# I keep getting flashback with my Mig



## PrescottJr (Jan 7, 2012)

I keep getting flashback with my Mig. Its a Lincoln but its old. Its a great little beast but sometimes I get excessive flashback. It gets soo bad it'll toast my electrode(it melts the copper). It also gets covered in steel. To the point where I can't pull it off with pliers and I have to grind it down to use it again. My welds are great, and I am experienced, but I am not sure what I am doing wrong in this particular case. Any help guys?


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## Footer (Jan 7, 2012)

Thats not flashback. Flashback only occurs in torch welding... and its when the flame finds its way down the fuel lines. It can be very dangerous. 

But back to your problem... 

Are you sure you are using a MIG welder and not a TIG welder? MIG's don't have electrodes. TIG's do. Without knowing exactly what kind of welding you are doing, the trouble shooting steps can change. Also, if you are truly MIG welding, are you using gas or flux? Finally, what is the mixture of the gas you are using? What kind of wire/diamter are you using? What is the polarity of the welder?


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## PrescottJr (Jan 7, 2012)

Whoops, well I was trying to say the molten steel was clinging to the electrode and jamming the wire. Its called something like that. I might of made that term up though. Anyway it is a pain in the ass. I am actually MIG welding I am using mixed inert gas more specifically 75% argon and 25% CO2. Mig's do have electrodes(they are the copper things that the wire feeds through)


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## Footer (Jan 7, 2012)

First, get some dip. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017Z5J1W/?tag=controlbooth-20

It will cut down on slag sticking to the nozzle and it will ensure that your gas gets to the weld. If your not using it, that could be an issue. It also helps lubricate the tip. 

Second, check the polarity of the stinger. Reverse it and see if that helps. 

It sounds like to me that your arc is not consitant. Besides operator error/inexperience, there are two common reasons that you can blame the welder for with this. Inconsistent power or inconsistent wire speed. If you are grinding and re-using tips... stop. Unless you are doing it with a very fine wheel you are actually causing more problems for yourself. Little burs in the tip can cause the wire to slow then speed up and slow again... reeking havoc on your arc. Bad tips is the leading cause of inconsistent wire. You could also have a transformer in the welder that is fluctuating as you weld. 

Finally, you might want to goose your power a bit as well as speed up the wire speed. You could also have issues with your grounding clamp. It really could be a huge number of things. I'm sure if I listened to the weld I could tell you in 10 seconds, but without being there... this is the best I can do. Take a look at your wire though. Adjust the wire tension. Make sure its feeding right. Always use a new tip. Get some gel. Go from there.


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## avkid (Jan 7, 2012)

Really should not start writing a post then leave it for an hour.


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## PrescottJr (Jan 8, 2012)

I already use gel so thats not the issue. When I grind the electrode I use a course grinding wheel or cut off disc. I was frustrated by this recent problem and so I started reusing my electrodes cause I was sick of replacing them. Possible connection? In My most recent project I have been using 12 gauge rolled steel and I turned down the wire feed tension real low. So here is my new hypothesis based on your help a poor ground connection and a course ground electrode and not much tension on the wire feed is causing the build up of slag on my electrode. What do you think?


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## chausman (Jan 8, 2012)

I see you edited your post because you "tried to upload video didn't work". Have you seen this article?


> To post a video:
> Upload the video to
> 
> Hulu
> ...


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## PrescottJr (Jan 8, 2012)

thanks bud


[video]http://www.facebook.com/v/10150471975172013[/video]


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## PrescottJr (Jan 8, 2012)

Took me a few tries but i got it to embed properly. I welded some scrape in my shop so you could hear the sound and see sorry about the poor quality of video.


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## chausman (Jan 8, 2012)

PrescottJr said:


> Took me a few tries but i got it to embed properly. I welded some scrape in my shop so you could hear the sound and see sorry about the poor quality.


 
Make sure it is public.


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## Footer (Jan 8, 2012)

Turn up the tension on the wire, possibly turn down your heat, and possibly speed up your wire. 

And once again, never use a cut off wheel or a course wheel on a MIG tip. It will actually slow down your wire and make it inconsistent. Use a new tip.


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## PrescottJr (Jan 8, 2012)

Thanks a bunch I'll give it a shot but I think you have solved the problem.


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## Footer (Jan 8, 2012)

PrescottJr said:


> Thanks a bunch I'll give it a shot but I think you have solved the problem.


 
One more possibility. Make sure your wire size and the tips you are using at the same time. .035 and .030 are close enough that one can fit... and this can cause problems. Also make sure your stinger umbilical is straight. There could be kinks in it that can also cause problems.


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## Van (Jan 9, 2012)

In addition to the proper tip size to wire size and drive wheel size I've found that when you start experiencing this kind of thing it's time to re-core your stinger. It's easy to do and relatively inexpensive. You go to a welding shop, bringing your stinger with you. and tellthe you need a new one. If you've never taken apart your handle it's really pretty easy. If you aren't comfortable with it they'll do it for you at the shop. If it's an old Welder chances are you've worn down grooves inside the core, the wire get's stuck in these and lags while under an arc. 
When I was first learning to weld I had the exact same issue. re-cored it and and Viola, perfect welds again. 

Oh and reversing the polarity too, like Kyle said.


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## Footer (Jan 9, 2012)

Van said:


> In addition to the proper tip size to wire size and drive wheel size I've found that when you start experiencing this kind of thing it's time to re-core your stinger. It's easy to do and relatively inexpensive. You go to a welding shop, bringing your stinger with you. and tellthe you need a new one. If you've never taken apart your handle it's really pretty easy. If you aren't comfortable with it they'll do it for you at the shop. If it's an old Welder chances are you've worn down grooves inside the core, the wire get's stuck in these and lags while under an arc.
> When I was first learning to weld I had the exact same issue. re-cored it and and Viola, perfect welds again.
> 
> Oh and reversing the polarity too, like Kyle said.


 
Yup, the core can sometimes come untwisted a bit and can really cause problems, especially at the beginning and end of the coil.


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## 65535 (Jan 10, 2012)

From the video it looks and sounds to me like:

You took the tension off your roller causing the wire to slip (that can cause flats on the wire that cause it to catch on the tip and snag in the runner.)
You are moving too fast for the settings your at.
Might try increasing your voltage to make sure you leave yourself enough stick out so you aren't burning your tip.


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## mstaylor (Jan 10, 2012)

Sounds like you are too close and possibly too fast. The other question is are you getting slag on your tip or melting the wire back into the tip?


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## PrescottJr (Jan 10, 2012)

I have never had the wire melt back into the tip but the electrode(tip) itself melted. I can't slow down because I'll get blowouts (Its only 12gauge rolled steel). I replaced the tip and the shield and turned the tension up, that somewhat fixed the issue. And I will look into replacing the stinger core thanks guys.


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## mstaylor (Jan 11, 2012)

PrescottJr said:


> I have never had the wire melt back into the tip but the electrode(tip) itself melted. I can't slow down because I'll get blowouts (Its only 12gauge rolled steel). I replaced the tip and the shield and turned the tension up, that somewhat fixed the issue. And I will look into replacing the stinger core thanks guys.


I'm a stick welder, used to do high pressure pipe, but my son is a professional welder so I asked him. These other guys are more experienced with mig machines. You say if you slow down you get blowout, turn you heat back and you can slowdown.


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