Welllll Santa brought a spankin' shiny-new 251 to my place. However he was not polite enough to tell my wife that she should get a roll of wire to go with it. So we had to make-do with what was available at Home Desperate at 7:00 this evening after work.
Here's what I got:
100% CO2 gas
Wire is Lincoln 0.30" L-56 MSDS#: US-W5 (I know it's probably not great, but it's the only non-flux core they had).
Typically I weld a lot of 1/8th mild steel tube (think off-road cages).
The tip/hood are what came with it and the stick out is about even.
Initial settings:
19.5V / 295 wirespeed / 25CFH on the CO2
My results: I tried all over the scale, starting about where the manual recommends, never really got a GOOD weld/sound. Always sounded like angry hornets with a LOT of splatter. I know the machine is capable of a lot more than I've been able to get out of it as yet...
So my questions are:
1) What is a good wire to start with, forgiving and versatile (it takes me forEVER to get through a 10#)?
2) Any recommendations on tips/hood combinations for a particular stick-out?
I was thinking about .35 ER70S-6 in this configuration...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also this is my first venture into MIG. In the past, I've used strictly FCAW, so this is a learning experience for me.
Also I don't currently have a digicam to post pics of the welds. Even if I did, I would be hesitant to post pics of my turd-welds beside the likes of Rocky, Dan, and the rest of the pros here.
Here's what I got:
100% CO2 gas
Wire is Lincoln 0.30" L-56 MSDS#: US-W5 (I know it's probably not great, but it's the only non-flux core they had).
Typically I weld a lot of 1/8th mild steel tube (think off-road cages).
The tip/hood are what came with it and the stick out is about even.
Initial settings:
19.5V / 295 wirespeed / 25CFH on the CO2
My results: I tried all over the scale, starting about where the manual recommends, never really got a GOOD weld/sound. Always sounded like angry hornets with a LOT of splatter. I know the machine is capable of a lot more than I've been able to get out of it as yet...
So my questions are:
1) What is a good wire to start with, forgiving and versatile (it takes me forEVER to get through a 10#)?
2) Any recommendations on tips/hood combinations for a particular stick-out?
I was thinking about .35 ER70S-6 in this configuration...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also this is my first venture into MIG. In the past, I've used strictly FCAW, so this is a learning experience for me.


Also I don't currently have a digicam to post pics of the welds. Even if I did, I would be hesitant to post pics of my turd-welds beside the likes of Rocky, Dan, and the rest of the pros here.



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