So you bought a cheap flux core welder. Now what? Initial setup and settings. Vevor MIG 130
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2023
- Vevor MIG 130 $128 - s.vevor.com/bfQnKc
Use code VVS10 for $10 off Vevor products!
Other products and tools I recommend,
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Of the many videos I've seen, this, while not as comprehensive as it could be, is easily the most helpful and knowledgable.
This is an excellent tutorial video!!!
If you don’t take these steps you are only going to get discouraged and want to give up.
Make it easy on yourself like the man said.
Thank you for an excellent tutorial. I just purchased that model to start my learning journey for welding. I’m 82 and want to augment my wood shop with light metal working.
i know everything.
until i watched this video. Turns out I dont know everything. But now im back to knowing everything
This is, by far the Best beginner video i have ever seen
Awesome video chuck. I've awayyloved learning from the older guys instead. There the best 👌🏼
Chuck, thanks for the videos on welding. I am finding your videos to be very helpful as I am just getting into welding for repairing the odds and ends around the garage. Fortunately I am a painter by trade, so as the saying goes, "the grinder and paint makes me the welder I aint", really will come in handy for me.
I do the "grinder and paint" trick too, so don't feel bad. As long as you can say "I welded and it helded" nothing much else matters if you're doing it for yourself. Customer work, just like your painting biz, is a different animal, you have to please the customer and meet your own standards for that kind of work. Thanks for watching!
Chuck, I believe that you are the guy who would know this. Perhaps others too.
So a while back, I landed one of these MIG 130 (flux) welders. I got it for free because the store I deal with, is amazing. I know the manager and I was asking if they had any used MIG welders as, being an electronics tech, I was looking for something to see if I could fix it.
She brought out a brand new one that was sold to a customer and when he opened it, the motor didn't kick in to move the wire along.
So she just gave it to me because if she sent it back to the warehouse, they'd just crush it anyway.
So I get it home and test it and sure enough, pulling the trigger does not turn on the motor (no power).
I checked the trigger switch and it's fine.
So, being the techy type, I traced what voltage the motor runs on and applied the voltage right to the motor.
The motor spun up no problem and pushed the test wire through without issue.
So I realize, it's probably a MOSFET or related circuitry.
But here's my question to you as I figure, you'd know this being that this is what you do.
On working MIG 130 (similar to what you show here, with just the voltage and feed knobs), if you just want to test the motor, WITHOUT PUTTING A SPOOL IN, if all is r (without the spool in it??)
I'm hoping that the answer is yes, because then that makes testing a lot easier.
When I got it and ran tests, it was a pain to rewind the wire the it pushed out, back onto the spool. LOL
*So please let me know if, without a spool in it and NOT trying to spark it up, should the motor start when trigger pulled?*
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate it.
Another question. As I watched your amazing video, I wondered about the speed that the wire comes out.
Since I don't have my trigger working yet, I don't know if it's a variable speed trigger or just ON/OFF.
If it's ON/OFF only, does the welder adjust the speed as you go along?
Or is that one dial the speed as well and that's it?
I noticed on the welder I have and am motivated to fix, that dial has a symbol, which I think means the wire speed. I don't see anything about amps, but perhaps that's just assumed???
Thanks in advance for any tip on that.
Yes, the motor should run with no spool or wire installed. I'm sure you've already thought of it, but have you checked continuity in the wires from the trigger to the control board and/or motor? Also, check the amperage control, as it's what controls wire speed on that machine. Good luck!
@@3rdpig I'm trying to remember how long ago I scored this welder. LOL
I can't remember if it's before or during the pandemic.
I would think that the very first thing I'd check is the switch and follow the wire to the control panel.
I can't see not doing that as the very first thing.
But once I'm done a bunch of work I have to still do, I plan on taking it out and starting to troubleshoot it.
At least, I do know that the motor does work if I apply power directly and I do remember, that when I fed some wire through it, that I was able to spark it up on a piece of metal. So I suspect that it's either the trigger switch, connections, wire going from switch to the main board.
But I doubt that, if memory serves.
I'll recheck that when I bring it up from storage and if the switch/wires are fine and shorting the connections right on the board don't start the motor, then I'll start troubleshooting the circuitry, starting with all MOSFETS. I suspect that's were the problem is.
I do really want to get this thing going, because, honestly, I hate my stick welder.
It's AC, heavy as hell (transformer type). I was going to do a conversion on it to turn it into DC, but then this MIG/Flux came along. LOL
Excellent starting video! You addressed issues I have had with settings. This made a lot more sense! Thanks!
You're welcome, thanks for letting me know!
What a great step by step video. Thanks.
2:20 “Buy one from Harbour Freight”….ok mate, and how the heck do I do that from Wiltshire. Your audience is wider than America you know! Lol. I did buy a Simder 140 FC and stick machine and as you say…zero settings instructions provided. Got to the end….That was great, thank you. Just seeing what the beads are supposed to look like matched to your commentary was very helpful.
I know my audience is wider than the US, but what I don't know is what every country calls their Chinese Tool Outlet Store. Most countries have one, I've even heard some of the names, I just don't remember what they are. I'm glad my video helped, thanks for watching!
