Another Vertical Welding Question

[Jim Kinney]

I have a Millermatic 130XP that I have been using to build gates and exhaust systems and whatever else needs welding. I love it and think it works great for these applications.

My question concerns vertical corner welding. When I pull the trigger to start welding, it sometimes takes a few seconds for the arc to stabilize. It spits and sputters and a big ball forms on the end of the wire. At first I thought the feed was slipping, but confirmed that it wasn't. Once the arc settles down, it welds fine. I have had this happen at various settings and different metal thicknesses.

I mostly weld 16 and 14 gauge steel, and am using ER70S-6 (.023") wire with C25 gas (20-25cfm).

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Jim

[Hobart Expert Rock]

HI JIM........WELCOME ABOARD.......... SOME THINGS THAT WILL EFFECT STARTS.......LONG STICK OUT....... TRY 1/4" TO 3/8"..... A BIG BALL OF WIRE ON THE END........ CONTAMINATED WELDING MATERIAL......... POOR FIT UPS OF THE PIECES.......... THIS IS JUST A START OF SOME THINGS THAT WILL EFFECT YOUR MACHINE................. WE CAN HELP YOU FIGURE THIS OUT.............HANG IN THERE................ROCK....
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[Al T.]

I'm a new at this, but could it be that you need to purge your line of air before you weld. It happens to me sometimes too.

Just a thought.

[Scott V]

Jim,I had a two of those welders,and never had that problem,so what rock says makes sense.I would blow your liner out,and also look for kinks in it.The drive rolls in them tear up the wire a little bit.Those welders came with a lot of different guns on them.With my all time favorite one being the real Hobart one they put on them.I did talk to a guy that changed his drive roll setup to another style,and he really liked it,although I had good luck with the factory setup.I can't find that thread,but it was at the AWS web-site.Those are the last of the small copper miller welders,and I like them better that the new ones by far.

[Jim Kinney]

Thanks for the reply's. I will pay more attention to cleaning the metal and watch how far the wire sticks out.

I am also going to check the liner. I am about at the end of my first full spool of wire, a major milestone for me. When I have to change that out, I will pull the liner.

Jim