what the freakin crap bugger bubble gum bs

skipnrocks · Mar 12, 2016

So I have had my hobart 240 for several years. I have never had an issue. During the whole buggy build i probably used a total of 3 consumables. So I came to my shop a few weeks ago and the whole tip of my gun with packed with crap, someone had used it without letting me know. Then it got even worse after a friend thought he could weld so he borrowed it and welded without gas. I cleaned it out and it hasnt been quite right since. I have swapped the consumables probably 6-7 times and only used the welder maybe 10. The first inch weld is crazy bubbly. No matter how clean the material is. I used to only run 22-24 psi on the regulator and now I have it cranked to 30 just to get something half decent. So fellas what the crap is wrong with my welder???

85toyo · Mar 12, 2016

Your friend probably swapped the polarity to weld with flux wire and didn't swap it back.

skipnrocks · Mar 12, 2016

Polarity is good double checked it.

Cotton12v · Mar 12, 2016

Check the holes where the gas comes out. Should be on the piece that the tip screws into. Believe its called a diffuser.

skipnrocks · Mar 12, 2016

I checked them their clean. The threaded tip was hot enough it bent and so when I cleaned it all out I had re-tap that adapter with the difuser. I ordered a new adapter today. I wonder if I can be leaking gas somewhere. Can the liner have issues? There are no bends or damage to my gun or hoses.

dmtfabrication · Mar 12, 2016

I would check the o-rings where the gun connects to the drive rollers. They are easily torn or damaged, letting shielding gas out. I have had a Miller gun go bad at the crimp at the gun end. Twisting the gun one way would let the gas out, twisting it another would close the loose crimp and it would weld fine. I had to disassemble the handle to diagnose it.

Also check the drive roll tension and make sure it is right. Too loose and the wire won't feed consistently. Too tight and it can squish the wire. It's hard to squish ER70s6, which is probably the hard wire you are using. however if he swapped in a knurled drive roll for flux core wire, the knurl will leave a slight to heavy serrated groove on the wire, causing drag through the liner and the contact tip. This will cause the tips to go bad more quickly.

patooyee · Mar 12, 2016

Same thing happened to me when I got a bottle of contaminated gas. Took me for ever to figure out, pissed me off to no end. Did your friend swap bottles?