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  #21  
Old 03-24-2010, 09:02 AM
John Buchtenkirch John Buchtenkirch is offline
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Charley, .023 wire seems to work best in 110 volt welders, that’s what all the local body shops (by me) use as well as argon CO2 mix. The metal you are using is too rusty , if you abrasive blasted it to death or used a new sheet of clean metal you would see an immediate improvement. Even grinding rusted metal still leaves rust in the pores that’s viewable with a magnifier. I wouldn’t run that aluminum wire, it will probably clog & kill the liner in your gun. They do make plastic liners for running aluminum but it really doesn’t weld nicely in low power migs. Someone mentioned rusty mig wire , throw that in the garbage before it kills your gun's liner and or ruins your welds. If you want to weld old rusty metal your better off going with stick, with migs think clean, clean, perfectly clean metal – that goes for tig too. Finally get some clip on wire wipes / lubricators so your gun’s liner will have a half a chance to last for a few years. That’s all I can think of this early in the morning . ~ John Buchtenkirch
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  #22  
Old 03-24-2010, 07:28 PM
John Buchtenkirch John Buchtenkirch is offline
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Two other things. If you change to .023 wire you will likely have to change or buy different drive rolls, some can do 2 different wire sizes by flipping them. Your gun’s liner may already be junk (you bought it used, right ?) so you need to test it. First disengage the drive rolls, you should be able to push the wire thru to the gun without it being sticky. If it drags you likely will need a new liner. If it’s OK then run some wire thru the gun while watching it come out of the tip, if it’s jerky or erratic in any way you have problems, suspect the spindle for the roll of wire may be binding or oil on the drive rolls or maybe that liner again . ~ John Buchtenkirch
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  #23  
Old 03-24-2010, 07:47 PM
Charley Davidson Charley Davidson is offline
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Right now I'm just playing around with it Uh I mean practicing, When I need to buy wire I'll get some .023 and a couple new liners, .023 tips and other acc. I need. It does have 2 grooves in the feed roller which I was sure it did as the 135 I used several years ago on my bus had them.

This one was setup for .030 when I bought it and when I bought my tank I got 3 rolls of .030 so I'll just burn through that since it's already here and was basically free.

will my settings I'm used to or getting used to change when I go to .023?

Right now it feeds well and I'm happy with it but will buy both sizes of liners.

Thanks for the tips, keep em coming
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  #24  
Old 03-24-2010, 08:08 PM
John Buchtenkirch John Buchtenkirch is offline
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I don’t believe you have to change liners to change wire sizes, just the drive rolls and contact tip. The 110 welders don’t have the power of 220 welders, they will burn .030 wire but weld much nicer with .023 plus the weld buildup is less as well as less grinding but hey, it’s your call. I strive to go to any technique that requires less grinding. If a ball appears on the end of your wire when welding your wire speed is too slow. If the ball appears & disappears erratically you have wire feed problems, suspect what I covered in my previous post . ~ John Buchtenkirch
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  #25  
Old 03-24-2010, 08:43 PM
Charley Davidson Charley Davidson is offline
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Is that why my welds don't lay flat? The .030 wire?

Oh I'll take your advice but I've been blowing through money like mad and not making any so I'm just gonna work with what I have now. I'm actually welding a little heavier stuff right now doing this yard junk/sculpture so I assumed it was better to use the .030 wire.
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  #26  
Old 03-24-2010, 08:49 PM
Ron W Ron W is offline
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Default 4043 is aluminum

The ER4043 is a chrome moly wire and use on chrome moly steel.

You will find that ER4043 is an aluminum wire. Ron W
Sorry Didn't notice it was already mentioned.

Last edited by Ron W; 03-24-2010 at 08:52 PM.
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  #27  
Old 03-24-2010, 09:25 PM
Charley Davidson Charley Davidson is offline
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Thats Ok redundancy is better than re-dumb-duncey

If I don't have to buy a new liner I might pick up a roll of .023 and try it. I don't have any clean steel left to practice on though and figure since I'm making scrap metal anyway might as well start out with scrap metal.
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  #28  
Old 03-25-2010, 07:46 PM
Crew Chief Crew Chief is offline
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Charley - That MM140 will run .030 wire very well. .023 is good for auto sheet metal. Anything heavier, .030 will work fine. As mentioned, clean your metal as well as you can and turn your gas up to 25cfh to start. Depending on the thickness of what you're trying to weld, look at the chart on the door for a good place to start with voltage and wire speed. You will probably tweak it a bit from those settings.

Just like troubleshooting a computer, change one thing at a time. Increase your heat and see what happens. Up your wire speed and see what happens. Lower your gas and see what happens. When it sounds like bacon frying and your weld toes are tied in well, then adjust your hand speed to flatten out your bead. Also, remember to use a push technique with gas shielding. Drag the gun when using fluxcore. This should help you run better beads.

Good luck and hope to meet you at Sun-N-Fun.
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  #29  
Old 03-26-2010, 04:37 AM
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jamlit jamlit is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crew Chief View Post
Charley - remember to use a push technique with gas shielding. Drag the gun when using fluxcore. This should help you run better beads.
Better penetration is obtained when pulling the bead with a 110 volt welder when running gas. Not sure about the flux core as I have never run it in my 110 welder.
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  #30  
Old 03-26-2010, 07:43 AM
Crew Chief Crew Chief is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamlit View Post
Better penetration is obtained when pulling the bead with a 110 volt welder when running gas. Not sure about the flux core as I have never run it in my 110 welder.
It's true that pulling with gas can result in deeper penetration, but it can also lead to porosity due to the loss of gas coverage. Generally in the range that this welder is designed for, penetration shoudn't be a problem if it's set right.

Also, whether a welder is 110v or 220v is irrelevent when working with 3/16 or lighter metal. Charley's MM140 will weld single pass on anything in this range without a problem using the proper wire and technique. I used an old CH 120v welder for several years and welded up to 1/4" with it using .035 flux core. Worked fine.
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