Newbie with wire feed problem- help!

[mschargergarage]

Hi! I am a new welder, and just got a HH 187 for Xmas. I decided to play around with the flux core before investing (and possibly wasting) in a gas set up until I get some experience and feel comfortable with the equipment. Anyway, here are some issues I have. Any help is appreciated.

I started witht he .035 provided with the welder. I set the wire feed tension to 3, the voltage to 1 and the wire feed speed to 30. It went well...for about 10 seconds. Then the wire stopped feeding. So I went back to the welder and adjusted the tension again, went back to my piece, pulled the trigger, and same thing. Next time I went back, the wire had broken. So I rethreaded it, lowered to tightness of the spool, lightened up on the wire tension, and tried numerous times again. Next time, the wire would seem to get stuck after I welded for a few seconds, and I turned to look at the welder, and the wire had forced the other end of the hose out of it's seat and loops of wire were coming out of the wire feed area! I then changed to the .030 wire, and same thing happened.

So, my questions are...what am I doing wrong?! Should I just nix the flux core altogether? Is gas easier? And should I switch to a smaller wire? I am going to be using it mostly on auto sheet metal. What do I treat the nozzle with to prevent the wire from clogging it?
Thanks for any help!

[taylorkh]

A few of things to check...

Is the polarity set for flux core? Look at the diagram inside the cover - it shows the correct polarity and how to change it.

The drive roller is reversible for different size wire. Make sure it is set for the size wire you are using. The .035 should be visible on the side of the roller when it is set for that size.

Check the contact tip (where the wire emerges from the gun) - make sure it is sized for the wire you are using. You might try a new tip in case the original was damaged.

You can get a special roller for flux core wire. It has serrations - for want of a better word - in the grooves.

Finally, and probably the root cause... Crank up the voltage and wire speed. Flux core is generally used for heavier welding. It can be used for thin sheet metal if you are really skilled (more than I am). Get a piece of scrap 1/8" or thicker and set the voltage tap and wire speed for that thickness based again on the diagram inside the cover. That should give you a good starting point.

Also keep the cable from the welder to the gun as straight as possible. Avoid sharp bends.

Good luck and welcome to the board.

Ken

[Zrexxer]

Next time, the wire would seem to get stuck after I welded for a few seconds, and I turned to look at the welder, and the wire had forced the other end of the hose out of it's seat and loops of wire were coming out of the wire feed area! I then changed to the .030 wire, and same thing happened.

There's no way the drive roll system on the 187 has enough snot to push the back end of the gun out of the machine, unless it just isn't secured at all. Make sure the backend is fully seated and the thumbscrew is tight as shown in section 5-1 of your owner's manual.

[fjk]

Agree with everything that taylorkh said,
adding that it is common for people new
to wire feeders to spend a lot of time
unraveling birdsnests. It takes a bit of
practice to get the hang of it.

One thing that will help to get the
roller tension set up right is the "wood
block test". The basic idea is to get
the cable as straight as possible, point
the gun at a block of wood and pull
the trigger. You adjust the rollers
so that they just start slipping then.
There have been better/more-detailed
explanations -- you can search for them
on the site. Your manual may also give
the information.

In general, the wire feed should not be
able to force the liner/gas-hose "out of its seat".
If that's happening, there could be an issue --
perhaps some clamp is not as tight as it should be --
But I have not used a HH187, so I could easily be
wrong on this -- hopefully someone with experience
on that machine can help you there.
(Like Zrexxer said...)

Keep practicing, it will come...

Frank

[crawler]

Any chance you have a mig gun with a short liner installed? Some users have reported this problem. You might want to call Hobart if all else fails. They have excellent service.

[SMS]

Hi! I am a new welder, and just got a HH 187 for Xmas. I decided to play around with the flux core before investing (and possibly wasting) in a gas set up until I get some experience and feel comfortable with the equipment. Anyway, here are some issues I have. Any help is appreciated.

I started witht he .035 provided with the welder. I set the wire feed tension to 3, the voltage to 1 and the wire feed speed to 30. It went well...for about 10 seconds. Then the wire stopped feeding. So I went back to the welder and adjusted the tension again, went back to my piece, pulled the trigger, and same thing. Next time I went back, the wire had broken. So I rethreaded it, lowered to tightness of the spool, lightened up on the wire tension, and tried numerous times again. Next time, the wire would seem to get stuck after I welded for a few seconds, and I turned to look at the welder, and the wire had forced the other end of the hose out of it's seat and loops of wire were coming out of the wire feed area! I then changed to the .030 wire, and same thing happened.

So, my questions are...what am I doing wrong?! Should I just nix the flux core altogether? Is gas easier? And should I switch to a smaller wire? I am going to be using it mostly on auto sheet metal. What do I treat the nozzle with to prevent the wire from clogging it?
Thanks for any help!

The machine should come with 0.030" wire, and not 0.035" wire. Did you try to bump up your wire speed? You could be getting burnback. Also make sure your stick out is between 3/8" and 1/2". A lot of people recommend 1/4" but in my opinion this is way too short... you can easily overheat the tip and cause the wire to become stuck. And also when you notice that the wire stopped feeding, take your finger off the trigger and try to find where it is getting stuck before your wire makes a mess again.
Steve

[mschargergarage]

Thanks for all the good replies! I emailed Hobart and he said the liner may be defective, since after the wire broke or tangled, I had to pull really hard to get the rest of the wire out of the gun! So it may be kinked. I will also try it with the settings higher. I will let oyu know how it goes!
Thanks for the help!
Deb