Product Manual B

18
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Attach the ground clamp to the bare metal to be welded, making sure of good contact.
Make sure that the wire-roller groove in the roller corresponds to the diameter and type of wire being used.
Plug the machine into a suitable outlet.
Completely open the gas cylinder valve. Adjust the gas pressure regulator to the correct flow rate. (Not
applicable to Stick “SMAW” process.)
EXPOSURE TO A WELDING ARC IS EXTREMELY HARMFUL TO THE EYES AND
SKIN. PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO A WELDING ARC CAN CAUSE BLINDNESS
AND BURNS. NEVER STRIKE AN ARC OR BEGIN WELDING UNLESS YOU ARE
ADEQUATELY PROTECTED. WEAR FIRE RESISTANT WELDING GLOVES, HEAVY
LONG SLEEVED SHIRT, CUFF-LESS PANTS; HIGH TOPPED SHOES AND A
WELDING HELMET.
Some experience is required to adjust and use a MIG welder. In MIG welding, two parameters are fundamental: the
welding voltage and the wire feed speed. The resulting welding current is a result of these two settings but is more
directly related to the wire feed speed.
Set the voltage (LEFT KNOB) (4) and wire feed speed (RIGHT KNOB) (5) to positions suitable for the thickness
of the material to be welded (See “MIG Set-Up Chart”, page 19). Welding current varies in relationship to wire
feed speed. For low wire feed speed (RIGHT KNOB), welding current output will be low. Turning the wire feed
speed control clockwise will result in increased wire feed speed and welding current. Welding voltage should
be adjusted to match the wire feed speed/welding current. Progressively select higher voltage positions when
increasing wire speed.
Increasing welding voltage leads to a longer arc (without substantially affecting the current). Conversely, a
decreased welding voltage results in a shorter arc (the current again is not substantially changed). A change in wire
diameter results in changed parameters. A larger diameter wire will draw a higher current than a smaller diameter
wire at the same wire feed speed. If certain limits are exceeded, a satisfactory weld cannot be obtained. These are:
1. Feeding wire too fast (too high speed with regard to the welding voltage) results in pulsing within the gun. This
is because the wire electrode dips into the puddle and cannot be melted off fast enough.
2. Setting welding voltage too high (too high with regard to the wire feed speed), will result in excessive and
unstable arc. Increase the voltage even higher and the contact tip will burn.
3. Excessive wire speed can be corrected through the arc voltage increase. The limit of this adjustment depends on
the thickness of the material to be welded (a certain limit exceeded will result in burn through).
Place the gun on the joint you want to weld: the angle between the gun and the workpiece should be around 45°.
The distance between the gun and the workpiece should be about 1/2” - 5/8”. Lower your face shield and press
the gun trigger to start the arc. When the arc has struck, move the nozzle slowly from left to right along the joint.
Adjust the wire feed speed until the arc makes a “crisp” sound (experience will help you to recognize the right
sound).
This welder can work with solid steel wire from 0.023” - 0.030” (0.6 - 0.8mm) diameter; stainless steel wire from
0.023” - 0.030” (0.6 - 0.8mm) diameter (MIG welding, “GMAW”) and with 0.030” (0.8mm) diameter flux-cored
wire (flux-cored wire welding, “FCAW”).
Factors to Consider for Best MIG Welding Results
Welding Wire Selection