beautifully, just like it should. What am I doing wrong?

 

How big of wire do you have for the outlet? And how long of a run is it? If you use too small of gauge wire, you may not be getting the correct power to the unit. Too small of gauge wire is like trying to push a river through a creek.

 

When welding you have control over a few variables. Voltage, wire speed, travel speed, stick out distance, and the angle at which you weld. For penetration, wire speed is going to have the greatest impact on penetration (all other variables reasonable). Increasing the wire speed means the welder has to put out a more power (which translates to heat) to melt the wire fast enough to maintain the arc. Increasing the voltage and decreasing the wire speed will do the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

Try this, there should be a chart somewhere on the welder that gives a rough approximation as to how to set the wire speed/voltage for a gauge of steel. Start with those settings and work on your travel speed, contact distance, and welding angle to achieve a nice weld. Practice good form and once you get a feel for it you can start to tweak the settings to better suit the application.

 

My lincoln Pro Mig has a settings guide on the inside of the door, help out when first learning.

 

Well, the machine has the factory cord and plug on it, and one of the places that I used it was at the shop at work. The shop is wired for industrial work and we ran the company stick welder off of the same outlet without any problems. I have used it in regular garages, including the sellers garage which seemed to just be a regular home garage. But I don't know the breaker or wire sizes right offhand.
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll see if I can put them to use to help solve my problem. I gotta admit, I'm definately not a skilled welder. I wouldn't ride in a race car with a cage that I welded up, LoL!

 

he meant the welding wire , not power wire.

 

Well that's a good point also, but i did mean the power wire to the outlet.

 

do you have a picture of the welds you're getting?

things I would look at:
- is the shielding gas right? for most things with a mig you should be using C25 or CO2, not argon. Argon will cause a cold looking weld that just sits on top. If this is a new bottle it could be mislabeled or contaminated, it has happened, take it back if you suspect it, they should be willing to trade it out.
- the metal you're trying to weld- I've run into things that have acted like that, like f-body seat rails will do that (no idea what they're made of)
- to long or small an extension cord that it's plugged into can cause problems, but then typically you get a bump when you pull the trigger and then the voltage drops, the welder typically will act differently.
- too long, small or loose ground clamp
- ground clamp/gun polarity

My guess based on what you've said you checked is probably shielding gas.

What I would try would be to grab a spool of flux core, set the polarity correctly, do not use any extension chords, choose an outlet as close to the breaker box as possible with as heavy a gauge run as possible and try running a bead on some moderate thickness mild steel, like some 1/8"... that should eliminate many of your variables.

I suspect that you'll find that it's gas related, either a bad bottle, problem with the regulator or gas block or something.

Post pics if you can.

 

Quote;- (to long or small an extension cord that it's plugged into can cause problems), That's what i was getting at, but then if you have used other welders off the same outlet, that would eliminate that problem.

 

^^^

What he said. The welder doesn't know it's getting voltage drop

I do most everything now with my 240v machines (mig, and a tig). I have a little 110v welder if I need to fix something out in the field and I don't want to carry the generator out with me.

I've been welding for 20 years and I'm still learning new things.

For most stuff I do I use .030" wire. I start a puddle and adjust the heat and wire speed based on what I'm seeing. Make sure you've got a good ground as well. Just because it's sparking doesn't mean your getting the amperage you need.


-- Joe

 

Why don't you post some pictures of what your weld looks like? It would be easier to tell you whats wrong.

Shielding gas? Type? Pressure?

Is the polarity set up correct inside? Set up for *** or mig?

Do you have the right wire (Flux or mig) for the polarity?

Try plugging the machine in directly? No extension cords?

Leaking shielding gas? Cut in the line?

Ground? Attached?...Cleaned ground area?

Lots of things it could be..

 

I agree with the last comment. Check the polarity! I didn't know that I had to change the polarity on my Lincoln 180 when going back and forth between flux core and solid wire. I was confused for a few days over that. Good luck.

 

I have checked everything and cleaned as best I can. I have been limping along. It seems I have one setting that kind of works but still have feed issues and can't seem to adjust the speed and voltage beyond the one setting. So, I am back to this issue so wondering if anybody has experience with these welders as they are in my budget right now:

ARCCAPTAIN MIG Welder, 200Amp 6 in 1 Gas MIG/Gasless Flux Core MIG/Stick/Lift TIG

VEVOR MIG Welder, 3 in 1 270 Amp Welding Machine, 110 220V MIG Lift TIG Arc Welder,

YESWELDER MIG-205DS MIG Welder, 200Amp 110/220V Dual Voltage MIG Welding Machine

 

I'm not sure what kind of price range these welders run in, but I would highly recommend Primeweld, I have their TIG225, and it's awesome.

 

These are under $400. The one you mention is $900 to $1500.

 

Well, it seems my welder has given it up today. The wire feed speeds up and slows down randomly. Sometimes stops. Wire is not binding and I can see the feed roller speed up and slow down so guessing the drive motor is going out...

 

Which welder?

I've had good luck with this welder. I used it to replace my Miller.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39597024554...YaAomUEALw_wcB

 

I think I need to get a new welder since I have a lot of welding to do on my 92 Camaro, 67 Camaro and 73 Ford Pickup and I am tired of fighting with this one. My wire spool is getting low so going to put on a new spool today to see if that is causing the drive problem. In addition, I seem to only be able to get a good weld with one setting of the dials so I can't seem to have very good heat and speed adjustment. I only do MIG and some Stick (Really Old Stick Welder) however I am interested in learning TIG.

After looking at Arccaptain welders I am on the verge of ordering this one:

ARCCAPTAIN MIG250 Multi Process MIG Aluminum Welding Machine

However, they don't discuss or indicate availability and compatibility of contact tips. They don't come with an 0.023 tip with the welder kit and I am using mostly 0.023 on sheet metal. I have searched their website and manual without success. All the reviews show people using 0.030 wire and never discuss tips. I am reluctant to order one until I know I can get contact tips locally. I will try to call their phone number from the website today to see if I can get answers. Tip compatibility should be a straight up listing on their website.

 

That's a good machine. It's EURO connector, so if your machine is also you can use the same torch from your broken machine. (at the amperage rating of your torch, of course).

I bought a few different torches for mine, based on what I'm doing. Some are good for tight spaces, some are good for working on a table.

 

I tried to call Arccaptain but they don't have a live support person. I sent them an email on their support page to try and clarify their support for 0.023 tips and to find out if the welder only really supports 10lb spools and not 2lb ones.

I am starting to look for another source/brand that is equivalent to their MIG 250 and in the same price range if they don't get right back to me with suitable answers....

 

Well, I still haven't heard from Arccaptain so I think I am going with the YESWELDER MIG-205DS PRO MIG.

 

Well, I finally got an answer back from Arccaptain. They did not answer my question as to what tips are compatible with their welder. They simply reiterated that you can use 0.023 wire but again they don't have tips for it. They said they recommend people use 0.030 or 0.035 which makes this welder not a good choice for thin sheet metal I guess. Anyway, I ordered the Yeswelder I listed above and it will be here by Monday.

 

You need different contact rollers for .023" as well. I think the wire speed will be erratic with .030-.035 rollers.

When I first started in the early '90s in school we used .023" for body panels. I pretty much use .030" for everything now, and .035" for structural. I just stitch weld the body panels and grind 'em.