3 Wise Maintenance Tips To Keep Your Mig Welder Smoothly Operating
The mig welder is the go-to welder for a lot of different welding applications. It is easy to use, fairly easy to maintain, and works well for welders with a range of skill levels. However, it is not at all uncommon for the owners of a mig welder to find after a few years that their machine just don't weld like it once did. In most cases, a welder that is not working smoothly after just a few short years of use has not been properly maintained. To ensure your new mig welder continues to provide you with smooth operation down the road, there are three pretty wise maintenance rules you should always follow.
Clean out the feeder regularly.
The small feeder where you feed welding wire grips down on whatever material it is that you are using to weld, which means the small feeder liner can get caked with debris and bits of metal from the material you are using. This is especially true if you use a lot of flux-covered wire. When the feeder gets dirty, it will be harder to get a smooth weld because the feed will not push the material through as smoothly as it needs to in order to give you continuous feed results while you weld. Use a small wire brush to clean out the feeder and even blow it out with an air nozzle on occasion.
Keep an eye on the torch tip.
The torch tip takes a beating during just about every weld because this is where the majority of the welding action takes place. Therefore, you should just expect to have to replace the torch tip or diffuser on a fairly regular basis. If the tip is overly worn or beat up, it can make it almost impossible to get a straight bead while you try to weld. It is a good idea to give the welding tip a good visual assessment after every few welding jobs, and if you do see damage, go ahead and get a replacement.
Make sure your ground is always connected properly.
Having a welder that is improperly grounded can cause all kinds of issues that are often blamed on something else. For example, if the welder is not properly grounded, you may get a lot of splatter and inconsistency with the feed wire. Not being properly grounded actually makes it harder for the rest of the welder's components to function normally, which can lead to more problems and repairs than usual down the line.
Contact a company like Vern Lewis Welding Supply Inc to learn more.
