Craftsman 93420105 User Manual WELDER Manuals And Guides L0803454

CRAFTSMAN Welder Manual L0803454 CRAFTSMAN Welder Owner's Manual, CRAFTSMAN Welder installation guides

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811-309-000
MANUAL

. EAR$
OWNERS
MANUAL

MODEL No.
934.20105

CAUTION:
Read Rules for
Safe Operation
and Instructions
Carefully

WIRE FEED
MIG WELDER
Operation
Repair Parts

811-309-000

SEARS ROEBUCK AND CO., CHICAGO, IL 60684 U.S.A.

Table of Contents

IMPORTANT

SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS

SHOCK HAZARDS .........................
FLASH HAZARDS .........................

1
2

FIRE HAZARDS ...........................
FUME HAZARDS ....................

2
3

......

COMPRESSED GASSES AND EQUIPMENT HAZARDS ...................................
3
ADDITIONAL SAFETY INFORMATION .........
4

PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

Changing the Drive Roller ...................
INSTALLING ALUMINUM WIRE ..............

PREPARING

TO WELD

PREPARING A SAFE WELDING WORK AREA..
PREPARING THE WORK PIECE .............
ALUMINUM WELDING PREPARATION ........
CONNECT WELDER GROUND ..............

OPERATION

13
16

17
17
17
18
18

SPECIFICATIONS .........................
WELDER CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.
DUTY CYCLE .............................

5
5
5

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR NEW WELDER ....
SETTING THE CONTROLS .................
HOLDING THE GUN .......................

19
19
20

INTERNAL THERMAL PROTECTION

Position of the Gun to the Work Piece .........
Distance from the Work Piece ...............
LAYING A BEAD ..........................
CLEANING THE WELD BEAD ...............

20
21
21
21

ASSEMBLY

..........

AND INSTALLATION

UNPACKING YOUR WELDER ................
INSTALL THE GROUND CLAMP ..............
INSTALL WELDING GUN ASSEMBLY ..........

6
6
7

PROVIDE REQUIRED POWER ...............

Power Requirements .......................
Connect Welder to Power Source .............
Extension Cord Use ........................

7
8
8

INSTALL TANK TRAY AND BRACKET ..........

SELECT SHIELDING GAS ...................

Gas Selection For Steel Welding With Steel Wire. 9
Gas Selection for Aluminum Welding ..........
9
Gas Selection for Stainless Steel Welding ......
9
Gas Selection for Steel Welding
with Silicon-Bronze Wire ....................
INSTALL THE SHIELDING GAS ...............
CHECKING GAS FLOW .....................

10
10
11

SELECT WELDING CURRENT POLARITY ......
SELECT THE WELDING WIRE ...............

11
11

Selecting the Type of Wire ...................
SELECT THE SPOOL SIZE ..................

11
12

Wire Spool Storage ........................
Select the Wire Diameter ....................
INSTALL THE WELDING WIRE ...............

13
13
13

WELDING

TECHNIQUES

TRAVELING WITH THE GUN ................

TYPES OF WELD BEADS ..................
WELDING POSITIONS .....................
MULTIPLE PASS WELDING .................

22
23
24

SPECIAL

WELDING

METHODS

SPOT WELDING ..........................
SPOT WELDING INSTRUCTIONS ............

MAINTENANCE
BLESHOOTING

25
25
25

AND TROU26

GENERAL MAINTENANCE .......
..........
CONSUMABLE MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING ..........................

TESTING FOR A SHORTED NO72'LE .........
TROUBLESHOOTING
......................

27
27

REPLACEMENT
WARRANTY

PARTS LIST

33
34

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Page 1

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!
DO NOT OPERATE YOUR WELDER
YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THESE INSTRUCTIONS

UNTIL

(welding rod or welding wire). Any metal parts on
the electrode holder or MIG gun.

ELECTRIC SHOCK CAN KILL!

I_:_l

ARC RAYS CAN INJURE

NEVER weld in a damp area or come in contact
with a moist or wet surface when welding.

EYES AND

NEVER attempt to weld if any part of clothing or
body is wet.

BURN SKIN!

NEVER allow the welding equipment to come in
contact with water or moisture.

DEATH,

CAUSE

FIRE OR EXPLOSION
INJURY, AND PROPERTY

CAN CAUSE
DAMAGE!

FUMES, GASSES, AND VAPORS CAN
DISCOMFORT,
ILLNESS, AND DEATH!

IMPROPER

HANDLING

AND

MAIN-

TENANCE
OF COMPRESSED
GAS CYLINDERS AND REGULATORS
CAN RESULT
IN
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH!
IMPORTANT!

DO NOT ATTEMPT

OPERATION

of this welding equipment until reading and understanding the following safety instructions to reduce
risk of DEATH, INJURY, AND PROPERTY
DAMAGE.

SHOCK HAZARDS
ELECTRIC SHOCK CAN KILL! To reduce risk of
death from electric shock, read, understand, and
follow the following safety insructions. In Addition,
make certain that anyone who uses this welding
equipment or is a bystander in the welding area
understands and follows these safety instructions
as well.
NEVER Stand, Sit, Lie, Lean On, Touch, or come
into physical contact in any way with any part of the
welding current circuit including:
the work piece or any conductive material in contact with it. The ground clamp. The electrode

NEVER drag welding cables (or MIG gun assembly) or weld powercord through or allow them to
come into contact with water or moisture.
NEVER touch welder, attempt to turn welder on or
off, or attempt to plug welder into powersource
if
any part of body or clothing is wet or damp, or if
standing in or in physical contact of any kind with
water or moisture.
NEVER connect welder ground clamp to or weld
on electrical conduit.
NEVER

alter powercord or powercord plug in any

way.
NEVER attempt to plug welder into powersource if
ground prong on powercord
plug is bent over,
broken off, or missing.
NEVER allow welder to be connected to powersource or attempt to weld if welder, welding cables
(or MIG gun assembly), welding site, or welder
powercord are exposed to rain, snow, sleet, mist,
fog or other forms of atmospheric precipitation or
mist or spray off an ocean or other body of water.
NEVER carry coiled welding cables around shoulders, or any other part of the body, when they are
plugged into the welder.
NEVER modify any wiring, ground connections,
switches, or fuses in this welding equipment.
ALWAYS wear welding gloves
hands from welding circuit.

to help

insulate

IMPORTANT
SAFETYINSTRUCTIONS
Page2
ALWAYSkeep

containers of water or other liquids
far enough away from welder and work area so that
if spilled, the liquid could not possibly come in contact
with the welder, welding cables (or MIG gun assembly), welder powercord, the workpiece being welded,
or any other part of the electrical welding circuit.

ALWAYS replace any cracked or damaged parts
that are insulated or act as insulators such as
welding cables (or MIG gun assembly), or powercord IMMEDIATELY.

