Stainless welding wire is bunching up

[bobj49f2]

I am welding 3/16" 304 stainless. Everything seems to be working fine, I am basically welding heavy spot welds with a few short bead welds. Every so often when I pull the trigger to weld the stainless wire with bunch up between the drive wheel and the entrance of the hose. It doesn't happen every time, just about every 15-20 welds.

My welder is a Lincoln wirematic 250. I'm running .030 wire, I have the drive wheel for the .030. I just bought a new hose liner because it was old, about 20 years old but that didn't help. I've also replaced the tips and they doesn't help. I never have this problem with welding mild steel. Stainless wire most me be softer than the mild steel wire. My welds look pretty, at least to me. This doesn't happen while I'm laying a weld, only when I first strike the arc.

Just wondering if anyone else every had this problem.

Here's a picture of the when the wire bunches up

View media item 41859

 

[Rookie2]

i'm taking a wild guess but.... there is a capacitor in a mig unit that helps strike the arc (bear with me my terminology maybe back asswards) If you ground the tip after your previous weld it kills the charge in the capacitor that strikes the arc before the wire touches the work (on the next weld). Maybe ! ? x ^

 

[shawhite]

I would try to run some .030 mild steel thru your gun to make sure u did not kink your cable. Stainless should be hard enough that it won't bunch up like that. Are u using solid core or flux core stainless wire

 

[bobj49f2]

I've been welding stainless for about a month now. Not on a consistent basis, maybe 2 hours a day 2-3 days a week. Over the last weekend I had to do a repair job on some mild steel so I had to switch out the wire, no problem. Today the problem seems to be getting worse. I ran it for maybe 10 small welds before it would bunch up. The last time it only took one weld.

 

[mtnkrake]

Is the end of the liner the correct distance from the drive wheel?

 

[Spareparts]

Either what rotty said or the drive rollers are to tight trying to curl the wire before it enters the liner. Are you using any tip dip or maybe change the tip.

 

[caddyman72]

back the spring pressure off. it will let it slip when it is arcing to the tip. I have been welding short beads with .035 for the last week at work. make sure the cord is straight and have a GOOD ground. hope this helps as it can be very frustrating.

 

[bobj49f2]

When I installed the new liner I followed the instructions and l placed as recommended. I did change the tip, I have a new on in it right now.

I did back off the tension a bit today because I thought it might be too tight but it was after I did this that a few welds later it bunched up again, I cleared the bunched up wire, rethread the wire through and it bunched up again only after one weld. I'm done welding for the day. I'll loosed the tension again the next time I go to weld. I think I'll loosen it until I notice slippage and then start to tighten it again.

 

[welder4956]

Is the end of the liner the correct distance from the drive wheel?

+1 on that. It looks like the entrance of the liner is too far from the drive rolls. Also, may have the drive roll tension too tight. Back it off till it slips, then grab the wire as it comes out of the tip and tighten just till you can't hold it back and it starts to slip through your fingers.

 

[Zeke]

What size liner? Too big and it will do that. Doesn't make sense, I know. Also, is the wire shorting at the tip? What is your stick out?

 

[Ron Lombardo]

When I started using the 15' long Umbilical cord VS the 8' er i started having the same issue ... might be time for a new one.

 

[BD1]

Is that a large spool, 12 or 30 pound ? Maybe the wire spool tension is too loose and the wire just coasts when you stop welding.

 

[Dugan]

Change your tip on the gun, this always does it to me.

 

[Chris Stapley]

This too was my first thought.. a little more tension on the wire spool ..

Is that a large spool, 12 or 30 pound ? Maybe the wire spool tension is too loose and the wire just coasts when you stop welding.

 

[big.jim]

does that on me with mild steel when i need a new tip or the shroud full of ****

 

[Rookie2]

Can you let us know what you find ? i'm not going to sleep tonight ! lol

maybe have someone video the weld area with their camera thru a welding helmit and play it back .

 

[welder59]

Hello,
I am no expert but have just been through this exact experience with stainless wire. It is nothing you are doing wrong. It is the welder, the machine, not you. I noticed you loosened the drive wheel tension. This should solve the problem of bunching up but not the reason it is doing that. We have a Miller Delta Weld 450 that we were having problems exactly like you describe. Changed out to mild steel and welds were beautiful, back to stainless and talk about getting pissed off, anyway. I finally called Miller tech line to find out why this was happening. If I remember correctly the stainless wire takes more current to get started than mild steel wire. If you set the heat high enough to get the wire started then it is to hot to weld with, you won't have enough wire speed. The gentleman at Miller said I needed a Delta Weld 452. They have a tap where the ground hooks up that says stainless only. We had purchased a brand new Delta Weld 452 and didn't even know that the tap was there, or we forgot. Anyway we switched out welders and we were in heaven. Don't get me wrong it still would act the same maybe 1 in 100 times of pulling the trigger. We were so relieved to find out what it was. it is now a pleasure to do the stainless job. Hope this helps.
Bill

 

[MagnumForce]

Did you cut your liner to the right length? Is your torch cable in "soft" curves?

What wire speed are you at?

I welded 50 hours a week with 250's and 251's for 10 years so I can figure it out for sure with more info. How close is your liner cut off at the diffuser?