Thanks for the info. I'm just starting off and picked a Yeswelder to tack weld a nut that stripped on my truck. I figure if I paid someone, it'll cost me as much as just the equipment. Plus, I'll be able to do small things around the house. Thanks again for the info.
Hey Chuck man.. U make it sound handy enough to get started. I bought 2 machines on the cheap just to learn on. I bought one of the Deko hoods for 40 euros and now I'm worried bcos I want to learn to stick weld. I bought a Deko Pro 160A Stick/Lift Tig welder on the cheap. Now I bought the leather apron that can turn into trousers of a sort too. It had me LMAO when I put it on.. I bought some 2.5mm 40x40mm & 25x25mm Sq tubing and some 2.5mm 40x40mm Angle mild steel as well for a table saw build I'm about to begin. I haven't touched any welder for over 37 yrs. It was in metalwork class in school when I learned this .. I actually learned to weld Acetylene & I loved it but I also enjoyed the stick welding too but it's been so long that I can say I'm a complete newb again..
The Mild steel is brand new off Amazon and it's really clean out of the packing Chuck. Should I clean it with a grinder a bit or will it be o welding it the way it is. ??
My apologies for my longwinded comment.
So I watched a video about MIG and it's very interesting.. I really wanna give it a shot in the future..
Back to Stick welding and I wanted to ask for the 2.5mm Sq tubing? Somebody told me to start at 40-45A using 6013 rods?? Would u say that's a good place to begin?? On my TIG welder I've seen the ability for hot start with these numbers from 1-10. A video I watched said 1 would mean 1/10% of ur amps extra for the hot start to help u get an Arc quickly?? Is that how it works?? I'm hoping I can find a few videos on ur channel explaining this a bit better..
My 1st welding exp for yrs last week had me wondering all over the gaff Chuck .. LOL
I need to get some old bits of steel from somewhere. There's a building site near me so I might go over to the lads and ask if they have anything. IU never know.. I love woodworking so I can kill 2 birds with the one stone so to speak. If they have no steel cut offs then maybe I will find some wood.. haha! Apologies for waffling so much bro.. Take care and salute to u sirt from Dublin, IRE.
I first learned with oxy/acetylene too. I welded and cut a lot of stuff over the years, including aluminum, with gas welding.
If your material is clean, meaning not rusty, not oily and not covered in mill scale, you should be able to weld it without further cleaning. But it never hurts to wipe it down with solvent and give the area you're going to be welding a quick pass with a flap disk and then a quick spray with anti spatter.
6013 and 40 amps or so should be a good place to start for thin material like your square tube. But you're going to need a fairly small diameter rod, 3/32 is as big as I'd go and 1/16 would probably be even better. A bigger diameter rod will be hard to strike at low amperage.
Most inverter type stick welders will have a Hot Start that helps get the arc struck and steady. If it can be adjusted I like to start around 20%, but don't be afraid to crank it up if you have trouble getting the arc struck. Yours might also have other functions like Anti Stick, which senses when you get the rod stuck and shuts the power off to the stinger. Also, there's something called Arc Force which tries to determine when the voltage goes too low (because the rod is getting too close to the weld puddle) and ups the amperage to keep the rod from getting stuck.
Good luck and thanks for watching!
The best video for beginners
The power control on the chinesium is essentially random but it pretty easy to read the draw with a volt meter. Not saying that the output is in any way correlated with the input but after a while you can get a sense of the numbers. I wish you could buy a cheap welder that you could turn the dial on to the right spot and it would magically line up with the specs for the metal and the filler but it's tough to lay down multiple thousands for machine that gets dusty.
❤ now i think you can good weld with lessgas welding machine
On using those 3 things I was doing fair until you said using brain. I’m doomed
Sadly, me too.
Thanks for the video. This plugs into a regular 120v socket right? Anything special you need to do regarding amps?
Yes, it plugs into a standard 120v outlet. I highly recommend that you use it on a 20 amp circuit (check your electrical box to see what the breaker is rated for, most garages in the US I've seen have 20 amp circuits). Also, if you live in an old house like mine I suggest you replace your current outlet and breaker with new, high quality pieces from an electrical supply shop (the parts you get in places like Home Depot are crap). I've run it on a 15 amp lighting circuit successfully, but setting the welder above 90 amps will probably pop the breaker and might smoke the outlet if it's a cheap one. If you use an extension cord make sure it's a good, heavy duty, outdoor style cord.
Have you purchased the additions to use gas with this? If so, then what exactly is needed and is it worth the expense in your opinon? Auto body sheet metal
No, and not worth it IMO. There's no gas solenoid and no easy way to add one, so gas will have to be manually controlled. Also, for TIG use there's no high frequency start, which means you'll have to scratch start which is hard on tungsten rods. Also, without A/C it won't weld aluminum very well. For very occasional use for steel or stainless steel I could see it, but for much use it would get old fast. What you'd need is a gas bottle, regulator, flow meter and hoses.
