Welder help
04-22-2005, 05:25 PM
#1
9 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fredneck, MD
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Welder help I bought this Lincoln 3200 welder but the only instructions is a video tape. I need a little advice on how to set the controls for Mig welding.
Any input appreciated.
Mark
Any input appreciated.
Mark
04-22-2005, 10:37 PM
#2
Mark,
Essentially, you have two controls you’re looking at. A-D is your voltage control. It taps your transformer as various stages to control your current. 1-10 is your wire speed. There will be overlap between the taps using your wire adjustment, wire thickness as well as distance between arc and material so there is more then one setting that will work.
It looks like as I attempt to read the data, you've got a 90A welder that runs at a 20% duty cycle. Depending on what you plan on welding, will determine how fast you'll grow out of it. For every 10 minutes, if you don't have auto protection circuitry on it, you need to stop welding after 2 minutes of weld or you risk burning out the transformer (this would be running the unit at the max 90A setting).
General rule to follow for proper penetration is 1 amp for every .001 of material. For example, .125 (1/8th inch) needs 125 amps. I'm not certain if the machine uses .024 or .030 wire...probably .024 I’m assuming. This is fine for smaller thickness material, but .030 will work better for your thicker work.
Wire speed as well as distance will also vary your adjustability.
Each tap is ~22.5A. Your machine is good for 1/16 material, but a bit small for 1/8th; you may need to pre-heat your material to get proper penetration in the material, especially due to the inherent deficiency of cold-start-mig-welding.
A good starting point for 1/16 for example may be set the tap at point "C", and wire speed possibly at "6". There are other variables of what to set the machine at....fillet welds need additional amps, maybe 20%, butt welds maybe 20% less...the material your welding also will effect what amps you need. You're going to have to play with it. If you have someone that can suggest to you by looking at a weld, what to change...that would be a good idea. It may take a good bit of frustration out of welding if your a novice.
Mig welding is a pretty simple process and relatively easy to learn.
Welcome to the world of welding! Get a GOOD helmet that is auto darkening and adjustable. Your eyes will thank you as well as a smoother work environment. Make certain you wear clothes that cover your skin; you can and WILL get good sunburn if you’re not careful. If your not in a well ventilated area, wear a respirator. If you looked at the MSDS's, you may not want to weld without at minimum a good ventilated area. Be especially careful welding w/coated metals i.e. galvanized, lead and cadmium plated as these will release very toxic fumes, you should remove these coatings first.
Good luck and happy welding!
Steve
Essentially, you have two controls you’re looking at. A-D is your voltage control. It taps your transformer as various stages to control your current. 1-10 is your wire speed. There will be overlap between the taps using your wire adjustment, wire thickness as well as distance between arc and material so there is more then one setting that will work.
It looks like as I attempt to read the data, you've got a 90A welder that runs at a 20% duty cycle. Depending on what you plan on welding, will determine how fast you'll grow out of it. For every 10 minutes, if you don't have auto protection circuitry on it, you need to stop welding after 2 minutes of weld or you risk burning out the transformer (this would be running the unit at the max 90A setting).
General rule to follow for proper penetration is 1 amp for every .001 of material. For example, .125 (1/8th inch) needs 125 amps. I'm not certain if the machine uses .024 or .030 wire...probably .024 I’m assuming. This is fine for smaller thickness material, but .030 will work better for your thicker work.
Wire speed as well as distance will also vary your adjustability.
Each tap is ~22.5A. Your machine is good for 1/16 material, but a bit small for 1/8th; you may need to pre-heat your material to get proper penetration in the material, especially due to the inherent deficiency of cold-start-mig-welding.
A good starting point for 1/16 for example may be set the tap at point "C", and wire speed possibly at "6". There are other variables of what to set the machine at....fillet welds need additional amps, maybe 20%, butt welds maybe 20% less...the material your welding also will effect what amps you need. You're going to have to play with it. If you have someone that can suggest to you by looking at a weld, what to change...that would be a good idea. It may take a good bit of frustration out of welding if your a novice.