FLASH HAZARDS
ARC

RAYS

CAN

INJURE

EYES

AND

BURN

SKIN! To reduce risk of injury from arc rays, read
understand and follow the following safety insrtuctions. In addition, make certain that anyone else
that uses this welding equipment, or is a bystander
in the welding area, understands and follows these
safety instructions as well
NEVER look at an electric arc without proper protection. A welding arc is extremely bright and intense and, with inadequate or no eye protection,
the retina can be burned, leaving a permanent
dark spot in the field of vision. A shield or helmet
with a number 10 shade filter lens (minimum) must
be used.

NEVER strike a welding arc until all bystanders
and you (the welder) have welding shields and/or
helmets in place.
NEVER

wear

a cracked

or broken

helmet

and

replace any cracked or broken filter lenses IMMEDIATELY.

ALWAYS provide bystanders with shields or helmets fitted with a number 10 shade filter lens.
ALWAYS wear protective clothing. The intense
light of the welding arc can bum the skin in much
the same way as the sun, even through lightweight clothing. Wear dark clothing of heavy material. The shirt worn should be long sleeved and the
collar kept buttoned to protect chest and neck.
ALWAYS protect
against
REFLECTED
ARC
RAYS. Arc rays can be reflected off shiny surfaces
such as a glossy painted surface, aluminum, stainless steel, and glass. It is possible for your eyes to
be injured by reflected arc rays even when wearing
a protective helmet or shield. If welding with a
reflective
surface behind you, arc rays can
"bounce off" the surface, then off the filter tens on

the inside of your helmet or shield, then into your
eyes. If a reflective background exists in your welding area, either remove it or cover it with something
nonflammable and non-reflective. Reflective arc
rays can also cause skin burn in addition to eye
injury.

FIRE HAZARDS
FIRE OR EXPLOSION
CAN CAUSE DEATH, INJURY, AND PROPERTY
DAMAGE!
To reduce
risk of death, injury, or property damage from fire
or explosion, read, understand, and follow the following safety insrtuctions. In addition, make certain that anyone else that uses this welding
equipment, or is a bystander in the welding area,
understands and follows theses safety instructions
as well. REMEMBERI
Arc welding by nature produces sparks, hot spatter, molten metal drops, hot
slag, and hot metal parts which can start fires, burn
skin and damage eyes.

NEVER wear gloves or other clothing that contain
oil, grease, or other flammable substances.
NEVER

wear flammable

hair preparations.

NEVER weld in an area until it has been checked
and cleared of combustable and/or flammable materials. BE AWARE that sparks and slag can fly 35
feet and can pass through small cracks and openings. If work and combustibles cannot be separated by a minimum of 35 feet, protect against
ignition with suitable, snug-fitting, fire resistant
covers or shields.

NEVER weld on walls until checking for and removing combustibles touching the wall on the other side.
NEVER weld, cut, or perform other hot work on
used barrels, drums, tanks, or other containers
that contained a flammable
or toxic substance.
The techniques
for removing flammable
substances and vapors, to make a used container safe
for welding or cutting, are quite complex and require special education and training.
NEVER strike an arc on a compressed
gas or air
cylinder or other pressure vessel. Doing so will
create a brittle area that can result in a violent
rupture immediately or at a later time as a result of
rough handling.

IMPORTANT

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Page)3

NEVER weld or cut in an area where the air may
contain flammable dust (such as grain dust), gas,
or liquid vapors (such as gasoline).

nized steel, unless the coating is removed, the
area is well ventilated, or the operator and _all'
bystanders wear air-supplied respirators.

NEVER handle hot metal, such as the workpiece
or welding wire, with bare hands.

NEVER weld, cut, or heat lead, zinc, cadmium,
mercury, beryllium, or similar metals without seeking professional advise and inspection of the ventilation of the welding area. These metals produce
EXTREMELY
TOXIC fumes which can cause discomfort, illness, and death.

ALWAYS wear leather gloves, heavy long sleeve
shirt, cuffless trousers, high-topped shoes, helmet,
and cap. As necessary, use additional protective
clothing such as leather jacket or sleeves, fire
resistant leggings, or apron. Hot sparks or metal
can lodge in rolled up sleeves, trouser cuffs, or
pockets. Sleeves and collars should be kept buttoned and pockets eliminated from the front.
ALWAYS have fire extinguishing equipment handy
for instant use! A portable chemical fire extinquisher, type ABC, is recommended.
ALWAYS wear ear plugs when welding overhead
to prevent spatter or stag from falling into ear.

ALWAYS make sure welding area has a good,
solid, safe floor, preferably concrete or masonry,
not tiled, carpeted, or made of any other flammable
material.
ALWAYS protect flammable walls, ceilings, and
floors with heat resistant covers or shields.
ALWAYS check welding area to make sure it is
free of sparks, glowing metal or slag, and flames
before leaving the welding area.

NEVER weld or cut in areas that are near chlorinated solvents. Vapors from chlorinated
hydrocarbons,
such
as
trichlorbethylene
and
perchloroethylene,
can be decomposed
by the
heat of an electric arc or its ultraviolet radiation to
form PHOSGENE,
a HIGHLY TOXIC gas, along
with other lung and eye-irritating gasses. Do not
weld or cut where these solvent vapors can be
drawn into the work area or where the ultraviolet
radiation can penetrate to areas containing even
very small amounts of these vapors.

NEVER weld in a confined area unless it is being
ventilated or the operator (and anyone else in the
area) is wearing an air-supplied respirator.
NEVER bring gas cylinders into or allow gas leaks
in a confined space. Leaked gas can rapidly reduce oxygen concentration levels in a confined
space.
ALWAYS shut off shielding gas supply at its source
before leaving a confined area and check to make
sure that the area is safe before reentering it.

FUME HAZARDS
FUMES, GASSES, AND VAPORS CAN CAUSE
DISCOMFORT,
ILLNESS,
AND DEATH! To reduce risk of discomfort, illness, or death, read,
understand, and follow the following safety instructions. In addition, make certain that anyone else
that uses this welding equipment or is a bystander
in the welding area, understands and follows these
safety instructions as well.
NEVER

weld in an area until it has been checked

for adequate
ventilation
as described
in ANSI
standard #Z49.1. If ventilation is not adequate to
exchange all fumes and gasses generated during
the welding process with fresh air, do not weld
unless you (the welder) and all bystanders are
wearing air-supplied respirators.
NEVER heat metals coated with or containing materials that produce toxic fumes, such as galva-

ALWAYS stop welding if you develop momentary
eye, nose, or throat irritation as this indicates inadequate ventilation. Stop work and take necessary steps to improve ventilation in the welding
area. Do not resume welding if physical discomfort
persists.

