Bad Steel ???

[stickermigtigger]

Working on a utility trailer gate; adding some stiffeners to keep wheels from bending in the expanded metal.

I’ve ground off the paint where my welds need to go.

Using ER70S-6 030 attaching 14ga wall 1x1 inch square tubing to 10 gauge angle.

Wire is acting like there is a bad ground and taken different measures to address that but see no change. Wire pushes against clean metal sometimes with no arc. Most of the time it’s slamming against the material and piping as the arc established. Often times it’s burning through tubing.

I’m using a first generation Miller 211. I’ve tried auto set which is almost always too hot for reality and lowering those settings. I’ve also tried the chart settings and increment info them down as well. No change.

I know I need to change the current contact tip now and will today and see if that makes a difference. The liner is the original so, maybe?

The angle iron is kind of weird looking, in some cases having the appearance cast would have. It’s not smooth like good hot rolled should be. Is there such a thing as ‘bad steel’?

Does paint get buried in the work piece during grinding?

I put a piece of the tubing in a vise and beads run fine there under same wire and settings.

Thinking about throwing some 035 flux core at it.

[ryanjones2150]

Are you grounding directly to the piece you’re welding?

[MMW]

Sounds like a bad ground. You should be grounding directly to the gate and not relying on the hinge to carry current. Also grinding a clean area for the clamp. Also where you are trying to start an arc should be ground clean. You probably know all this already but that is what it sounds like. "Bad metal" usually equals rusty, dirty, etc.

[MAC702]

...I’ve ground off the paint where my welds need to go.

What about where your work clamp is?

[stickermigtigger]

As I said; I agree, sounds like bad ground. I always grind where my clamp goes and try to get it as close as possible to where I’m working.

I am grounding directly to the gate. I even put a vise-clamp on the ground clamp for more grip. Have used more than one grounding point as well.

[MAC702]

Go weld on something else to eliminate some possibilities.

[stickermigtigger]

See above.

[stickermigtigger]

I just put a spool of 035 in my MM255. Will report.

[MAC702]

I missed the tubing in a vise test. Thanks.

Is the angle like a bedframe rail? It gives me sputters, but still welds. More brittle afterward, so you only use it where that doesn't matter. Some of it might be worse than others.

[stickermigtigger]

Interesting though on bed rail. It’s 1.5 by 1.5 angle. It feels rough and out near the edges it has rough ridges that run parallel with the edge.

I did some work on the main part of the trailer with the 255 and it’s not behaving well either. Only commonality is the C25 tank. I’m going to try my C10 tank tomorrow just to see what happens.

[Electric4Life]

grind until those sparks are bright...who knows whats between that paint and the base material

[ryanjones2150]

I had the same thoughts about it being bed rail. Has that been ruled out?

[stickermigtigger]

I wouldn’t know bed rail if I slept on it.

[stickermigtigger]

And the rest of my last post was: I’ll see if I can gets some pics on Google for comparison.

Again! This. APP. Sucks. Miller!

[ryanjones2150]

“Different metals” huh? Interesting. So if I had a piece of unobtainium, would I be able to weld it to a piece of nonexistium effectively? I think those fall well under the “different metals” tab.