Mig welding is a pretty simple process and relatively easy to learn.
Welcome to the world of welding! Get a GOOD helmet that is auto darkening and adjustable. Your eyes will thank you as well as a smoother work environment. Make certain you wear clothes that cover your skin; you can and WILL get good sunburn if you’re not careful. If your not in a well ventilated area, wear a respirator. If you looked at the MSDS's, you may not want to weld without at minimum a good ventilated area. Be especially careful welding w/coated metals i.e. galvanized, lead and cadmium plated as these will release very toxic fumes, you should remove these coatings first.
Good luck and happy welding!
Steve
04-23-2005, 12:39 AM
#3
Originally Posted by steve10
Mark,
Essentially, you have two controls you’re looking at. A-D is your voltage control. It taps your transformer as various stages to control your current. 1-10 is your wire speed. There will be overlap between the taps using your wire adjustment, wire thickness as well as distance between arc and material so there is more then one setting that will work.
It looks like as I attempt to read the data, you've got a 90A welder that runs at a 20% duty cycle. Depending on what you plan on welding, will determine how fast you'll grow out of it. For every 10 minutes, if you don't have auto protection circuitry on it, you need to stop welding after 2 minutes of weld or you risk burning out the transformer (this would be running the unit at the max 90A setting).
General rule to follow for proper penetration is 1 amp for every .001 of material. For example, .125 (1/8th inch) needs 125 amps. I'm not certain if the machine uses .024 or .030 wire...probably .024 I’m assuming. This is fine for smaller thickness material, but .030 will work better for your thicker work.
Wire speed as well as distance will also vary your adjustability.
Each tap is ~22.5A. Your machine is good for 1/16 material, but a bit small for 1/8th; you may need to pre-heat your material to get proper penetration in the material, especially due to the inherent deficiency of cold-start-mig-welding.
A good starting point for 1/16 for example may be set the tap at point "C", and wire speed possibly at "6". There are other variables of what to set the machine at....fillet welds need additional amps, maybe 20%, butt welds maybe 20% less...the material your welding also will effect what amps you need. You're going to have to play with it. If you have someone that can suggest to you by looking at a weld, what to change...that would be a good idea. It may take a good bit of frustration out of welding if your a novice.
Mig welding is a pretty simple process and relatively easy to learn.
Welcome to the world of welding! Get a GOOD helmet that is auto darkening and adjustable. Your eyes will thank you as well as a smoother work environment. Make certain you wear clothes that cover your skin; you can and WILL get good sunburn if you’re not careful. If your not in a well ventilated area, wear a respirator. If you looked at the MSDS's, you may not want to weld without at minimum a good ventilated area. Be especially careful welding w/coated metals i.e. galvanized, lead and cadmium plated as these will release very toxic fumes, you should remove these coatings first.
Good luck and happy welding!
Steve
Essentially, you have two controls you’re looking at. A-D is your voltage control. It taps your transformer as various stages to control your current. 1-10 is your wire speed. There will be overlap between the taps using your wire adjustment, wire thickness as well as distance between arc and material so there is more then one setting that will work.
It looks like as I attempt to read the data, you've got a 90A welder that runs at a 20% duty cycle. Depending on what you plan on welding, will determine how fast you'll grow out of it. For every 10 minutes, if you don't have auto protection circuitry on it, you need to stop welding after 2 minutes of weld or you risk burning out the transformer (this would be running the unit at the max 90A setting).
General rule to follow for proper penetration is 1 amp for every .001 of material. For example, .125 (1/8th inch) needs 125 amps. I'm not certain if the machine uses .024 or .030 wire...probably .024 I’m assuming. This is fine for smaller thickness material, but .030 will work better for your thicker work.
Wire speed as well as distance will also vary your adjustability.
Each tap is ~22.5A. Your machine is good for 1/16 material, but a bit small for 1/8th; you may need to pre-heat your material to get proper penetration in the material, especially due to the inherent deficiency of cold-start-mig-welding.