COMPRESSED
EQUIPMENT

GASSES AND
HAZARDS

IMPROPER
HANDLING
AND MAINTENANCE
OF COMPRESSED
GAS CYLINDERS
AND
REGULATORS
CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH! To reduce risk or injury or death
from compressed gasses and equipment hazards,
read, understand, and follow the following safety
instructions. In addition, make certain that anyone
else who uses this welding equipment or is a
bystander in the welding area understands and
follows these safety instructions as well.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Page 4

NEVER use flammable gasses with MIG welders.
Only inert or non-flammable gasses are suitable
for MIG welding. Examples are Carbon Dioxide,
Argon, Helium, etc. or mixtures of more than one
of these gasses.
NEVER attempt to mix gasses or refill a cylinder
yourself.
NEVER expose cylinders to excessive heat,
sparks, slag, and flame, etc. Cylinders exposed to
temperatures above 130 degrees F. will require
water spray cooling.
NEVER

NEVER locate cylinders in passageways
areas where they may be struck.

or work

NEVER lift cylinders off the ground by their valves
or caps or with chains, slings, or magnets.
NEVER use a wrench or hammer to open a cylinder valve that cannot be opened by hand. Notify
your supplier.
modify or exchange

gas cylinder fittings.

NEVER deface or altar name, number, or other
markings on a cylinder. It is illegal and hazardous.
NEVER use cylinders without the name of the gas
marked on the cylinder. Do not rely on cylinder
color to identify the content.

NEVER connect a regulator to a cylinder containing gas other than that for which the regulator was
designed.
NEVER attempt to make regulator repairs. Send
faulty regulators for repair to manufacturer's
designated repair center.
NEVER

ALWAYS make sure cylinder cap is securely in
place, on the cylinder, whenever cylinder is moved.
ALWAYS remove faulty regulator from service immediately for repair (first close cylinder valve) if
any of the following occur: Gas leaks extemally,
delivery pressure continues to rise with down
stream valve closed, and/or gauge pointer does
not move off the stop pin when pressurized or fails
to return to the stop pin after pressure is released.

expose cylinders to electricity of any kind.

NEVER use cylinder or its contents for anything
other than its intended use. Do not use as a support or roller.

NEVER

ALWAYS protect cylinder, especially valve, from
bumps, falls, falling objects, and weather.

attempt to lubricate regulator.

ALWAYS handle cylinders carefully to prevent
leaks and damage to their wails, valves, or safety
devices.
ALWAYS secure cylinders with a steel chain so
that they cannot be knocked over.

ADDITIONAL SAFETY
INFORMATION
For additional information
safety, refer to the following
with as applicable.

concerning welding
standards and comply

1. ANSI Standard Z49.1 -- SAFETY IN WELDING
AND CUTTING ---obtainable from the American
Welding Society,
33125 Telephone

2051 N.W. 7th St., Miami,
(305) 443-9353

2. ANSI Standard
Z87.1 -- SAFE PRACTICE
FOR OCCUPATION
AND EDUCATIONAL
EYE
AND FACE PROTECTION
-- obtainable from
the American National Standards Institute, 1430
Broadway, New York, NY 10018

3. NFPA Standard 51B -- CUTTING AND WELDING PROCESSES
-- obtainable from the National Fire Protection Association,
470 Atlantic
Ave., Boston, MA 02210

4. CGA Pamphlet P-1 --SAFE
HANDLING
OF
COMPRESSED
GASSES IN CYLINDERS
obtainable from the Compressed Gas Association, 500 5th Ave., New York, NY 10036

5. OSHA Standard 29 CFR, Part 1910, Subpart Q,
WELDING,
CU'I-I'ING
AND BRAZING -- obtainable from your state OSHA office.
6. CSA Standard W177.2 -- Code for SAFETY IN
WELDING
AND CUTTING -- obtainable from
Canadian Standards Association, 178 Rexdale
Blvd., Rexdate, Ontario, Canada M9W 1 R3

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Page. 5

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Your new Metal Inert Gas (MIG) wire feed welder
is designed for maintenance,
and sheetmetal fabrication. The welder consists of a single-phase
power transformer,
stabilizer,
rectifier, and a
unique built-in control/feeder. This MIG welder is
capable of welding with .024" and .030" solid steel,
or stainless steel wires and .030" aluminum (spec
#5356 alloy) wire on DC positive polarity and with
.030", self-shielding flux-core wire on DC negative
polarity.
NOTE; When using .035 Flux Core wire your duty
cycle may be shorter than 20%.
Now you can weld 20 gauge sheet metal up to
3/16" with a single pass. Welds 114" steel with
beveling and multiple pass.

SPECIFICATIONS
Primary (input) volts ..............................
120 VAC
Primary (input) Amps .......................................
18
Phase .......................................................
Single
Frequency
................................................
60 Hz
Kilovolt Amps ................................................
2.2
Secendary (output) volts ...............................
18
Secondary (output) amps .............................
75
Duty Cycle Rating: .....................................
20%
Open Circuit Volts (Max.) ......................
31 VDC

WELDER CONTROLS AND THEIR
FUNCTIONS
POWER SWITCH- Has three settings: LOW, OFF,
and HIGH. Setting the switch to OFF shuts the
welder off. When set to LOW, the welder can
produce up to 45 amps of welding current. When
set on HIGH, up to 75 amps of welding current will
be available.
NOTE: The actual amperage will
vary depending on wire speed, length of the arc
held when welding, the type of wire being used,
and the ACTUAL
voltage available at the wall
receptacle.
ELECTRIC

SHOCK

CAN KILL! To reduce risk of

electric shock, be aware that having the POWER
SWITCH
in the OFF position does not remove
power from all intemal circuitry of the welder.

WIRE SPEED - This control adjusts the speed at
which the wire is fed out of the gun. The wire speed
needs to be closely matched ("tuned-in") to the
rate at which it is being melted off. Some things
that affect wire speed selection are the type and
diameter of the wire being used, the heat setting
selected, and the welding position to be used.

DUTY CYCLE

The duty cycle rating of a welder tells the operator
how long he or she can weld and how long the
welder must rest-to cool. tt is expressed as a
percentage of 10 minutes (the industry recognized
cycle time) and represents the maximum welding
time allowed, with the balance of the 10-minute
cycle required for cooling (see chart below).

Your new welder has a duty cycle rating of 20%.
You can weld for 2 minutes out of 10, with the
remaining 8 minutes required for cooling.

Duty Cycle
Rating

Maximum
Welding Time

20%
40%
60%
80%
100%

2 Minutes
4 Minutes
6 Minutes
8 Minutes
10 Minutes

INTERNAL

THERMAL

Required
Resting Time

8
6
4
2
0

Minutes
Minutes
Minutes
Minutes
Minutes

PROTECTION

If you exceed the duty cycle of your welder, and
internal thermal protector will open and shut off ai!
welder functions. After cooling, the thermal protector will automatically reset and the welder wilt function normally again.

