Practical MIG Welding: Welder Set Up
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Welder Set Up
02.23
| 00:00 | The second step in our MIG process is setting the welder up for our freshly prepared material. |
| 00:05 | As we've discussed in the earlier modules on filler wire, it's important to choose the correct wire for the welding application and material. |
| 00:11 | For the majority of us that's probably going to mean ER70S-2 or Dash 6 filler wire designed for mild steel applications. |
| 00:19 | On the other hand the wire diameter will be either 0.8 or 0.9mm and this should match the correct rollers inside our wire drive unit and the contact tip in our MIG gun to ensure a smooth welding operation. |
| 00:32 | If we're changing the diameter of wire, then it'll pay to refer back to our machine setup module in the practical skills section to get the tension just right. |
| 00:40 | Remember too much tension can crush the wire and affect the current transfer, while too little tension may cause irregular wire feeding and sticking, making things very difficult to troubleshoot. |
| 00:50 | If we're using an extension lead, we need to make sure that it's not coiled up or longer than required. |
| 00:55 | MIG welders are very power hungry units and the extra resistance in the power lead can cause issues during welding. |
| 01:01 | Next, we want to have a look around our workspace and make sure that we remove any rags or flammable materials in the vicinity of our weld area, making sure that we know where a fire extinguisher is located. |
| 01:12 | The reality is that once a fire takes hold, we probably won't have time to scramble around the workshop looking for one. |
| 01:18 | If we haven't already cracked open the valve on the gas bottle, now's the time to do so. |
| 01:22 | We can now run a small amount of wire through the tip and check the flow settings on our gas regulator by depressing the trigger on the MIG gun, aiming to run around 10 litres per minute. |
| 01:32 | Next, we can trim off any excess wire to achieve our desired stick out length, aiming for around 10mm from the end of the gas nozzle. |
| 01:40 | This wire would have been heat affected and perhaps rusted from the last time we used the welder so it's always a good idea to begin our next weld with a clean and contamination free filler wire. |
| 01:49 | It may sound like a simple step but now's the time to make sure that our earth clamp is fastened to the metallic bench or workpiece to complete the electrical circuit. |
| 01:58 | It's surprisingly common for even experienced fabricators to get into position and flip their helmet down only to find the clamp isn't connected to the workpiece. |
| 02:07 | We're all guaranteed to do this at least once so keep your side cutters nearby to retrim your filler wire when you do so. |
| 02:13 | Now, that we have the MIG welder ready to go, we can continue on with our 6 step process and sort out our welder's settings. |