Going to weld an exhaust tomorrow with flux core what amperage settimg should i try? What gauge is an exhaust made of
Exhaust tube is typically 16 gauge stainless steel. But it also could be thicker and regular mild steel. Headers are usually 18 gauge. If it's stainless it's not going to weld very good unless you buy wire specifically for stainless. I'd probably start with about 70 amps on the machine. If it blows through turn it down, but also you might want to weld an inch at a time and alternate sides of the tube. If it's old tube clean it up with a wire brush really well before welding.
Hi I just bought one of these the wire feed seems to go really fast. Even on the slowest setting and the highest voltage I can’t burn the wire quick enough and within 10 seconds the wire is sticking out over 2 inches. Any advice?? 🙏🏼
The amperage control should control wire speed, from very slow to very fast. If it's not working then you have a defective unit. It might be something as simple as a wire that's come loose or a bad switch. Either way, if you just bought it new I'd return it for another one.
@@3rdpig Thank you, it seems to vary from fairly fast to really fast. I have a video, but I don’t think I can post it in the comments.
Thanks for the info. Where did you get that shorter shield you talked about in the beginning that let's you see the wire better? I just bought a Yeswelder 135. Thanks again!
I think I got it from Harbor Freight. I bought two different ones, one from HF and one from Lowes and one of the two didn't fit and I can't remember which. Here's a link on Amazon, but I'm not sure which of the two this is, sorry.
amzn.to/47Y8JZH
thank you for the info! have a good one
Thx Chuck, always nice to have a refresher course
If you are never using gas you can just trim the silver gas shroud back, but still leave enough to stop the contact tip from being able to ground out.
I got the same welder but it won’t weld the lights comes on but won’t get any spark
I guess there's always the chance yours is DOA, after all, this is a very inexpensive machine of Chinese origin. But I'd take the time to doublecheck all the connections and the grounds before I returned it. Also, check the switch in the gun, that seems to be a weak spot. You could also check to see if it's hot with the stick holder in. Good luck!
Are you just holding down the trigger while moving side to side?
Yes. Unless I'm specially trying to lay a root pass into a V that I've ground out, weaving is typically what I do. How much depends on the material and the joint. But overlapping C motions, pausing for a second to fill before reversing direction will work in most scenarios.
Can I ask a dumb question? Many moons ago my dad had a project and wished he had a welder. I bought him a welder, it was the one he wanted, Im sure it was a cheap model, probably bought it at Sears in the 70s. He did his project while I was on date, so I wasn't able to watch, but I saw the results, and they were functional, and good enough. I think he didn't want spectators watching too. Now for my question. I was playing with the mask, it was like pitch black, I couldn't see a thing, I felt like a blind man. My dad said when you strike the first arc, things light up. Never experienced striking an arc, so how bright does it get? Is that why you recommend a quality mask vs a cheap mask? In the video, the arc is so bright, you can't see any details of the weld, but I suspect with the mask on you can see the details? Can you see better with a quality mask vs a cheap mask?
In the old days a welding lens was just a very dark glass lens, typically a #5 shade in a pair of goggles for gas welding and torch cutting (much like a dark shade of sunglasses), and a #10 in a helmet or hood (I use helmet and hood interchangeably) for arc welding (which as you saw is like being blind in normal lighting). That's why you'd see welders get themselves into position with their hood tipped up, then nod their head to flip the hood down right before they start to weld.
Todays welding helmets, even the cheap ones like the HF model I showed in the video, have an auto darkening lens. They're kind of like normal sunglasses until you strike the arc, then they darken before the arc light can reach your eyes. Without a dark lens, looking at an electrical arc during welding is like staring straight at the sun, it will temporarily blind you and damage your eyes. "Arc burn" on the eyes really, really sucks. I know, I've had it happen. Even reflected arc light can burn your eyes. It feels like your eyes are full of sand and repeated occurrences can permanently damage your eyes. Good auto darkening welding lenses will be adjustable for how fast they darken and how dark they get. They'll also be considerably larger than the old 2"x3"glass lenses and offer a true color, rather than the green tint of the old lenses. Some hoods like the YesWelder hood in the video will also have large, clear front covers as well as side lenses so you don't feel like you're looking down a tunnel when you're welding. As someone who welds "out of position" a lot, I appreciate the wider field of few that helmet gives me.
Also, for those folks who weld a lot and have their welding hood on for hours every day, a hood with good balance and a comfortable headband is a must. For them the headgear can make or break a hood. Having to wear a hood on your head for 8 hours and it starts hurting after 1 hour isn't good.
TLDR, Don't buy cheap, you've only got one set of eyes. The YesWelder hood I linked to is a good mid priced hood. If you're unsure just go to a reputable welding supply shop and ask for a good quality hood for a home/hobbyist welder. Plan on spending around $80 to $100.
I hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
ive just bought Static Arc MMA, MIG, TIG lift welder here in the uk for £140, about $180. The mask it came with was terrible so bought one an auto darkening one from Screwfix in the UK for £30 and its a good mask for DIY use wearing it for a couple of hours at a time, (Scewfix is probably a bit like habour frieght)
PS it has a 140amp capacity