DO NOT CONSTANTLY
EXCEED
THE DUTY
CYCLE OR DAMAGE TO THIS WELDER CAN
RESULT!

ASSEMBLY
ANDINSTALLATIONPage6

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

ELECTRIC
SHOCK CAN KILL! To reduce risk of electric shock, DO NOT PLUG
WELDER
IN TO AC POWER SOURCE UNTIL
TOLD TO DO SO later in this manual.

UNPACKING

YOUR WELDER

1. Open the top of the shipping carton.
2. Remove
sories.

any cartons

or bags containing acces-

3. Open the cartons or bags packed with your
welder and inspecttheir contents for damage.
Report any missing or damaged items immediately!

4. Lay out the parts and compare to following illustrations to familiarize yourself with the parts and
what they are called. This will help you when
reading the manual.
5. Grasp the top handle of the welder and lift the
welder out of the carton.

INSTALL THE GROUND

CLAMP

Connect the ground clamp to the ground cable
(coming out of the front of the welder) according to
the instructions packaged with the ground clamp.

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

Page 7

Knob

O
O
0

O
000

DRIVE ASSEMBLY

INSTALL WELDING
ASSEMBLY

GUN
On Gun

On Welder

1. Insert the brass tail piece of the welding gun
through hole in the front of the welder.
2. Align the gun's tail-piece with the hole in the
brass conductor block on the front of the drive

Female Plug
w/Male Pins

assembly.
3, Push the gun's tail-piece into the drive assembly
ALL THE WAY until it stops against the brass
conductor block. (NOTE: The gun's tail piece
should be about 1/16" from the drive roller)
4. Rotate the gun so the brass fitting (on the gun's
tail-piece) is pointing up, then plug the gas hose
(coming up through the welder's drive deck)
onto the barbed fitting.
NOTE:

Ahose clamp is not needed on this fitting.

NOTE: The connectors will plug together only one
way, due to their shape (see illustration).
The
connectors
will lock together when properly connected.

PROVIDE
Power

REQUIRED

POWER

Requirements

do not over-

This welder is designed to operate on a properly
grounded 120 volt, 60 hertz, single phase, alternating current (AC) power source on a 20 amp branch
circuit. It is recommended
that a qualified electrician verify the ACTUAL VOLTAGE at the receptacle into which the welder will be plugged and
confirm that the receptacle is properly fused and
grounded.

6. Plug the trigger lead connector (hanging from
the gun's tail-piece)
into the mating connector
that's mounted in the deck of the welder.

DO NOT OPERATE
THIS WELDER
if the ACTUAL power source voltage is less that 105 volts
AC greater than 132 volts AC. Contact a qualified
electrician if this problem exists. Improper perform-

5. Make sure gun is still pushed all the way into the
brass conductor
block, then tighten the gun
clamping knob (on top of the brass gun conductor block) until the gun is held securely in place.
IMPORTANT:
tighten.

Hand

tighten

only.

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

Page 8

ance and/or damage to the welder will result if
operated on inadequate or excessive power.

tabs of the tank tray with the two holes in the
welder. Reinstall the two sheetmetal screws that
were removed and TIGHTEN ONLY.

ELECRIC SHOCK CAN KILL! FIRE CAN KILL,
INJURE, AND CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE! To
reduce the risk of electric shock and fire, connect
only to properly grounded and fused outlets.
NEVER ALTER the AC powercord or powercord
plug provided on the welder. NEVER ALTER and
extension cord or extension cord plugs.
Connect

Welder

Attach the two tank support straps to the tank
support tray using 1 each #10 Phillips head
screw, 1 each #10 Iockwasher, and 1 each #10
Hex nut on each side. The straps should be
mounted to the outside surface of the tank tray.
TIGHTEN LIGHTLY.

to Power Source

1, DO NOT ALTER the AC power cord or powercord plug on the welder. Doing so may VOID
THE WARRANTY. If the welder's AC powercord
plug does not mate with your existing receptacle, have an appropriate receptacle installed by
a qualified electrician in accordance with the
National Electrical Code and local codes and
ordinances. Do not use any adapters between
the welder's AC powercord plug and AC power
source receptacle.
2. Make sure the POWER SWITCH on the front of
the welder is turned to its "OFF" position. Then
plug the welder's powercord
plug into the AC
power source receptacle.

Remove the two sheetmetal screws (one from
each side) that are located directly above the
screws removed in step #1 above. Position the
ends of the tank support straps over the holes in
the welder and reinstall the screws.

Extension Cord Use
For optimum welder performance,
and extension
cord should not be used unless absolutely necessan/. If necessary, care must be taken in selecting
an extension cord appropriate
for use with your
specific welder.
Select a property grounded extension cord that the
AC powercord of the welder and AC power source
receptacle will mate with directly without the use of
adaptors. Make sure the extension cord is properly
wired and in good electrical condition.

4. Tighten all hardware securely.

Position the upper tank bracket (flanges pointing
downward)
over the two empty holes on the
back of the welder and push two #10 Phillips
head bolts through the holes.

6. Raise the wire drive compartment lid of the
welder, place a Iockwasher on each of the bolts,
then thread a #10 hex nut onto each bolt and
tighten

For an extension cord length not exceeding 25
feet, choose one with the same AWG wire size as
that stamped on the welder's powercord, Extension cord lengths longer than 25 feet will require
heavier wire gauges to compensate for voltage
losses that will cause decreased perfomance.

INSTALL TANK TRAY AND
BRACKET
1. Remove the screw from the bottom-rear

comer

of each side of the welder. Slide the tank tray
into position, lining up the slotted holes in the

securely.

Place each end of the tank restraining chain into
each of the key-hole slots in the upper tank
bracket. This chain will restrain a tank from falling over and should always be used.

IMPORTANT-GAS
CYUNDER
SIZE RESTRICTION! The tank tray you have installed on the back
of this welder will handle gas cylinders no longer
than 20 cubic feet. If you select a cylinder larger
than 20 cubic feet, it must be chained to a wall or
other fixed support.

ASSEMBLY
ANDINSTALLATION
Page9

SELECT SHIELDING GAS
The shielding gas plays an extremely important
role in the MIG welding process.
As with most
welding processes, it is critical that the molten weld
puddle be "shielded" from the atmosphere. Inadequate shielding will result in porous, brittle welds.

