First off, I know this isnt "the best" welder to get, but I got a good deal on it and have been very happy with it.

Its a Lincoln 155 (Home Depot Special)

I need to weld up some thicker stuff today, so I went to my dads shop and picked up my welder. At first, it worked ok. But after about 1" of welding, it started malfunctioning. It wouldnt penetrate like normal. It stopped making the "frying eggs" sound and the metal would just drip away (all over my feet, legs, ect...)

Things I have done are:

Replace ground clamp
Test Recepticle (220v)
Reset Breakers
Open case and inspect everything.

I did notice that the feed is not working like normal. I have it on 8 A when I pull the trigger, it hesitates, Then takes off. Also, every so often, it stops feeding all together. It sounds as if a motor is turning, but the actual wheel wont spin.

The Welder (person) at my dad shop said it has been working perfectly fine for him for the last month or more.

I am wondering if its just my electricity. I plan on taking it back to dads shop and testing it out.

Definitely something to do with the wire speed. Crank wire speed up up a bit and see if you get the sizzle back. Could be something silly like a kink in the liner to the gun or maybe a boogered up tip(i dropped my gun and did that one time). Also make sure the wire spool can roll easilly and not getting hung up.Whatever the case, you don't have enough wire speed to go with your heat setting.

Yup replace the liner It's only like $20 from welding supply stores for the tweco brand. They are easy to change also.

My initial impression is that your welding surface has been contaminated. Is this a possibility? Clean your work with a solvent just to rule out this variable.

Sounds like the same problem I was having with my lincoln. I hav a 110v one though. It was the liner. When I went to the welder shop they said the liner that came with mine was only suppose to do .23-.30 wire. I was using .35 and after awhile it jammed it in. Was like 12 bucks and 3 min to put in a new liner. Needed a small screw driver or alen wrench to get it apart.

Matt

Sounds like a bad tip or liner. Start by removing the tip and feeding the wire, if it feeds smoothly, replace the tip and get to work!

The tip constantly clogs. I have new ones and went through 4 or 5 of them in the 30 minutes I messed with the welder. The liner is a possibility. I will replace that for sure. I did have a boo-boo a while back, as the bottle dropped directly on the lead. But it did work fine after that for 2 months until now.


However, I can watch the feed wheel. I can see it manfunctioning. I figure its probably that, but I bet its expensive.

Another thing. It has .023 wire in it. I am wondering if it should be thicker (.035) My dad bought the roll. I forgot what size actually came with the conversion kit.

These little problems can be really frustrating:mad: If you're going through that many tips, you're tip is too close to the material. You might also try using welders no-stick spray (kinda like PAM for welding) It really helps keep your equipment in top condition.

Originally posted by Benny Boy
Another thing. It has .023 wire in it. I am wondering if it should be thicker (.035) My dad bought the roll. I forgot what size actually came with the conversion kit.

If you're working with anything thicker that 1/4", use .035. .023 is good for sheet metal. I use .030 for most projects up to 1/4".

OK, I took the welder back to my dads shop and it works PERFECT. So, Its in my electricity. Although, it has worked just fine until now. I dont kick any breakers so I dont know what the problem is. I dont have a amp meter or load tester, so I guess I am SOL.

The electricity comes from the house. There is a 60 amp breaker in the main box. Then it goes under the house for 50' then under ground to the shop for another 30' It is pretty big wire, although I dont know the exact guage. Then there is a 30 amp breaker in the box at the shop.

you can clean the liner.

pull the liner out of the hose/lead. cut the plastic covering off of the outside of the metal coil-tube. wrap the metal coil-tube into a very tight diameter circle and zip-tie it together in 2-3 places. 3-4" diameter is good (i wrap it around my hand). put this in a small (1-gal.) bucket with about 1" of Acetone or Laquer Thinner in the bottom and swish it around. little chunkies and funny colored stuff should come out. get a little violent with it...take the coil out and beat it against something hard (like a work bench, pervs.) clean out your bucket and refill with cleaner. do this until just a few little chunkies come out.

to KEEP the liner clean: you'll need a small piece of green scotch-brite pad, a binder-clip (heavy-duty paper clip) or clothes-pin, and a few drops of oil. cut the scotch brite into 2, 1" squares. put one on either side of the wire (centered vertically) before the drive rollers and clip your binder clip on them so they will stay (if you can't figure it out...figure it out.). make sure they device can easily slide on the wire. put 2-3 drops of oil on the scotch-brite (too much and your drive rollers will slip). add a couple drops once in a while...

if you have a new MIG welder, or even one that works fine, i would still recommend the scotch-brite trick. it will save A LOT of frustration when your liner does get dirty and the welder won't weld and you blow one of those little "slo-blow" fuses INSIDE the welder at 11pm saturday night (i speak from experience.). if you are a true hi-roller, you can buy a little clip-on felt piece that does the same thing from the welding supply for $1.

hope this helps! matt

are you using a long or cheap extension cord ? if so, it's likely dropping so much power that the welder isn't working correctly ... if that's the case buy a GOOD extension cord ...

- jack

i was goning to say all that has been said before. new liner, good electricity, clean surface. ect, ect!

get some good anti spatter for your gun and area you are welding. also, keep your gun about a 1/4" away from the work area.

That is one thing I do need, The anti-splatter stuff. Or whatever prevents the tip from getting clogged as bad.

Like I said. The welder works fine at my dads shop, so its definately my electricity. I guess I will be running a new wire the whole length. Sounds spendy to me.


Thanks for the help and suggestions.

You need to check your voltage.

You can buy a 5 to 10 dollar tester at most hardware stores. make sure you have the proper voltage for you machine. check it it at the box in the shop and from the feed where it comes out of the main panel.

If you have a descripence from the main to the shop you have a ground fault somewhere (leak). If the voltage is the same but low at both locations its the power that is being supplied from the grid. call the power company and complain.

Now first off remember that you will not get exactly 240 volts on your meter. it may range from 250 down to 220 thats ok. if its lower than 210 and you have a 240 machine you will have problems. If its that low you should be able to get the power company to do something. at the very least they should be able to check their voltage from the transformer and see what is being supplied. (if it is the transformer they should, change it out) If they have low voltages and dont change it out you have some recourse through the power commision.

I tested the recepticle with a quality ($50) electrical tester. Showed 240 volts.

I am not an electrician, so this is probably a stupid question...

But can I have not enough amps at the plug?

What would happen if the underground wire got damaged?

Everything else in the shop works fine. running off both lines.

Are you running multiple accesories in your shop while welding i.e. lots of lights. I have to shut down some of my lights when I fire up my 110 welder, but not my 220 due to the circuit. Just another suggestion.

Easy