Anything welding

Are you sure you're getting a good gas feed? Not trying to be a smartass but make sure the torch is seated in the unit securely.

 

Meaning?

No offense taken, even if it's something simple I haven't been able to figure it out so I deserve whatever you've got. lol

We did check gas flow at the gun. Idk if there is an official test but it sounds like good flow and the gas ports aren't clogged.

 

Stick out refers to how far away you’re holding the gun from what you’re welding. It can be very finicky. What I’m suggesting is maybe it’s as simple as you just holding the gun too far away by a little bit.

 

I wasn't really looking at the spatter, but at the edges of the weld that look like they're sitting on top of the parent metal and not melting together with it.

Might be worth cutting an inch off the ground cable, stripping it back and getting a fresh, clean connection.

 

Gotcha, didn't know that's what it was referred to.

 

I can give that a shot. Can't hurt to have a new ground on the machine even if it doesn't work. I do see what you're saying though.

 

I had this problem after I let one of my friends weld and he disconnected the hose. I had to fiddle with it to get it to seat into the machine properly. I'd put my money on gas not getting to the tip properly. Check the connections for gas and where the torch goes into the welder.

 

I checked the gun end. I haven't looked at the connection end into the welder. I'll check it out!

 

Burn some incense or something near the clear hose by the drive wheel the pull the trigger on the welder to see if there’s a gas leak (the smoke will move). I had that happen to my miller a while back and the mechanism look almost identical. I’m going to assume that’s a Hobart welder? Word is the drive mech internals have the same origin.

a small hose clamp solved the issue but I don’t remember having spatter because of it.

 

That's a smart idea using a little bit of smoke to see if theres a leak.

 

Old contractors trick to test the seals around door, windows and outlets. A little caulking does a lot for the energy savings of a home.

 

It's actually a Miller. A 170 I believe? This is a creative idea. I'll add it to the check list!

 

Insense? Sure...

The whole month is 4/20.

Sorry, the post made me laugh.

 

Another thought I've been tossing around in my head. In this picture, the top of the weld, where I assume you started, looks pretty good. Its nice and smooth and melty. But as it went on, it got bumpy and wavy and colder looking. That's suspicious to me. Has anyone here seen a capacitor go bad in a welder? I'm not sure what that would look like, but if I had to guess, it might look like that.

EDIT: How old is this thing?

 

I did say “or something”.

 

Great observation! To clarify, the top of the weld where you pointed out is actually a second pass where I turned the voltage up. You can see the original weld (first pic) underlying in between the top and bottom second passes.

How old is the welder? Not sure. Doesn't look like Miller makes a 170 anymore. It really doesn't look that old though.

 

Wow this thread moves fast. It's already been answered, but yes, this is a totally reasonable thing to do.

You can get very high quality plug and receptacle end-connectors for the cord of your choice. Sometimes it is cheaper to get a cord with pre-molded connectors on one or both ends, and some are very high quality, but don't shy away from buying the cord and connectors separately. There are an increasing number of counterfeit cable assemblies on the market, e.g., something that is sold as X gauge is actually a smaller gauge but with thicker insulation so it looks like it's the same size. Buying direct from a reputable company (not just an importer), or from a good brick-and-mortar store, is totally fine -- but don't trust any products on Amazon or eBay, especially if they have a lot of good reviews or product photos.

Personally, I prefer to make my own extension cords for these applications. Why?
1. I've never seen a counterfeit spool of SO cable, and probably never will; nobody would fall for that since you can see the conductors in freshly cut cable. It's like trying to sell a cat as a pig without the bag.
2. The plug and socket connectors from Hubbell and similar brands are bulletproof when properly installed, and are easy to install properly if you are careful. The critical part is stripping the wires correctly.
3. You don't have to round up on cable length. If you need a 6 foot extension cord for your welder, what is the better solution: A 6-foot long 14-ga cord running straight from the wall to your welder, or a 50-foot long fluorescent orange 12-ga cord with light-up ends and the words "heavy duty" embossed continuously along its length, 44 feet of which are tightly coiled beneath your collection of gasoline-soaked rags? Hard to say, but the short 14ga wire would have 5x less voltage drop, and I bet it would cost less!
4. It is super useful to have various cables and connectors on hand to address your changing future needs. Maybe you move, and you don't need this extension cord any more. But during the move, you accidentally run over the plug on your dryer with the moving truck. No worries, you can lop off that crushed factory plug and swap in the plug from this cord, for a totally to-code repair. Then, maybe you get a new air compressor, but you want to install it at the far corner of your garage because of how loud it is. No worries, you can wire it there using the cable from your old welder extension cord! Even then, you still have a leftover 50A socket connector to hoard for the rest of your life, and although dementia may someday deprive you of the knowledge of its actual disposition, nothing can deprive you of the belief that you might yet someday need it.

 

Fantastic reply, I really appreciate you taking the time.

I listed my welder for sale yesterday and have a friend coming over today to buy it. Will go get the 240 one sometime this week. Can’t wait to feel the powerrrrr

 

Not sure if anyone has seen this site before but it's where I got my extension cord parts this morning and seems to have anything and everything. Worth taking a look at if you need to buy new leads, make an extension cord, whatever.

https://www.wireandcableyourway.com/

 

Made a mini rocket stove. This thing rips!
Test run done. Gonna dial in a perm stand and cooking top