Gas Selection

For Aluminum

Not only is shielding the weld important, but selecting the proper gas to shield with is of equal importance. Generally, the shielding gas selected is
dependent upon the type and thickness of metal
being welded. Selecting the wrong gas for the
metal to be welded can result in porosity, brittleness, and/or undesirable penetration of the weld.
Although there are many gasses and mixtures
available for MIG welding, the following recommendations are based on the electrical output
characteristics and metal-thickness welding capabilities of this specific MIG welder.
GAS SELECTION
STEEL WIRE

FOR STEEL WELDING

WITH

100%

ARGON

Our only recommendation for shielding an alumP
num weld is pure Argon. Do not attempt to use the
Argon/Carbon Dioxide mixture (recommended for
steel) when welding aluminum.
Gas Selection

_o/o

75% ARGON

Gas Welding

For Stainless

BEST

HELIUM
F "_"_''%ARGON

c(:f

_o/,

Steel Welding

ACCEPTABLE

ARGON
r - -2_% co 2

25% CO=
_J
For either mild or low carbon (High Strength Structural) steel, in the thicknesses that can be welded
with this welder, our primary recommendation is a
gas mixture of 75% Argon and 25% Carbon Dioxide.
This gas mixture helps to prevent burn
through and distortion on very thin steel, yet provides food penetration on thicker steel. Its ability
to minimize spatter results in clean, smooth weld
appearances.
In addition, it provides food puddle
control when welding vertically or overhead. This
gas mixture is available pre-mixed in a single cylinder from your local gas distributor.
Note:

Potential Shielding Gas Problems

The best shielding gas for stainless steel welding
is a mixture of 90% helium, 7.5% Argon, and 2.5%
Carbon Dioxide.
However, the 75% argon 25%
Carbon Dioxide mixture (recommended for steel)
can also be used, but an increase in the area being
heated by the arc will be experienced causing
slightly greater distortion of the base metal. Also
this mixture can cause a decrease in the ability of
the stainless steel weld to resist corrosion. Either
mixture can be obtained in a single cylinder from
your local gas distributor.

ASSEMBLY
ANDINSTALLATION
Page 10
Gas Selection For Steel Welding With Siliconbronze Wire

PRESSED
GASSES
AND EQUIPMENT
HAZARDS in the SAFETY INSTRUCTION
section of
this manual.

1. Secure gas cylinder to the tank bracket kit, a
wall or other fixed support.
2. Remove the protective cap from the cylinder
and inspect the regulator connecting threads for
dust, dirt, oil, and grease. Remove any dust or
dirt with a clean cloth. DO NOT ATTACH THE
REGULATOR
IF OIL, GREASE, OR DAMAGE
ARE PRESENT.

100% ARGON

Use only pure Argon when welding steel with Silicon-Bronze wire.
1. DEFECTIVE
GAS -- Just like any other product, a cylinder of gas can be defective. Moisture
or other impurities in the gas can create dirty
porous, brittle welds with greatly reduced penetration. The only remedy is to replace the cylinder.
2. MIXTURE

COMPOSITION

CHANGE

This

problem concerns only cylinders that contain a
mixture of two or more gasses.
The mixture
composition in a cylinder can be changed if the
cylinder is stored in cold temperatures.
For the
75% Argon 25% Carbon Dioxide mixture, the
cylinder should not be stored below 40 degrees
R This information
is normally found on the
label on the cylinder that indicates the contents
of the cylinder.

This problem can create a variety of unfavorable
weld characteristics including porosity,brittles, and
improper penetration.
3. INSUFFICIENT
SHIELDING
GAS COVERAGE-This problem can be created by several
causes as listed in the TROUBLESHOOTING
section of this manual. The symptoms are the
same for al! of them; dirty, porous, brittle, and/or
non-penetrating welds.

Open the cylinder valve FOR JUST AN INSTANT to blow out any foreign matter inside the
valve port to reduce the risk of plugging or damaging the regulator. NEVER AIM THE CYLINDER VALVE PORT AT YOURSELF
OR ANY
BYSTANDERS
WHEN OPENING CYLINDER
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF PERSONAL
INJURY.

4. Screw the regulator into the cylinder valve and
tighten with a wrench while keeping gauges
upright for easy and accurate reading.
NOTE: If the cylinder you have is equipped with
male regulator connecting threads instead of female, you wilt need to obtain a special compressed
gas cylinder adapter from your gas supplier to
install between your gas cylinder and regulator.
5. Locate the brass barbed fitting and brass retaining nut in the parts bag and place the fitting
through the nut as pictured on next page. Then
thread the nut onto the male-threaded
outlet
port on the regulator and wrench tighten.

Brass barbed
fitting

Brass
retaining nut

INSTALL THE SHIELDING GAS
IMPROPER
HANDLING
AND MAINTENANCE
OF COMPRESSED
GAS CYLINDERS
AND
REGULATORS
CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATHI Always secure gas cylinders to
the tank bracket kit, a wall, or other fixed support
to prevent the cylinder from falling over and rupturing. Read, understand, and follow alt the COM-

Outlet port fitting
on regulator
6. Slide the spring clamp (in parts bag) down one
end of the gas hose about three inches. Push
the same end of the gas hose onto the barbed
fitting. Then compress
the ears of the spring

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

clamp witha pliers, slide it up the gas hose, and
release clamp when it is positioned on a portion
of the hose that is over the brass fitting. '

Page 11

3. Pull the trigger on the gun to allow the gas to
flow. KEEP PULLED. Listen for gas to flow from
the end of the welding gun. If no gas is heard or
felt, check all previous steps in connecting the
gas.
4. Release

the trigger.

Your gas regulator has been factory set for delivery
of 20 Cubic Feet Per Hour of shielding gas. If
welding outside or in a draft, it may become necessary to set up a windbreak to keep the shielding
gas from being blown from the weld area.

SPRING CLAMP
HOSE

7. Locate the remaining brass barbed fitting (male
threaded) in the parts bag and thread the fitting
into the gas solenoid port located in the rear of
the welder (see illustration
below) BEING
CAREFUL
TO PREVENT
CROSS THREADING. Turn the fitting into the solenoid port WITH
YOUR FINGERS ONLY until you can't turn any
more. Then, use a wrench to tighten it securely
- do not overtighten.

MAKE SURE TO TURN OFF THE GAS CYUNDER VALVE WHEN DONE WELDING.

SELECT WELDING CURRENT
POLARITY
This welder comes factory set for DC Positive
Polarity operation. This polarity is required when
using gas-shielded
steel welding wires.
If you wish to use self-shielding flux-core wire, it
will be necessary to set the welder for DC Negative
Polarity operation. To do this, refer to on sticker on
the inside of hood.

SELECT THE WELDING
Selecting

8. Slide the remaining
end of the gas hose
push the hose onto
step #7 above and

hose clamp about 3" up the
opposite the regulator. Then
the barbed fitting installed in
clamp into place.

