|
|
Set up the welder unplugged and power off. Keep tension on the wire end while putting the spool into the machine. Letting it go will result in rapid unspooling and a tangled mess of wire. Don't ask how we found this out. After the wire is threaded follow instructions for getting the wire out to the torch.
|
Measure the thickness of the steel. Consult the chart that came with the welder for which voltage and wire speed is recommended for which thickness of steel. In this case the steel was 16-gauge, which called for minimum voltage and wire speed of 1. Too much voltage and wire speed and the weld will burn through. Too little and the weld will just sit on top of the material.
|
Practice! Ground on material? Check. Gloves on? Check. Mask down? Check. Hold the tip of the torch a few millimeters away from the surface at a 15 or so degree angle and pull the trigger. The trick is to strike the arc and then keep the torch above the surface until the wire melts into a puddle. Try making one puddle at a time. Next try a longer weld by joining the puddles.
|
Here are a few practice runs. A little slag is normal with flux-core wire feed welding. Use the combo wire brush hammer to clean up the weld. Keep practicing until you can reproduce the same weld more than once. The weld should be raised above the surface yet fuse through the material without burning through it. The steel will be very hot. Gloves!
|
Fix something. This broken steel bracket is a perfect example of what flux-core wire feed welders are made for. Start with a tack weld to hold the two broken parts together. Finish it up and test your work by attempting to bend the piece. A good weld will give and bend. A bad one will snap at the weld.
|