Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi all,

I have a Sealy Supermig 230 and wondered how to work out what the voltage settings are with eack individual 'click' of the dial.


Thanks
Spragz

Absent of using a meter on the end of the gun, you could “assume” that the 1-10 scale is a percentage of the total voltage available then do a bit of math. That might get you close. But all of that is interdependent upon wire speed.

Or you could run heaps of test samples and jot yourself some notes on the dial settings for material thicknesses and position.

cj737 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:10 am Absent of using a meter on the end of the gun, you could “assume” that the 1-10 scale is a percentage of the total voltage available then do a bit of math. That might get you close. But all of that is interdependent upon wire speed.

Or you could run heaps of test samples and jot yourself some notes on the dial settings for material thicknesses and position.

I agree that you are looking at trial and error except that the voltage control is six steps. The other control is a spot timer.

Rather than calculating what the actual voltage and wire speed are, you could just learn to use the numbers as they stand. That doesn't help if you want to use someone else's settings but it will get you started. With practice and some measurements, you will end up with a fair idea of what the actual voltage and wire speed are.

Jack

If you do trial and error, you will get the best picture of how your machine behaves. Get some relatively thick scrap, perhaps 3/16" so that you can run medium/heavy test beads. Start in the middle for voltage, and then go up and run test beads at each setting. Carefully observe the tip of the wire in the arc and the toes of the weld (get your noggin in there close to the arc/puddle). Assuming this machine can weld with C25 gas and that is what you're doing, when the tip of the wire starts to ball-up before short-circuit'ing against the base metals and/or you start to see undercut at the toes of the weld, you're too far for that particular wire feed speed because you're heading into globular transfer; it is usually accompanied by lots of erratic spatter flying everywhere that is very stubborn to remove after the fact. Then go the other way, holding the MIG gun very steady, but with very light pressure. When you start to feel the vibrations through the MIG gun because the wire is stabbing into the base metal without completely melting into it and/or the toes of the weld are starting to become steep/distinct and not smoothly transitioning into the base metal, then you're too far on the low-end and will have a cold-weld. The happy medium will lie somewhere in between.

Thanks gents, I appreciate the replies.