CHECKING

GAS FLOW

IMPROPER
HANDLING
AND MAINTENANCE
OF COMPRESSED
GAS CYLINDERS
AND
REGULATORS
CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS
INJURY AND DEATH! To reduce risk of injury or
death, always stand to the side of the cylinder
opposite the regulator when opening the cylinder
valve, keeping the cylinder valve between you and
the regulator.
1. Slowly crack open the cylinder
open ALL THE WAY!

valve, then turn

2. Turn POWER SWITCH
on the front of the
welder to either the LOW or HIGH position.

WIRE

the Type of Wire

It is very important to select a type of wire that is
compatible with the metal to be welded (base metal). If the wire is incompatible with the base metal,
the quality of important characteristics such as
penetration and strength may be sacrificed.
The welding wires recommended
for most of the
mild and low carbon steel applications
you will
have are AWS classification
numbers E70S-3 and
E70S-6. These two wires are very similar, but the
E70S-6 tends to work a little better on moderately
dirty steel and on sheet metal where smooth weld
beads are required. These differences
are very
subtle, so in most applications,
either wire is acceptable.
Self-shielding,
flux-core, steel wire is used primarily for welding mild steel without the use of a shielding gas. It is especially good to use when welding
needs to take place in windy environment.
However, it produces more spatter than solid wire gasshielded welding and leaves a slag on top of the
weld that needs to be chipped off. Our recommen-

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

Page 12

dation for self-shielding, flux-core, steel wire is
AWS classification number E71T-GS.
NOTE: With flux core wire you will bum through
metats thinner than 18 gauge

that on an 8" spool. However, welding wire oxidizes over time, so it is important to select a spool
size that will be used up within the times recommended below.

STEEL WIRE is usually coated with copper to
prevent the wire from rusting and to enhance the
transmission of welding current from the contact
tip to the wire. It is recommended that coppercoated steel welding wire be bought in spool
sizes that will be consumed in six months or
tess.

WARNING:
When welding aluminum with a wire
feed welder rated at 90 amps or less, we highly
recommend that:

a. The aluminum to be welded is between
t/16" (t .59mm) and 1/8" (3.17mm) thick.

In the early stages of aging, the copper coating
will begin oxidizing. The more time passes, the
heavier the oxidization will get. To check the wire
for copper oxidization, unspool about two feet of
wire, pinch wire between thumb and forefinger,
then pull thumb and forefinger down the length
of wire. Look at thumb and forefinger; there will
be a line created by the copper oxidization. A
fairly fresh spool will leave a light gray line,
whereas
a well-oxidized
spool will leave a
darker line. Heavy copper oxidization will cause
arc flutter and possibly wire drive slippage. If
steel wire continues to oxidize, the steel wire
under the copper coating will rust causing even
worse arc flutter and drive problems.

b. A .030 diameter, 5356 aluminum alloy welding wire is used.
c. The teflon gun liner (part # 4325) is installed
in the mig gun.

d. The composite rubber drive roller (part #
4324) is installed in the wire feed welder.
e. 100% pure argon shielding gas is used.
NOTE: Failure to utilize these set-up recommendations will result in wire feeding problems and
poor quality welds.
1. Stainless

Steel Wire Selection

When welding stainless steel, the alloy of the
welding wire must be the same as the alloy of
the base metal. As with aluminum, the alloy
number can most often be determined by consuiting the owner/operator
manual, service
manual, dealer, distributor, or manufacturer of
the item to be welded. Otherwise, seek the advise of someone who may have had previous
experience with the same or similar welding
application. Stainless steel wire is quite expensive, the trial-and-error method of alloy determination should be avoided if at all possible.
2. Silicon'Bronze
Wire Selection
The most popular application for silicon-bronze
MIG welding is non-structure sheetmetal welding, especially auto body work. A weld with silicon-bronze wire is very similar to that produced
by oxygen-acetylene brazing. It is fairly flat and
easy to grind smooth. Our recommended wire
for this application is AWS classification number
ERCuSi-A.

2. SELF-SHIELDING,
FLUX-CORE,
STEEL
WIRE spools should be selected based on the
same guidelines as for steel wire.

ALUMINUM
WIRE is even more of a potential
storage problem than steel. It tends to oxidize
much faster and the oxidation is much heavier.
The early stages of oxidation are virtually invisible, but as time passes, a white powder will
develop that will cause extreme arc flutter, wire
drive problems, contamination
build-up in the
liner, wire burn-back into the contact tip, and a
poor weld. ideally it would be best to use up a
spool of aluminum wire within three months.

STAINLESS
STEEL WIRE oxidizes at a relatively slow rate and its oxidation is very light, so
the care for handling and storing stainless steel
wire is much less cdtical than for aluminum and
steel wires. However, because stainless steel
wire is quite expensive, it is still a good practice
to fotlow the storage recommendations.

SELECT THE SPOOL SIZE
This welder will accept either 4" or 8" spools. Wire
on a 4" spool wilt usually cost more per pound than

5. SILICON-BRONZE
WIRE spools should be selected based on the same guidelines
as for
copper-coated steel wire.

ASSEMBLYANDINSTALLATION
Page19

INSTALL THE WELDING WIRE

Wire Spool Storage
The above recommended spool storage times are
rules-of-thumb
and can be impacted by many factors such as length of time in distribution prior to
retail sale, warehouse conditions, time of year (ie:
Humid months or dry months), and how packaged
by the manufacturer.

Although these factors are out of your control,
there are some things that you can do to slow
down the oxidization process: store in a dry place
when not in use; store in sealed plastic bag when
not in use and leave unopened in the manufacturer's package until ready to use.
NOTE: If spool has developed heavy oxidation, the
only solution to the problem is to discard the spool
of wire. However, if you have an oxidized spool of
wire, do not discard it until trying the following:
unspool a few turns of wire to see if the wire further
down on the spool is in usable condition, if not -discard the spool.
SELECT

THE WIRE DIAMETER

t. Steel and Stainless

Wire
Diameter

20 Gauge to 1/8" Gauge
18 Gauge to 1/8"
2. Aluminum

.024" (.6mm)
.030" (.8mm)

Welding

Base Metal
Thickness

Wire
Diameter
i

1/16"to 1/8"

1. Remove the nozzle and contact tip from the end
of the gun assembly.
2. Unscrew
adjusting

(turn counter-clockwise)
screw ALL THE WAY.

CHANGING

THE DRIVE ROLLER

ELECTRIC SHOCK CAN KILL! Always turn the
POWER SWITCH to its OFF position and unplug
the welder's powercord from the AC power source
before changing a drive roller.

drive tension

ing the spool clockwise (to the right), but be
careful not to allow the wire to come out of
the rear end of the gun without holding onto
it or it will unspool itself. Put the end of the
wire into the hole on the outside edge of the
spool and bend it over to hold the wire in
place, then remove the spool of wire from
the welder.

.030" (.8ram)

c, Remove the retaining
from the drive roller.

KEY _

18 Gauge to 3/t6"

Wire
Diameter
i

.030" (.8 mm)

screw and washer

KE'f_NAY

4. Steel welding with Self-Shielding
Flux-Core
Wire
Your welder can use only .30 Flux-Core wire
AWS #E71T-GS,

(see step #2 above).

