I MIG-suck all the sudden. Can shielding gas fail to migrate to the weld? MM 210

[lpmartin]

Hey gang. Geez... I put the Mig to the side for a while, and when I break it out to use it, my welds look like crappola. They are spattered, and ragged, and rather corroded looking. Tank full of 75/25 is full, and regulator seems to be regulating. I'm not sure how to check flow, but I'd swear it looks like the gas was never turned on. It's giving me a complex. Do gas valves fail on a 8 yr old Miller? How would you recommend I further diagnose?

Lance

[Broccoli1]

put some powder down and see if the gas blows it away. Could be a spider made a nest inside the machine. Wire good? Not rusted?

[H80N]

PICS Pls...............

is it possible that you have some RUST on your filler wire.......???

[H80N]

HA.... Broc.... Ya beat me....

[ryanjones2150]

What wire are you running?

[tackit]

Lance, what wire and size are you running, what heat settings are you using, and are you using the right size groove in the wire drive wheels? Could be your wire is rusted, sometimes it's hard to tell, you need to take a cloth and wipe the wire with it and look if rust is present. If it is, you may have to clean your wire drive wheels, liner and waste wire until you get to clean un-rusted wire.

[MMW]

When you pull the trigger you should hear the gas solenoid "click" & gas should flow. Again these should be audible signs. Is your gun pushed in all the way? If you are not getting gas then it is simple to disconnect each connection to find the problem.

Rusted wire will also make it run lousey. If it is you will have to unspool until you get clean wire.

[MAC702]

Since no one's thought of this yet, are you sure your wire isn't rusty?

[lpmartin]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Wire is stainless 308 @ .035. No rust to blame it on. I loosened tension on drive wheels and with gun near my ear, I'm hearing/feeling gas flow, so unless it's the wrong substance in the gas cylinder, I'm back to "good-ol-fashioned" sucking. :-)

[H80N]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Wire is stainless 308 @ .035. No rust to blame it on. I loosened tension on drive wheels and with gun near my ear, I'm hearing/feeling gas flow, so unless it's the wrong substance in the gas cylinder, I'm back to "good-ol-fashioned" sucking. :-)

You're running 75/25 not Tri-Mix for 308 Stainless Steel... ?????? (90% helium, 7.5% argon, and 2.5% carbon dioxide)

that might be your problem......

75/25 is usually used with ER70-S-"X" mild steel

[Can You Weld This For Me?]

Yeah I'd say the 75/25 would be the root of your problem. Even with tri mix SS isn't real awesome, but better than what you're doing now.

If you still want to check / confirm gas flow rate, I recommend getting one of these little hooters.

https://www.arc-zone.com/shield-gas-flow-tester-50020

[MAC702]

You're running 75/25 not Tri-Mix for 308 Stainless Steel... ??????...

that might be your problem......

75/25 is usually used with ER70-S-"X" mild steel

Ditto.

[ryanjones2150]

There's a minor detail that he left off. I believe the second questions asked was "what wire"....