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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
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    New Zealand
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    31
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    5

    Cool Cigweld mig welding issue

    Hopefully im posting in the correct section

    recently went out and brought a cigweld welder for mig work, really having trouble with the
    settings, on the inside of the welder it has a chart on what wire speed and volts to have it set up on if gas/gasless along with what size wire.

    my issue is i cant get my settings right i have to have both wire speed and volts all
    the way down to get a semi decent weld, doesn’t seem to matter the thickness of the metal
    I can on really get a decent weld on low voltage any help would be appreciated im also welding gassless for the time being but yeah any help/advice would be much appreciated

    I added a photo of my welder hopefully that will work and again sorry if ive posted in the wrong section
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    near Rockhampton
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    Default

    Might be the wire you are using.

    Are you using the correct polarity? Flux cored is usually electrode negative.

    What wire are you using?
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NSW
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    586

    Default

    Pics of the weld will help.
    Also need to know the wire type, the wire material (steel, stainless ally etc) and its diameter.

    On the assumption that you are new and want to get welding 'out of the box', going to assume it's gasless wire for everything I say below:
    I'll second the gasless wire polarity- DCEN for many (common) types of self shielded wire (eg E71-T). On your machine, put the small pigtail lead into the negative port (this is the polarity of the torch contact tip), then put your earth lead in the remaining vacant spot.
    Wire speed and voltage is sometimes specified by the manufacturer - either on the box, or in the technical specs available in their website. If you get given an apmerage rating, then a test weld on many machines will flash up a welding amp rating for a short time once you finish the weld.
    If Self shielded 'gasless' wire, there is not as much metal in the wire (it's hollow, and filled with flux), so it doesn't handle as much voltage- you don't want the crackling sound when welding, you will be shooting for a spray transfer more of a hissing sound.

    There could be a whole other swathe of stuff wrong with the machine setup, but need more info and an accurate idea of the symptoms before proper troubleshooting.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
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    Toorloo Arm, VIC
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    39
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    1,270

    Default

    As said, pictures would help.

    However,a mate was struggling with his new inverter CIGWeld (not quite the same model as yours, from memory), and asked me to have a go and help him work out settings some years ago. Now while with my UniMig procraft 240 I can just turn on, set pretty much anywhere, and lay down a nice bead with a minimum of dialing in, I spent a few hours screwing around with this thing trying to get it to lay down decent beads, and really couldn't get along with it. I did in the end work out that the torch lead itself seems to be pretty ordinary, in that it's incredibly sensitive to being curved. While I can get away with having my UniMigs torch in quite a sharp curve before it's an issue, the torch lead on this Cig seemed to need to be laid out absolutely dead straight in order to smoothly feed wire. Even a slight curve in the lead made it start to get jumpy and erratic. I put it down the liner somehow getting damaged, and suggested he try throwing a new one in, but he's moved since then and hasn't used it since!

    Given your comments about it only seeming to work at low settings, I'm wondering if maybe his liner isn't damaged, and maybe they're just crap. Try and set it up so the torch lead is a dead straight run from the machine, including into the handle of torch, and see if that improves matters?

  5. #5
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    Jul 2020
    Location
    New Zealand
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    31
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    Default

    Yeah its gasless Ive do welding from time to time but its been at work where i haven't had to touch the machine just flick it on and go but i decided to buy one the other day which is different to what weÂ’ve got at work, im using .8 steel wire ill post up a picture tomorrow. Ive got the polarity set correctly theres even a chart on the inside i setup to what was on the chart but the voltage was way to high and just put a hole straight through the tube i was welding the chart from memory said 18v with a wire speed of 6.5 i think ill have to check by the end of it i had reasonable welds with 2.5 wire speed and roughly 13v was where i had the best welds regardless of what i was welding ( tried multiple tube/plate )

    I will move the welder to make my torch lead as straight as possible as you suggested and give that a go

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    New Zealand
    Age
    31
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    Default

    Yeah its gasless Ive do welding from time to time but its been at work where i haven't had to touch the machine just flick it on and go but i decided to buy one the other day which is different to what weÂ’ve got at work, im using .8 steel wire ill post up a picture tomorrow. Ive got the polarity set correctly theres even a chart on the inside i setup to what was on the chart but the voltage was way to high and just put a hole straight through the tube i was welding the chart from memory said 18v with a wire speed of 6.5 i think ill have to check by the end of it i had reasonable welds with 2.5 wire speed and roughly 13v was where i had the best welds regardless of what i was welding ( tried multiple tube/plate )

    I will move the welder to make my torch lead as straight as possible as you suggested and give that a go

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Brisbane
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    69
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    452

    Default Gasless welding

    Hello Beefcakes.
    2 things that can give trouble with innershield wire are.
    Not enough stickout, the distance from the tip to the job. Gasless wire needs time to burn the flux and produce CO2. 0.9mm wire needs about 19-22mm.
    The torch angle should drag the wire not push it as in using solid wire.
    Best of luck with it.
    BC

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NSW
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    586

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    One of life's great platitudes - "If there's slag, Drag"
    Up there with 'if it's yellow, let it mellow'.
    And 'I'm not a gynecologist, but I'll have a look anyway'.

  9. #9
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    Jul 2020
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    New Zealand
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    Default

    Right managed to get off work early and went and played round with my settings again ive posted below 2 welds with the settings i was on. The wire im useing is cigweld gasless .8 flux That i got with the welder, i tried straighting out the lead etc but still didn’t turn out all that flash tried turning all the way down and it turned out the same and turn it up it just blows holes
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #10
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    Jul 2020
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    New Zealand
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    Default

    Tried uploading the other weld but no luck it was much the same

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NSW
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    Default

    Try 15V with 5.5m/min WFS.
    Aim for electrode stick out (contact tip to work distance) of 12mm, or half inch in the old money.

    Put your earth clamp in the + socket, and pigtail in the negative.

    If you are just learning, then try working with some more forgiving thicker material until you get the hang of it. Not getting any favours on thin stuff.

    Aim for a torch angle of 10 degrees off vertical, sloped away from the weld puddle, moving with a drag technique.

    It's a rough old process that self shielded FCAW stuff. Bad for the lungs too, so wear a mask.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    I think everyone I know that uses FCAW uses Weldclass Platinum E71T-11 wire. https://www.weldclass.com.au/product...1-gasless-wire It is one of the cheaper ones and everyone I talk to loves it.
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  13. #13
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    The amount of stickout you have also seems critical in FCAW. Too long and it just sputters and carries on.

    The earth clamp is also another critical bit. It must have a good connection.
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NSW
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    Default

    That's interesting.
    A few people I know that have used Weldclass platinum ER71-T -11 thought it was rubbish.

    I guess people have different standards.

  15. #15
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    near Rockhampton
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    Default

    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

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