Mig gasses

[Cord]

I'm currently using 90/10 gas which I really like because of how pretty the welds are. The problem is that I can't do any out of position welds because the puddle drops out. I was wondering if this was a temperature/wire speed problem or if it was the gas? I have a bottle of C02 that I try, but I wanted to ask here first...

 

[DHJR43]

try using 75/25 i am a welder by trade and that is the most common gas for
welding steel. co2 works but does not produce as nice looking welds and has a lot more spatter

 

[rsewill]

I'm surprised you aren't getting more replies. So I'll throw out an opinion.

There are a lot of factors in getting a good weld besides mixture. Vary wire speed, heat, speed of movement of the gun, angle of approach, distance from work, etc., etc. I'm not a pro so although I could hazard a guess about solving your issue I'd probably be steering you wrong. I don't think the suggested change will solve your specific problem but will no doubt result in better welds.

 

[DHJR43]

I apologize for the short reply. I'm at work and not much time to type. lol
as previous reply is correct and there are a lot of variables and without actually being there to witness your problem then i can only give you things to try. Good welding involves a lot of practice in all types of situations. Not knowing your case,i will try to just give you some ideas. first thing is overhead requires wire speed to increase. how much depends on situation. heat could be issue but again maybe not. Also nozzle angle. Try about a 75 to 80 degree angle to joint. Also try varying between pushing and pulling. your welding style may work better with one verses the other. the wire i use typically is ER70S-6 in .030 is a good all around wire. welding is in my opinion 20 % instruction and 80% practice. welding is a tough thing to teach without being there to watch your style and habits but i will try to help .

 

[clee4020]

I apologize for the short reply. I'm at work and not much time to type. lol
as previous reply is correct and there are a lot of variables and without actually being there to witness your problem then i can only give you things to try. Good welding involves a lot of practice in all types of situations. Not knowing your case,i will try to just give you some ideas. first thing is overhead requires wire speed to increase. how much depends on situation. heat could be issue but again maybe not. Also nozzle angle. Try about a 75 to 80 degree angle to joint. Also try varying between pushing and pulling. your welding style may work better with one verses the other. the wire i use typically is ER70S-6 in .030 is a good all around wire. welding is in my opinion 20 % instruction and 80% practice. welding is a tough thing to teach without being there to watch your style and habits but i will try to help .

I agree it is probably more technique than the gas. However, if you switch to CO2, you'll have to switch regulators. I use CO2 cuz the gas is cheaper and I was given 2 old bottles. 75/25 gas is a little "prettier" but not much and supposedly using CO2 pentrates better...

 

[Cord]

Now that I think of it, can you use globular for an out of position weld? I need to be using short circuit, right?

 

[DHJR43]

I totally understand the cost difference ! My brother uses co2 and has no complaints. That's whats nice about TBN's forums , there's not always a right or wrong but a matter of opinion.Only to help a brother in need !!! I too have heard co2 gets better penetration but have not tested the 2 side by side. what's interesting is if you look under the flip up panel on the manufacturer's chart, they require higher heat setting if using co2 verses 75/25. i'm not disagreeing with you but just makes me wonder.

 

[DHJR43]

yes on the short circuit welding. That's why i say welding is practice. That helps you know when and where and how to apply your experience. I feel that
there are so many different situations that sometimes you need to combine techniques.Experiment

 

[Cord]

I don't recall the exact AWS designation, but I do remember it was for contaminated metal. It's a copper coated wire. I don't weld on contaminated metal, but wanted the copper to help protect the wire from moisture. I think it might be the same wire you mentioned. The size is .035. The welder is a ESAB 250.

I'm transitioning from having welded stick for over 20 years. I've gotten pretty good with stick, but forgot that I can't do my MIG test welds on a flat surface and then expect to transfer that setting to a vertical one.

Generally I've been following the machine's chart for short circuit welding, but find that I'm into globular. So far, that hasn't been an issue. I have turned it up a bit for spray, but keep on burning back to the tip, so for now I'm sticking with globular. Welds look great with a really nice profile, even ripple and no under cutting. I can clearly see the puddle wetting before the drop falls so I know that I'm getting good penetration.

Do I just turn up the wire speed a little bit to get back to short circuit for the out of position welds?

