Welding Tips and Tricks

so i picked up Lincoln sp-100 110v from a friend, it's running some flux core wire in it as thats what he used to build his bumper's ect, i seen what he built with it & made me want to learn the art's of welding, for the life of me i cant get any penetration, im working with some 1/4" plate and some thinner material but i cant get my bead to stick. I'm cleaning the metal, it is shinny clean... what am i doing wrong?? i tryed messing with the wire speed/heat setting tryed heat up all the way an every speed setting & still cant get any thing right... please pro's help me out with this awesome trade lol

Welcome! From the quick web search I did, the sp100 runs MIG with shielding gas or flux core with no gas. If the last owner ran it with shielding gas then you'll need to change the machine's polarity from electrode positive to electrode negative. Not sure how it's done on that machine: it may be a switch or you may need to put the cables into different jacks.

Let us know how it goes!

Artie F. Emm wrote:Welcome! From the quick web search I did, the sp100 runs MIG with shielding gas or flux core with no gas. If the last owner ran it with shielding gas then you'll need to change the machine's polarity from electrode positive to electrode negative. Not sure how it's done on that machine: it may be a switch or you may need to put the cables into different jacks.

Let us know how it goes!

ok, would it hurt if i swapped um around & gave it a shot?? it did come with a tank of gas but no regulator as the owner kept it..

montananewb wrote:

Artie F. Emm wrote:Welcome! From the quick web search I did, the sp100 runs MIG with shielding gas or flux core with no gas. If the last owner ran it with shielding gas then you'll need to change the machine's polarity from electrode positive to electrode negative. Not sure how it's done on that machine: it may be a switch or you may need to put the cables into different jacks.

Let us know how it goes!

ok, would it hurt if i swapped um around & gave it a shot?? it did come with a tank of gas but no regulator as the owner kept it..

Does the roll of wire on the machine have a label with any info on it that you can share?
wire mfg name?
AWS classification #? (ie. AWS A5.20 E71T-11)
Wire diameter? (.030")
Grounding/work cable hooked to which lug inside the cover of the machine? (+ or -)?

We may be able to look up the settings for that particular wire online and help you get started.

jwright650 wrote:

montananewb wrote:

Artie F. Emm wrote:Welcome! From the quick web search I did, the sp100 runs MIG with shielding gas or flux core with no gas. If the last owner ran it with shielding gas then you'll need to change the machine's polarity from electrode positive to electrode negative. Not sure how it's done on that machine: it may be a switch or you may need to put the cables into different jacks.

Let us know how it goes!

ok, would it hurt if i swapped um around & gave it a shot?? it did come with a tank of gas but no regulator as the owner kept it..

Does the roll of wire on the machine have a label with any info on it that you can share?
wire mfg name?
AWS classification #? (ie. AWS A5.20 E71T-11)
Wire diameter? (.030")
Grounding/work cable hooked to which lug inside the cover of the machine? (+ or -)?

We may be able to look up the settings for that particular wire online and help you get started.

this is what the spool say'smild & low alloy steel welding wire 0.030 heat NO. 33625130

jwright650 wrote:

montananewb wrote:

Artie F. Emm wrote:Welcome! From the quick web search I did, the sp100 runs MIG with shielding gas or flux core with no gas. If the last owner ran it with shielding gas then you'll need to change the machine's polarity from electrode positive to electrode negative. Not sure how it's done on that machine: it may be a switch or you may need to put the cables into different jacks.

Let us know how it goes!

ok, would it hurt if i swapped um around & gave it a shot?? it did come with a tank of gas but no regulator as the owner kept it..

Does the roll of wire on the machine have a label with any info on it that you can share?
wire mfg name?
AWS classification #? (ie. AWS A5.20 E71T-11)
Wire diameter? (.030")
Grounding/work cable hooked to which lug inside the cover of the machine? (+ or -)?

We may be able to look up the settings for that particular wire online and help you get started.

aws A5.18 ER70S-6

You definitely have to use gas with that man. I would either go buy a decent flowmeter/regulator from your local welding store (LWS) and hook it up and try again, or buy a roll of Flux core wire and switch the leads and try again.

GreinTime wrote:You definitely have to use gas with that man. I would either go buy a decent flowmeter/regulator from your local welding store (LWS) and hook it up and try again, or buy a roll of Flux core wire and switch the leads and try again.

ok thanks man!! make's sense, what brand of flux core wire would ya recommend?? i do alot of work out side & was told gas & wind dont mix & living in montana the wind is every day

i guess i should put what i plan on welding, i plan on building a bumper out of some 3/16's steel, so wire brand with or with out gas would be a good start lol, this is all new to me but something i deff want to learn to do..

