I set for the thicker piece and cheat to that side.

Adding too much oxygen in my opinion.

Watch this video - his explanation is excellent.

First several minutes are safety and background info.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f2amO0T3vkQ

For cutting you open the oxy valve on the bottom wide open then turn on gas , light and adjust the flame to neutral with the upper valve. Now get the metal hot and press the lever and it should cut. That's how I do it too - base knob open, adjust with the upper knob. With propane it takes a couple ...

Don't have implants but I still get shocked sometimes when my bare arm is on the table.

So I try not to do that.

Hi All add some helium but a couple of posters chimed in saying that yes DC is fine with Alum. using pure Helium only ! So the question is who is right - is it possible and would a video showing the technique be something anyone would like to see if only to dispel some myths / misunderstandings? Ye...

So, I finally got it to come on. But, it didn't work that well. It kind of spattered. I read someone telling someone else, to change the connection and hook the ground to the positive. I mean, the electrode part. I am so worn out today. I wrote those down and drew this picture. No clue if it is cor...

Grandpa wrote:Butt welding automotive sheet metal with .023 using a Lincoln 180c.
Any advantages using 100% argon from my tig rig vs 75/25 ?

And YES !! I take my coupons out behind the barn and bury them
before being accused of metal abuse.

Pops

No, 100% argon sucks for mig welding.

If I read it right, lack of fusion on filler passes but only at both sides. Middle is good. To me, this is already what you needed to know - watch what you are doing on the sides closely. Are you pausing long enough to watch it fuse? Or just walking the cup in one continuous motion? Are you swinging...

Did you read the manual? It's stupid easy to hook up.

Take a picture - it'll be easier to figure what you've done wrong.

But, it won't turn on unless the welding lead is hooked to it and the ground lead hooked to the same metal as the small wire from the suitcase.

I often just hook the small wire right to the ground clamp.

I agree, not enough amps. You've only got 165 amps and I'd have it maxed. Full pedal, get a shiny wet puddle in 3 sec or less, add filler, back off amps as needed. Make sure the arc is very short to start the puddle quickly, you'll have to lengthen arc to regular distance as you get the rod in there.

An "arc on" signal could be used for ventilation fans or maybe turning on a weld positioner?

Well, once again, Miller and Cyberweld have said they are fine. If I want to return it, I have to pay for the shipping, because it is open. What a load a crap. So, I get a damaged product and they make it seem as if it is my fault. How the hell would I know it is damaged, if I did not open it? Mill...

Warren couldn't agree more. turn it up and learn to read the puddle, thats why you have a foot pedal. craig I agree, but I was concerned that I was doing something wrong because I feel like 150 amps should be enough for a fillet weld on 1/8. HOWEVER....it was square tuning mitered, so the wall at t...

Charts are typically based upon flat welds, not joints and fillets and vertical needs. Cleaning for me depends upon material condition and requirement. Sometimes, I don’t even clean the material but just adjust my Balance and crank on it. :o I’ve never encountered the material cleanliness being the...

I use pure and thoriated both for aluminum - just depends on my mood

With the syncrowave 350 I can dial almost 70/30 AC balance and the thoriated works fine like that.

Actually works fine on 60/40 too.

When I run out of thoriated I'm gonna try lanthanated.

More amps, don't be timid - aluminum loves amps. Make sure stickout is far enough to get a good tight arc to get puddle started. Get on the power quickly, timid will cause you problems. I'm full throttle right away, and a tight arc. I'm right in there. I'm wondering if I didn't clean it properly. L...

More amps, don't be timid - aluminum loves amps.

Make sure stickout is far enough to get a good tight arc to get puddle started.

Get on the power quickly, timid will cause you problems.

The faster the wire speed the better the penetration? Ugh...it just seems like the speed is running away from me. I guess it is back to practice, practice, practice. Thank you for the clarification on penetration (depth of fusion). I now understand "cold" as well, which is why my destruct...

I'll move the voltage up incrementally until it looks right and do another destructive test. I'll also make sure the parts are super clean of any containment and that I bevel the part ends to get better "saturation" (right word?). Remember though, volts are not penetration (depth of fusio...

Yep it was too cold. Increase wire feed speed (amps), then increase volts until the bead profile is correct.

Amps controls penetration, also called depth of fusion.

Volts controls bead profile.
More volts, wider flatter bead.
Less volts, taller and more narrow.

Thanks for all the replies! I ran some 7018 dc last night and found that it was easier to weld with than I thought. Since the miller 250 doesn’t have a dig function, what can I do to help keep the rods from sticking? Would it help to get a clamp type electrode holder so that I don’t have to yank th...

The miller 250 is a good machine. Since you're in 9th grade, don't go crazy buying rods in my opinion. Decent choices available pretty much anywhere are 6010, 6011, 6013, 7014, 7018. In truth, you can just buy 3/32" and 1/8" in 6011 and 7018 and be all set for the large majority of repairs...

Yup! My miller 150 is the same way. Over about 80-85 amps on a 20 amp breaker stick welding. It becomes a mater of when not if the breaker will trip. If you can replace the wires between the panel and the plug you might be able to put in a 30 amp breaker. That will help a lot, but you still might n...

I agree that leaving can be a delicate deal. I prefer to be honest and tell people my plans ahead of time. Sometimes that works great, sometimes it doesn't go over well. But, I find it's less stressful for me because I've been honest and upfront. Can't control how they react unfortunately, but you k...