Good Welder?????

[The Mechtician]

Whats the duty cycle of your welder? I see friends paying no attension to there welders duty cycle.

My Lincoln has a 30% duty cycle. So I can weld for 3 minutes. Then let cool for 10 minutes. I am new to welding so I think thats how it's understood.

That's 100% correct. In practice, most welders have thermal cutouts which turn the machine off if it gets too hot. As long as the fan is running, the machine should be ok. We have a Millermatic 251 at work that will weld 1/2" steel all day long (where its quoted duty cycle is 60%) without a hiccup.

i even use HF wire sometimes. i find it not too bad actually. most people hate the stuff though.

The trick with that junk is to clean it real good to get the leftover manufacturing lube off. Next time you get a new roll, unroll a couple feet of wire and pull it through your bare hand, you'll see what I mean. I spray the whole roll real good with brake cleaner or acetone, and make a wiper out of a piece of scotch brite and a paper clip (the big black ones, y'know?). Clip the scotch brite on the wire just before it goes through the rollers. If you've been welding with dirty wire, you may also want to clean your whip. Take the liner out and soak it in solvent, then blow it out real good with compressed air. You won't believe the crap that builds up in there!

 

[devino246]

If you've been welding with dirty wire, you may also want to clean your whip. Take the liner out and soak it in solvent, then blow it out real good with compressed air. You won't believe the crap that builds up in there!

I need to do this with my Century. The wire feed has gotten real sporadic.

 

[The Mechtician]

I need to do this with my Century. The wire feed has gotten real sporadic.

I read a thread on WeldingWeb.com about wiring a 100 or 200 uF capacitor between the wire drive motor leads. It apparently smooths out the feed, which is notoriously jumpy and jittery on cheaper wire machines. If cleaning the whip doesn't fix your problem, it might be worth a try...

EDIT; here's the thread I was talking about -->90 amp flux core welder @ WeldingWeb.com.

 

[devino246]

I read a thread on WeldingWeb.com about wiring a 100 or 200 uF capacitor between the wire drive motor leads. It apparently smooths out the feed, which is notoriously jumpy and jittery on cheaper wire machines. If cleaning the whip doesn't fix your problem, it might be worth a try...

EDIT; here's the thread I was talking about -->90 amp flux core welder @ WeldingWeb.com.

Well it is a name brand, although I think it was the cheapest welder Century made. Im wondering if the 10lb spool has anything to do with it.

 

[redsox985]

I know that Miller makes small felt filters that go on the wire between the spool and drive wheel. I believe they have a very light dry lube in them so that the wire feeds smoothly without collecting debris in the liner.

 

[The Mechtician]

I know that Miller makes small felt filters that go on the wire between the spool and drive wheel. I believe they have a very light dry lube in them so that the wire feeds smoothly without collecting debris in the liner.

They sure do, complete with graphite lube for the low low price of $8 each That's why I started making my own. For aluminum wire my boss uses a foam earplug. Just thread the wire through the earplug & bob's your sister Would probly work for flux core too, come to think of it.

 

[Garified]

http://products.esabna.com/index.ph..._id.id43628b95b45da1.65410871/category_id.122


That's the welder we have at school. Pretty **** good if you ask me.

 

[devino246]

I read a thread on WeldingWeb.com about wiring a 100 or 200 uF capacitor between the wire drive motor leads. It apparently smooths out the feed, which is notoriously jumpy and jittery on cheaper wire machines. If cleaning the whip doesn't fix your problem, it might be worth a try...

EDIT; here's the thread I was talking about -->90 amp flux core welder @ WeldingWeb.com.

Got it fixed! After pulling out the liner and cleaning it, I found that there was too much drag on the wire spool. I just took the spool off and sprayed some white lithium grease (love that stuff) on the backing plate, where it contacts with the spool. Tried it out and it made a perfect bead with little to no sputtering.