If there is wire already installed in the welder,
roll it back onto the wire spool by hand-turn-

3. Silicon-Bronze
Wire Welding of Steel
To be used for welding non-structural sheetmetal to sheetmetal or non-structural
sheetmetal to heavier steel. Use .030" (.8mm)
diameter wire for these applications.

Base Metal
Thickness

the tension

3. Make sure that the wire diameter stamped on
the outside of the drive roller is the same as the
diameter of the wire being installed. If it is not the
same, change the drive roller as follows:

a. Remove

Steel Welding

Base Metal
Thickness

ELECTRIC
SHOCK CAN KILL! Always turn the
POWER SWITCH to its OFF position and unplug
the welder's powercord from the AC power source
before installing wire.

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

Page 14

d. Remove the drive roller by pulling it straight
out and off the drive motor shaft.
e.

8. Place the spool on the spindle in such a manner
that when the wire comes off the spool it will look
like this:

Find the side of the drive roller that is
stamped with the same wire diameter as
that of the wire being installed. Push the
drive roller onto the drive motor shaft. Make
sure the side stamped with the desired wire
diameter is facing out. IMPORTANT!
Make
sure the key remains properly installed in its
slot in the drive motor shaft.

f. Replace the drive roller retaining screw and
washer, then tighten securely.
4. Remove the wire spool holder from the
the welder by pulling up lightly on the
while pulling firmly outward on the tab of
spool holder until it clears the hold-down
the deck of the welder.

deck of
spindle
the wire
tabs on

not like this:

o
9. If you are installing a 4-inch spool of wire, install
the drive brake hardware on top of the spool of
wire according to the following illustration. However, if you are installing an 8-inch spool, install
the spindle adaptor INSTEAD of the drive brake
hardware and move on to step #11.

5. Turn wire spool holder over and insert the 1/4-21
x 2 3/4" hex head bolt through the hole that goes
up through the spindle.
Make sure that you
push the hex head of the bolt all the way into the
hex hole in the bottom of the wire spool holder.
6. Reinstall the wire spool holder onto the welder
making sure to push it all the way into the holddown tabs.
7. Unwrap the spool of wire then find the leading
end of the wire (it goes through a hole in the
outer edge of the spool, and is bent over the
spool edge to prevent the wire from unspooling),
BUT DO NOT UNHOOK IT YET!

10. Adjust the drive brake tension. The purpose of
the drive brake is to cause the spool of wire to
stop turning at nearly the same moment that
wire feeding stops.

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

a. With one hand, turn the wire spool and continue turning it while adjusting the tension.
b. With your free hand, tighten (turn clockwise)
the wing-nut.
c. Stop tightening when drag is felt on the wire
spool that you are tuming, then stop hand
turning the wire spool.
NOTE: If TOO MUCH tension is applied, the wire
will slip on the drive roller or will not be able to be
fed at all. If TOO LITTLE tension is applied, the
spool of wire will want to unspool itself. Readjust
the drive brake tenion as necessary to correct for
either of these problems.
11. After checking to make sure that your welder is
disconnected
from the AC power source, free
the leading-end of the wire from the spool, but
do not let go of it until told to do so, or the wire
will unspool itself.

Page,_15_

rying welding current whenever the welder, is,
turned on -- WHETHER THE TRIGGER i_
PULLED OR NOT!
18. When at least and inch of wire sticks out past
the end of the gun, release the trigger.

19. Select a contact tip stamped with the same wire
diameter as the diameter of the wire being
used. If stamped in metric, use the cross-reference chart below.

U.S:Tip Size

Metric Tip Size

.....
.6mm
.8mm
.gmm

.024"
.030"
.035"

20. Slide the contact tip over the wire (protruding
from the end of the gun), thread it into the end
of the gun, and hand tighten securely.

t2. Using a wire cutter, cut the bent end off the
leading-end
of the wire so that only a straight
leading-end
remains.

21. Install the nozzle on the end of the gun assem-

13. Hold the tension arm up off the drive roller and
insert the leading-end of the wire into the inlet
guide tube. Then push it across the drive roller
and into the gun assembly about six inches.

22. Cut off excess wire that extends past the end
of the nozzle.

bly, then coat the inside of the nozzle
anti-stick spray or gel (not supplied).

with

23. Set the wire drive tension.
14. Line the wire up in the outside groove of the
drive roller, then allow the drive tension arm to
drop onto the drive roller.
15. Tighten (turn clockwise) the tension adjusting
screw until the tension roller is applying enough
force on the wire to prevent it from slipping out
of the drive assembly. NOW YOU CAN LET
GO OF THE WIRE.

ARC FLASH CAN INJURE EYES! To reduce risk
of arc flash, make certain that the wire coming out
of the end of the gun does not come in contact with
the ground clamp or any grounded material during
the drive tension setting process or arcing will
occu r.
a. Pull the trigger on the gun.

16. Plug the welder's powercord into the AC power
source, turn the POWER SWITCH on the front
of the welder to either HIGH or LOW, and set
the WIRE SPEED control to the middle of the
wire speed range.
17. Pull the trigger on the welding gun to feed the
wire through the gun assembly.
ARC FLASH CAN INJURE EYES! To reduce the
risk of arc flash, make certain that the welding wire,
when it finally comes out of the endof the gun, does
not touch the ground calmp or any grounded piece
of metal. IMPORATANT!
The welding wire is car-

b. Turn the drive tension
adjustment
knob
clockwise (to the right), increasing the drive
tension
until the wire seems
to feed
smoothly

without

slipping.

c. Block the end of the nozzle by holding it up
against
something that doesn't conduct
electricity,
such as a block of wood or a
concreate floor, then trigger the gun again.
The wire should slip at the drive roller. However, if the bird-nests at the drive roller, rethread the drive system using less drive
tension and try again.

ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION

Page 16

When set correctly, there should be no slippage
between the wire and the drive teller under normal
conditions, but if an obstruction occurs along the
wire feed path, the wire should then slip on the
drive roller.

INSTALLING ALUMINUM WIRE
Install aluminum wire the same as steel wire, but
with the following exceptions.
a. Select only .030" diameter wire of the 5356
aluminum alloy. Use a .035" contact tip, the
composite rubber drive roller (Part # 4324),
and teflon line (Part # 4325).
b. Be sure to adjust the drive tension properly.
Aluminum wire is very sensitive to slight
changes in drive tension.

PREPARING

TO WELD Page .17

PREPARING TO WELD
PREPARING A SAFE WELDING
WORK AREA

ELECTRIC

SHOCK

bystanders in the welding area. It is a must that the
welding work area be cleared of all flammables
and that a type ABC chemical fire extinguisher
is
always close at hand.
READ The SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS!
They wilt
tell you how to properly prepare for welding by:

CAN KILL!