 

[DHJR43]

That would probably be the first thing to try. Also make sure your getting proper wire feed. Without knowing your mig experience i would suggest to avoid
loops or kinks in your lead cuz this sometimes effects wire feed. Also tip drag or insufficient roller tension can cause issues

 

[Cord]

Yea, I've had some problems with the tip dragging and too much feed pressure. This would cause the wire to kink right after the rollers. I just got it dialed in where the pressure feels about right. Was able to put down a good 30-40" of globular weld with no feed problems.

So, the burn back when using spray wasn't technique as much as feed roller pressure? It was stumping me how my position/clearance/angle hadn't changed but the wire would suddenly burn back.

 

[DHJR43]

I have found sometimes tips don't drag at cooler temps but after running a length of bead they apparently get hot and expand up on the wire and then if the roll tension is light enough the rolls can start slipping. how thick are you welding ?

 

[Cord]

Yesterday I was ranging between 1/8" and 1/4", mostly 1/4.

 

[Renze]

I'm currently using 90/10 gas which I really like because of how pretty the welds are. The problem is that I can't do any out of position welds because the puddle drops out. I was wondering if this was a temperature/wire speed problem or if it was the gas? I have a bottle of C02 that I try, but I wanted to ask here first...

My brother complains about my 350A MIG because i must often adjust it before he can weld vertical or above hand: I dont want to Vee every weld so put the wire to 11 and burn a deep bead, but need to put the wire feed back to 7 in order to weld topdown or upper hand. My brothers own 180A machine runs thinner 0.8mm wire and maxes out at 4m/second wire feed. He can weld any position without adjusting, but mine is doing allmost triple the welding, if properly adjusted.

When i bought it it had 0.8mm wire feedrolls, but that didnt work: i had a 4 meter hose package on the torch, instead of the standard 3m. it allways kinked the wire in the hose because 4 meter is too much to push a wire. I now run 1mm which does way better.

 

[GT2]

Not an expert, but I think you run higher power with CO2 because it is a colder gas.
I've welded mostly with CO2 and have no problems at any angle. However as others have said, a lot of it is experience and technique.
I have also welded a fair amount of mix gas, and it does burn differently. I found it to burn hotter. I just had to adjust my technique and had no real problems.

 

[Stihlrunner]

I agree it is probably more technique than the gas. However, if you switch to CO2, you'll have to switch regulators. I use CO2 cuz the gas is cheaper and I was given 2 old bottles. 75/25 gas is a little "prettier" but not much and supposedly using CO2 pentrates better...

Are you sure about needing a different regulator? I'd never heard that. Both on my home welder and work mig we switch between Argon/CO2 mix and straight CO2 with no issues.

Mostly we use the mix, I think it goes by the trade name Cougar around here.

 

[SHORT KID]

I think my small Lincoln just uses an adapter for the different tanks. I use 75/25 so I never tried it. :thumbsup:

 

[hog987]

Are you sure about needing a different regulator? I'd never heard that. Both on my home welder and work mig we switch between Argon/CO2 mix and straight CO2 with no issues.

Mostly we use the mix, I think it goes by the trade name Cougar around here.

If you are doing a lot of welding with the C02 sheilding gas than you will want a regulator with a heater on it or things will freeze up. When I was welding in the one shop I would sometimes use 75 pounds of wire a day with C02 gas

 

[Renze]

If you are doing a lot of welding with the C02 sheilding gas than you will want a regulator with a heater on it or things will freeze up. When I was welding in the one shop I would sometimes use 75 pounds of wire a day with C02 gas

My oxygen bottle sometimes freezes up on the propane/oxygen torch, and i get the regulator on my MIG iced, but it never froze... But expanding gasses DO take up a lot of heat from the environment...

Oh, and when you're used to heavy welding i've got a question: Are there any contact tips that last longer than the standard ? I have a 350A welder, i didnt take the water cooled torch because it was 500 euro more expensive, and hobby is just hobby. But my frustration is that i burn the tips blue within 10 minutes of full power welding, so the wire rips pits out of the contact tips so it jerks. The temperature of the toch in my hand was never a problem, just the tips burning. Any advice plz ?

 

[Groo]

90/10 is a spray transfer gas. When I use it for short arc, it turn out not so pretty (and probably lacks penetration) in my experience. I've heard 98/2 can be used for both spray and short, but it is primarily a spray gas too. I rented a big bottle of 90/10 that I am trying to use up myself. I have thought about picking up a small bottle of pure CO2 and a second regulator to mix after the regulator, but I think that is probably way more advanced than my skill set. since you already have a bottle of it....why not try to mix it down to 75/25?