A good starting point for 1/16 for example may be set the tap at point "C", and wire speed possibly at "6". There are other variables of what to set the machine at....fillet welds need additional amps, maybe 20%, butt welds maybe 20% less...the material your welding also will effect what amps you need. You're going to have to play with it. If you have someone that can suggest to you by looking at a weld, what to change...that would be a good idea. It may take a good bit of frustration out of welding if your a novice.
Mig welding is a pretty simple process and relatively easy to learn.
Welcome to the world of welding! Get a GOOD helmet that is auto darkening and adjustable. Your eyes will thank you as well as a smoother work environment. Make certain you wear clothes that cover your skin; you can and WILL get good sunburn if you’re not careful. If your not in a well ventilated area, wear a respirator. If you looked at the MSDS's, you may not want to weld without at minimum a good ventilated area. Be especially careful welding w/coated metals i.e. galvanized, lead and cadmium plated as these will release very toxic fumes, you should remove these coatings first.
Good luck and happy welding!
Steve
sounds like you have a thing or 2 to learn about welding Steve.........NOT!
i'm very interested myself in learning how to weld one of these days. i see it so much on tv now that i just want to dig into it.Dave
04-23-2005, 05:25 AM
#5
9 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fredneck, MD
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, Steve. I have already used it some with inner shield wire. I have an auto dark helmet. Been practicing in some scrap 1/8th angle I have. I learned to weld years ago with oxy/acetelyne torch so I'm somewhat familiar with what proper penitration looks like. I must say it's a heck of alot easier with the wire feed than using the torch & filler rods. What about line pressure for the gas?
04-23-2005, 03:39 PM
#7
9 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fredneck, MD
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for all the advice. Here's a pic of some practice I did today. The weld in the center was yesterday, straight wire feed welding w/inner core. The outside ones are this afternoon with the gas & L56 wire.
There was a brownish powdery film around the welds. is that ok?
There was a brownish powdery film around the welds. is that ok?
Trending Topics
04-23-2005, 03:55 PM
#8
It will take practice. Make sure the metal is clean b4 you weld. It looks like it has paint on it or rusty. Need more penatration on the butt weld. The metal may be a bit thick for the welder.
The outer welds you moved too slow or slow down the wire-feed, too much build up, probably not enough penetration either...I can't tell from the picture.
Stick with using gas, not flux.
The outer welds you moved too slow or slow down the wire-feed, too much build up, probably not enough penetration either...I can't tell from the picture.
Stick with using gas, not flux.
04-23-2005, 04:24 PM
#9
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: cleveland/dayton/cincinnati, ohio
Posts: 515
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The brown film is the flux from the core of the wire it protects the weld while your welding, flux core is good for anything but has the tendency to blow out a little or cause porrosity in the weld. that welder can weld thicker stuff no problem just turn down the wire speed a little crank the amps up all the way and slow down your traverse. i just welded some 1/4 in gussets onto a spindle a couple of weeks ago i know that thoes things aren't going anywhere. but for the best welds you need to use a TIG which are like $2000 and very complicated to use well.
04-25-2005, 09:48 PM
#10
On The Tree
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Finksburg
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Mark98SS
Thanks for all the advice. Here's a pic of some practice I did today. The weld in the center was yesterday, straight wire feed welding w/inner core. The outside ones are this afternoon with the gas & L56 wire.
There was a brownish powdery film around the welds. is that ok?
There was a brownish powdery film around the welds. is that ok?
Roll bar time....
04-25-2005, 11:20 PM
#11
Staging Lane
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Westminster, MD
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
wrong machine for a roll bar/cage
Originally Posted by TheOutlaw
Roll bar time....
While a Mig bead may look good on the outside, it could be a bad weld underneath with poor fusion/penetration. The bad thing about mig is it will put down material even if your base metal isn't fusing properly. While it's easy to point and shoot and THINK your making good welds, I feel it takes a very long time to actually understand the process and truly realize what is a good weld and what isn't.
