cold welds
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
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cold welds
i have a millermatic 185 that i bought from a friend. when i bought it it worked perfectly. but now it keeps giving me cold welds. they are always cracking even though i have turned the power all the way up. i can tell that it is not at full power when i strike an arc. any ideas onto what is causing this? any help would be greatly appreciated.
bill
bill
Tuned
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 483
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One thing here if you were used to a stick machine the settings are totally different. Turning the wire speed up is what gives it more current. This is a constant voltage machine and a stick is a constant amperage machine. Turn the voltage down a ways and turn the feed up, then dial the voltage in until the arc is consistant. The voltage is not a heat setting in a traditional manner, it is an arc intensity setting.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 347
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From: in a house
I can't think of a easy reason for the cracking if the welder is functioning correctly and the mig wire and gas is suitable for the metal.
what are you welding? sheet, tubing, angle?
normal reasons would be
\your welding cast iron or aluminum. preheating can be used.
\the heat is too high and the wire is dripping onto your base metal. this is like spray transfer. the base metal is cooler than the filler wire.
\the mig wire is of a low grade or of low alloy content
this could be hard to determin so some more info would help.
is the crack on the surface of the weld?
if you break the weld does it look like you are getting good penatration? are you quenching the parts with water when your done welding them?
what are you welding? sheet, tubing, angle?
normal reasons would be
\your welding cast iron or aluminum. preheating can be used.
\the heat is too high and the wire is dripping onto your base metal. this is like spray transfer. the base metal is cooler than the filler wire.
\the mig wire is of a low grade or of low alloy content
this could be hard to determin so some more info would help.
is the crack on the surface of the weld?
if you break the weld does it look like you are getting good penatration? are you quenching the parts with water when your done welding them?
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
From: in a house
bill, check this about cracks. http://www.thefabricator.com/xp/Fabr...3/03web230.xml
give your equipment and process a once over and do like berry, turn your heat down and increase your feed. let us know what happened.
say no to crack.
give your equipment and process a once over and do like berry, turn your heat down and increase your feed. let us know what happened.
say no to crack.
