I literally just started...turned on the old MIG that's been in the garage for years, turned the voltage down, and the feed speed down and pulled the trigger.

I'm 50% confident so far in what I'm doing.

Sometimes though I can't lay a good bead; it pops and sparks and just refuses to lay good, even when I've got it grounded good and the metal is clean etc.

I don't know what the variable is.

Additionally, do I need to adjust the gas or something? I just left it as-is, but I'm wondering if I should be doing something with the tank everytime I use it.

TIA.

 

You might be too cold on the voltage turn it up. then go from there.

 

Thanks...I think that's what it was...I turned it up a notch and it's going great!

 

Sand the weld area down to the bare metal...Use like 80grit sandpaper and really get down to the metal...A wire wheel will not cut it...You have to get coatings or anything foreign away from the surface of the metal...

 

you want your gas around 20.... MIGs spit... thats why people hate them.... not a good bead = too much or too little heat. if you post a pic i can tell you.... i weld all day long .... shitty job but at least i learned something

 

When it pops that usually means your to hot, but when it pops and sticks then your to cold (atleast thats how my machine works, and its with no gas). Just play with the settings and youll be good.

 

Still is just so-so every now and then.

As a matter of fact, I don't think I'm currently using any gas at all.

The welder has sat for a few years; I just turned it on the 'continuous' setting, turned the voltage and wire speed down and started messing with crap.

I never touched anything with the gas....and I doubt the gas has been turned 'on' this whole time it's just been sitting in the garage.

Do I turn the gas on before or after I turn on the actual welder? Likewise, do I turn the gas off before or after the actual welder?

Do I have to turn it off while I'm working on stuff, or just turn it off when I'll be done for a decent amount of time?

 

Welding with a wire welder is kind of like a balancing act. You have to have the correct wire feed rate for the amps (power) you are laying out. You want more power if you are welding on thicker metal and want good penetration.

I'd recommend that if you can't find the "settings" table that should have come with the welder, go to your local welding supply shop and ask for one that would be close.

As for the gas, I personally open the bottle just prior to welding and then close the valve once done. The reason is that it seems that my system "bleeds" slightly and if left open, it would vent out all the gas over time.

Wes

 

Well the welder is a Hobart Beta-Mig 200; It's been in my garage for as long as I can remember....so it's fairly old.

I know nothing about it other than my dad would occasionally use it, but he had 3 other welders that he would use full time [had them in a trailer] because this thing is pretty big and always stayed in the garage.

 

If you don't have the gas on it'll weld terribly. Turn on the gas when your ready to strat welding. The gas isn't "on" all the time,it's being used while welding. if you're out of gas get some. Continue playing with the voltage and wire feed speed. One thing I have learned to do is set the voltage then while welding adjust the wire feed speed and listen to the weld. You know when it's right when you here a consistent hiss/buzz while welding. it's kinda hard to describe the noise, but once you here it you'll know.

 

Be sure the polarity is set right. For a non-gas machine with flux core wire the welder uses straight polarity. If you uses non-flux wire with gas you need to have it set to reverse polarity...

If the polarity is set wrong it will weld like ***. Trust me, mine was set wrong and it took me about a week to figure out what the hell was up. :lol:

 

Do I change the polarity at the gun switch terminal?

I'm not sure I know which way it should be....this was set up and welding fine the last time my dad used it, so I assume everything is A-OK except that I need to turn the gas on.

Will it hurt anything if I change the polarity other than just making better welds or possibly crappier welds?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Thinkmoto &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You know when it's right when you here a consistent hiss/buzz while welding. it's kinda hard to describe the noise, but once you here it you'll know.</TD></TR></TABLE>

sizzling bacon is how it was described to me. That gave me both an idea of what to listen for and a hunger in my belly.

About the inconcistant results, most of my problems like that were because of a weak/dirty ground.