For roll bars, being a critical safety item, I highly recommend using a 220v machine being used my an experienced weldor. Small 110v machines lack the power for good penetration plus they don't "wet in" the weld start/stops nearly as well. Once you use a really good 220v machine, you'll easily see a difference going back to a small 110v machine.
Now, if you want to fit a cage/bar and tack it in, that's fine, then have an experienced weldor weld it in for good.
Sorry for being preachy for my first post here, but I hate to see bad info given on welding a roll bar cage...your life could depend on the structural integrity of these welds.
04-26-2005, 05:03 PM
#12
9 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fredneck, MD
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by TheOutlaw
Roll bar time....
04-26-2005, 05:07 PM
#13
9 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fredneck, MD
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by DOTracer
Not with that machine. I would never recommend welding a roll bar with a 110v Mig welder, not to mention by someone who just bought a new welder and is learning the basics.
While a Mig bead may look good on the outside, it could be a bad weld underneath with poor fusion/penetration. The bad thing about mig is it will put down material even if your base metal isn't fusing properly. While it's easy to point and shoot and THINK your making good welds, I feel it takes a very long time to actually understand the process and truly realize what is a good weld and what isn't.
For roll bars, being a critical safety item, I highly recommend using a 220v machine being used my an experienced weldor. Small 110v machines lack the power for good penetration plus they don't "wet in" the weld start/stops nearly as well. Once you use a really good 220v machine, you'll easily see a difference going back to a small 110v machine.
Now, if you want to fit a cage/bar and tack it in, that's fine, then have an experienced weldor weld it in for good.
Sorry for being preachy for my first post here, but I hate to see bad info given on welding a roll bar cage...your life could depend on the structural integrity of these welds.
While a Mig bead may look good on the outside, it could be a bad weld underneath with poor fusion/penetration. The bad thing about mig is it will put down material even if your base metal isn't fusing properly. While it's easy to point and shoot and THINK your making good welds, I feel it takes a very long time to actually understand the process and truly realize what is a good weld and what isn't.
For roll bars, being a critical safety item, I highly recommend using a 220v machine being used my an experienced weldor. Small 110v machines lack the power for good penetration plus they don't "wet in" the weld start/stops nearly as well. Once you use a really good 220v machine, you'll easily see a difference going back to a small 110v machine.
Now, if you want to fit a cage/bar and tack it in, that's fine, then have an experienced weldor weld it in for good.
Sorry for being preachy for my first post here, but I hate to see bad info given on welding a roll bar cage...your life could depend on the structural integrity of these welds.
04-26-2005, 05:47 PM
#14
Originally Posted by kozak
but for the best welds you need to use a TIG which are like $2000 and very complicated to use well.
Good luck with the welding.
F.Y.I. I would DOUBLE check before welding chromemoly, I believe there is a specific filler material that needs to be used.
04-26-2005, 07:53 PM
#15
9 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fredneck, MD
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
F.Y.I. I would DOUBLE check before welding chromemoly, I believe there is a specific filler material that needs to be used.
04-28-2005, 03:47 PM
#16
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: cleveland/dayton/cincinnati, ohio
Posts: 515
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Muffracing
A Tig welder is very easy to use, you just need a couple steady hands and some practice. Tig welding isn’t always the best choice either because of the thickness of the material or the time it takes to tig vs. mig of stick. When was the last time you saw a bridge being tig welded together?
Good luck with the welding.
F.Y.I. I would DOUBLE check before welding chromemoly, I believe there is a specific filler material that needs to be used.
Good luck with the welding.
F.Y.I. I would DOUBLE check before welding chromemoly, I believe there is a specific filler material that needs to be used.
04-28-2005, 06:07 PM
#17
On The Tree
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by steve10
Depending on your cup ~15-20 cfh. Next step is tig. Once you mastered mig :-).
We use a miller syncrowave 250DX w/pulser/sequencer and cooler for our tig.
We use a miller syncrowave 250DX w/pulser/sequencer and cooler for our tig.
---------------------------
Hi Steve10,
Any problems with you 250DX ?
Dave k
KTS race Cars