@SuperiorWelding would have a way better answer than I would man. I MIG weld by sound, and have no idea what I'm really doing until I play around and get it to sound right.

It would really help if you could get up a pic of your welds. For now it sounds like you are using "solid wire" without gas as Sam said. Keep in mind that this machine will be limited but will weld up your 3/16" plate but there are several things you might want to do. Beveling for a complete joint penetration should be considered as you are limited to the 100 amps. Also know that multiple passes might be required. If you want to run self-shielded wire it looks like they recommend .035 NR-211-MP. I would definently go for the .035 size. I had a 110 volt machine and ran this or similar wire and actually built a automotive body cart as well as a few other projects and it did fine. Remember, as was already mentioned, you need to make sure you are hooked up DCEN for self-shield wire.

If you choose hard wire I recommend .030 ER70S-6 in any Lincoln variety. They have great wire although you might be limited to whatever brands are available to you locally. For gas, since it is a small unit, I highly recommend you use CO2. This will give you the best bang for the buck so to speak. CO2 will allow for good penetration. Jody has several videos using 110v machines with great success using CO2. Another gas option is 75% argon 25% CO2. This mix will stabilize the arc, wet out the bead profile and reduce spatter.

Before you start your bumper project run some practive beads and record your settings and post them up. We would be more than happy to help get it dialed in.
-Jonathan

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... Xh-aJ3lFzQ

I want to add I still have my first welder, Lincoln WeldPak HD. I believe it's 80amp, 110v, fluxcore only. I've learned having the machine set correctly, correct gun angle, stickout, and technique can get very surprising results out of a small machine. Depending on what your welding, some preheat can help as well.

sorry guy's took a while to get back, tomorrow going down to the local welding shop to see if i can get a regulator for my argon bottle as in the few post's back the wire that's in the machine call's for gas so that might be a reason why my weld's are not getting any penatration correct?? P.S if there are a few words not spelled correct i apoligize lol man finger's little phone

montananewb wrote:sorry guy's took a while to get back, tomorrow going down to the local welding shop to see if i can get a regulator for my argon bottle as in the few post's back the wire that's in the machine call's for gas so that might be a reason why my weld's are not getting any penatration correct??

Using solid wire (ER70S-X) without gas will produce welds that are full of holes(porosity). Be sure to check the polarity also, it just won't weld worth a hoot if the leads are swapped for the type wire you are using.

here are some pic's yes the welds are a little high lol, I have gotten better as this was when I first started & the other is the wire I am running

From that picture, I would venture a guess that the cables are backwards(polarity needs to change). It appears to be just piling up on the surface and not penetrating at all. A two second squeeze of the trigger should provide you with a nice smooth little button of filler material melted into the base metal if you have things sorted out.


"If", the polarity is correct, I would say that you need a lot more voltage, keep your stick out fairly short and give it another try.

http://www.inweldcorporation.com/datasheets/ER70S-6.pdf
Well, their data sheet is pretty worthless for someone trying to use their product. There are no suggested welding parameters listed at all.

Maybe see if you can email them from their website and ask for this info.

Meanwhile keep posting pics of your efforts and we'll try to help...

Alloy "70-S6" without any other letters suggest to me a solid wire.

Get that Argon regulator, and leave everything else alone until you try it.

If you want to be sure it is or isn't flux-core, cut two inches of it, and (with pliers) hold it over a hot flame. If it's flux-core, the ends will smoke as the metal approaches red-heat.

Generally, flux-core wire isn't made below .035, as there has to be room inside the wire for the flux.

Steve S

The flux core I buy is .030, made by Lincoln. I can break off a piece fairly easy by hand, it doesn't like to bend.

Also going by inweldcorporation.com that is solid wire.

montananewb wrote:

Have you had a chance to weld with this wire anymore?
Just curious if you were able to get it sorted out.

Try this:
Turn the voltage all the way up, Wire feed speed set at about half way,
Hold the gun 90° to the work with 3/8" to 1/2" of wire sticking out of the tip,
squeeze the trigger for two seconds(count one thousand one, one thousand two) and do not move.
Take a pic of the result and post back.

Hi Everyone, Glad This Forum Is Open To All,
I Have Questions Regarding Stick and Mig Welding. When Welding Across Gaps For Carbon Steel, How Do You Pull The Bead Without It Burning A Bigger Gap Between The 2 Surfaces You Are Attempting to Weld? Using 7018 Rod What Would Be The Amperage Setting For Best Results? With Mig What Would Be The Best Setting For Heat Of The Wire and Speed? Plate Approx. 3/16" Thickness. How Can You Learn More About Welding In All Arenas Of Welding? Thanks For Caring Enough To Answer My Questions. Happy New Year To All and Because Of Your Contribution I Can Get Better