Help with welding machine

musigenesis · 08-16-2019, 10:16 AM

I am trying to get my welding machine working again for MIG (it was functioning a couple of months ago). The wire is coming out when I press the trigger and I'm getting gas, but I'm not getting any arc. I think my ground connection to the piece is good, but I'm not sure I have my machine set up properly in terms of what gets plugged into what (since I unplugged everything since it was last working).

Here is my setup: https://imgur.com/a/OSbRsmi

Should I have that loose wire plugged into the + port?

Sleddgracer · 08-16-2019, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I am trying to get my welding machine working again for MIG (it was functioning a couple of months ago). The wire is coming out when I press the trigger and I'm getting gas, but I'm not getting any arc. I think my ground connection to the piece is good, but I'm not sure I have my machine set up properly in terms of what gets plugged into what (since I unplugged everything since it was last working).

Here is my setup: https://imgur.com/a/OSbRsmi

Should I have that loose wire plugged into the + port?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDMezphvly0

musigenesis · 08-16-2019, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDMezphvly0

I guess that means, yes, I should have the damn wire plugged in. My problem is that the machine can also do stick and TIG so I'm not sure about the MIG setup exactly.

I just finished my four-month welding class so you would think I would know this now, but we used different industrial machines so I'm clueless about my own gear. And I still can't weld for crap because a 43-lab hour class ended up being less than 20 thanks to multiple cancellations by the teacher and the lab running out of gas all the time.

Booyah45828 · 08-16-2019, 10:53 AM

The wire coming out of the bottom left of the machine needs to plug into either the positive or negative slot. Plugging it into the positive slot would set you up to weld dc electrode positive. Do it this way if you're using argon mix as a shielding gas.

If you're welding with flux core wire, you need to switch to dc electrode negative. Which involve you hooking the bottom left wire into the negative slot and the ground cable to the positive slot.

musigenesis · 08-16-2019, 11:10 AM

Yeah, I needed to plug that loose wire in to the + port. It's working now.

CMORGANSKOOL · 08-16-2019, 11:55 AM

I just discovered a newly formed hole in my floor. When you get the welder up and running can I pay you a couple bucks and a visit to weld it for me?

musigenesis · 08-16-2019, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMORGANSKOOL

I just discovered a newly formed hole in my floor. When you get the welder up and running can I pay you a couple bucks and a visit to weld it for me?

Absolutely not ... but I will do it for free.

I have the machine working now, but I still need to see if I can run it off of my generator, since my work spot has no power.

CMORGANSKOOL · 08-16-2019, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Absolutely not ... but I will do it for free.

I have the machine working now, but I still need to see if I can run it off of my generator, since my work spot has no power.

Oh boy. My little generator doesn't like to run anything other than small power tools. My buddy used to have a diesel trailer generator to weld with.

musigenesis · 08-16-2019, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMORGANSKOOL

Oh boy. My little generator doesn't like to run anything other than small power tools. My buddy used to have a diesel trailer generator to weld with.

I have a little TailGator from HF that actually works really well for all my power tools, despite them all being rated nominally above 6.5 amps. I know it probably won't work for my welder, but I also have a 2500 watt generator which should have sufficient chooch, if I can get it to start.