MIG wire feed set up

I know exactly what the problem is here. (I have the same welder)
I should have taken pics when I changed the wire on mine on saturday.  The wire feed tube on the 130 is soft plastic and can kink and stretch really easily at the point where it comes out of the welder.  I had a point on mine where the line was kinked really badly so it was like the tube was gripping the wire.  This made the wire feed motor appear to be pulsing and it was impossible to get a constant wire speed.  Absolutley impossible to weld with.

I changed the wire feed tube for a PTFE tube which was twice as expensive as the standard one but is less friction.  I just need to watch out and not kink it again.  The motor seems to be feeding smoothly again.
Baz

Thanks Baz - that sounds like it could be it - same symptoms and same cheap plastic tube! :evil:

Where did you get the PTFE one from?

Cheers
Andy

I got the PTFE tube from a local motor factors place who are SIP dealers.  They got me the PTFE one  (which is 5M long and does the job for 2 lines) because they were out of stock of the normal black ones.  I decided just to take it to get the thing sorted as i couldn't be bothered waiting on stock.
It's about 2-3 times as expensive as the normal black one but i'm hoping it lasts longer.
Baz

I'll give it a bash!

Hi Andy,

I had problems with my wire feed from new too. Mines a SIP Turbo 105, basically the same as the 130 just a bit weedier.
I modded/bodged mine to get the rollers to pinch the wire properly and this improved things no end. The naff pastic flexes and the rollers don't sit flat against each other.



The only other mod I've done is change the gas regulator to allow the 1KG refillable sealey bottles available from my local motorfactor/sealey stockist. I used the original regulator first on the new bottles but it didnt open the bottles valve up even when turned fully open.

Hope this helps and good luck with the resto. Looks like you're getting well stuck in now

Also forgot to say… The larger wire reel is fitted and I find feeding the wire in from the top is best too. The screw that holds the reel on in place comes undone though as it turns the reel the anticlockwise. I bodged this too with some washers somehow and it rarely happens now.

Ive got the SIP150 turbo which I run on pub gas.  I have noticed that also ifI dont have the feed cable sweeping around to the torch at a certain angle then the wire fails to feed properly and seems to catch inside the feed cable.

Thanks for the further tips. Hope to have a bash this weekend at sorting. Need to look at gas feed too as whilst only used the tiny bottles you get from Halfrauds at moment, they've emptied in literally a few minutes of use!

…one last question. For anyone using the same MIG as mine, or at least a 130amp machine, what power setting do you use on your MK1? I had mine on medium.

Want to try to ensure not too much or too little

Cheers
Andy

Hairyarse said

…one last question. For anyone using the same MIG as mine, or at least a 130amp machine, what power setting do you use on your MK1? I had mine on medium.

Want to try to ensure not too much or too little

Cheers
Andy

How many power settings does the machine have, I thought it had 6 settings?

take 2 bits of offcuts and test.  Were you using medium high or medium low?

Well I don't know how your specific machine is set up, but my last SIP had 3 rocker switches which controlled 6 power settings. HIGH/LOW then MAX/MED then MED/MIN (which was only operative when the MAX/MED was in the MED position). Anyway, there were 6. I tend to use 2/6 to so seam welds, so long as the panels are touching each other (good heat dispersion). If the panels aren't touching, you can use 1/6 to avoid blowing away the panel which should be touching but isn't, but the penetration won't be as good. If you're doing plug welds onto another piece of metal a similar thickness, I went for 3/6 - to get good penetration, which is really important in this instance.

Cheers for the tips. Was hoping to have a bash today, but to be honest, I couldn't be arsed!! Been too manic this week so thought I'd take it easy today