1. Preparing a safe welding work area.
_]_JD]

ARC RAYS CAN INJURE

EYES AND
2. Providing
protection
ing area.

BURN SKIN!

DEATH,

FIRE OR EXPLOSION
INJURY, AND PROPERTY

CAN CAUSE
DAMAGEI

the necessary personal eye and skin
for you and all bystanders in the weld-

3. Providing adequate ventilation, or respiration
equipment if necessary, to protect you and any
bystanders in the welding area.

PREPARING

CAUSE

FUMES, GASSES, AND VAPORS CAN
DISCOMFORT,
ILLNESS, AND DEATH!

IMPROPER

HANDLING

AND

MAIN-

TENANCE
OF COMPRESSED
GAS CYLINDERS AND REGULATORS
CAN RESULT
IN
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATHI

tell you how to REDUCE THE RISKS OF DEATH,
INJURY, ILLNESS, DISCOMFORT,
AND PROPERTY DAMAGE
to you, the bystanders
in the
welding area, and property in the vicinity of the
welding area from SHOCK HAZARDS,
FLASH
HAZARDS,
FIRE HAZARDS,
FUME HAZARDS,
AND COMPRESSED
GASSES
AND EQUIPMENT HAZARDS.
An important factor in making a satisfactory weld is
preparation.
This includes the study of the welding
process and equipment by the operator and then
practicing on scrap material before actual welding
jobs are attempted.
An organized,
well-lighted
work area should be available to provide comfort,
convenience,
and safety to the operator and all

PIECE

Much of the success in producing a quality weld
can be attributed to the preparation of the weldjoint area of the work piece.
1. Clean the weld-joint area of dirt, rust, scale, oil,
and/or paint. Failure to do so may result in a
porous, brittle weld.

DO NOT PROCEED
TO PREPARE TO WELD
until you read and understand each of the five
parts of the SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
section in
this manual. The SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
will

THE WORK

Select a type of joint appropriate for your application. The more popular types of welding joints
are illustrated in the TYPES OF JOINTS chart at
the end of this section.

NOTE: If you select a BUTT WELD JOINT, you
may have to prepare the edges of the metal to be
joined by grinding a bevel on the edges.
GRINDING
METAL CAN INJURE EYES! To reduce the risk of eye injury, ALWAYS wear goggles
and inspect the grinder to verify that it is in good
condition before using.

During the welding process, the work pieces will
become hot and tend to expand causing the pieces
to shift from their initial position.
If possible, it is
best if the work pieces can be securely clamped
(before welding)
into the position
desired after
welding is completed.

PREPARING TO WELD

Page 18

450 PLATE
37.5 °

600PLATE

BUTT WELD JOINTS

SINGLE V JOINT
6O0

SINGLE BEVELJOINT
BUTT JOINT

DOUBLEV JOINT

DOUBLE BEVEL JOINT

3/32" TO 1/8"

"-_N '_''r

CLOSED JOINT

60--

1/16" TO 1/8" _

OPEN JOINT

VEE JOINT

SHOUI.._ER EDGE
1/4" OR MORE

--\/
FEATHER EDGE

DOUBLE VEE JOINT

1/8" OR MORE

LET WELD JOINTS
SINGLE FILLET
LAP JOINT

DOUBLE FILLET

SINGLE FILLET T-JOINT
DOUBLE
SINGLE STRAP JOINT

CONNECT

ALUMINUM WELDING
PREPARATION

1. A clean weld-joint area is a must in obtaining a
quality aluminum weld. Remove dirt and oxidation with a stainless steel bristled wire brush and
any oil or grease
num cleaner.

FILLET T-JOINT

DOUBLE STRAP JOINT

with a good chemical

alumi-

2. Aluminum is often anodized to prevent it from
oxidizing. However, and anodized surface will
NOT conduct electricity. Therefore, to weld anodized aluminum, you must sand or grind the
anodized coating from the weld joint area and
from the site where the ground clamp will be
connected.

To determine if the aluminum you intend to weld is
anodized, simply touch the two probes of an electrical continuity test light or ohmmeter to the aluminum in question. The probes should be an inch or
two apart. If there is no indication
of electrical
continuity, the aluminum IS anodized.

WELDER

GROUND

Attach the ground clamp to the work piece making
sure that the work piece is cleaned of dirt, oil, rust,
scale, oxidation, and paint at the point of connection.

It is best to connect the ground clamp directly to the
work piece and as close to the weld as possible. If
it is impractical to connect the ground clamp directly to the work piece, connect it to metal that is
securely attached to the work piece, but not electricallyinsulated from it. Also, make sure this other
metal is of about the same or greater thickness
than that of the work piece.
RISK OF ELECTRONIC
COMPONENT
DAMAGE!
If the ground clamp is being connected to
an automobile or other equipment with on-board
computer systems, solid state electronic controls,
solid state sound systems, etc., DO NOT WELD
until disconnecting the cable from the battery that
is attached to chassis ground.
Failure to do so
may result in ELECTRONIC
COMPONENT
DAMAGE!

OPERATION

Page 19

OPERATION
GETTING

TO KNOW YOUR NEW
WELDER

Whether you have welded before or not, it is important that you become familiar with your new
welder, its controls, and the results achieved at
different settings. We strongly recommend that
you practice with your new welder on scrap metal
trying different heat settings, base metal thicknesses, and welding positions for each type and
size of wire that you will be using. By doing this
you will gain a feel for how changes in these
welding variables affect the weld.
Of course, if you have not MIG welded before, you
will need to develop welding skills and techniques
as well. The self-taught welder learns through a
process of trial and error. The best way to teach
yourself how to weld is with short periods of practice at regular intervals.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WELD on any valuable
equipment until you have made practice welds on
scrap metal that can be discarded.
The scrap
metal should be of the same type and thickness as
that of the item to be welded. Only after you are
satisfied that your practice welds are of good
strength and appearance, should you attempt your
actual welding job.

SETTING

THE CONTROLS

"TUNING

2. The WIRE SPEED CONTROL
is variable from
SLOW to FAST. To achieve successful welding
results, it is important that the wire be fed at the
same rate it is being melted off into the weld
puddle; if too fast the wire will tend to push the
gun away from the work piece and if too slow,
the wire will bum back into, and may damage
the contact tip.
In either case, an extremely
poor weld will result.

WIRE

SPEED

is one of the

a. Set up and ground a scrap piece of the same
type of metal that you will be welding,
it
should be equal to or greater than the thickness of the actual work piece and free of
paint, oil, rust, etc.
b. Select a heat setting.
c. Hold the gun in one hand atlowing the nozzle
to rest on the edge of the work piece farthest
away from you and at an angle similar to that
which will be used when actually welding.

d. With your free hand, turn the WIRE SPEED
control to maximum and continue to hold
onto the knob.
ARC

RAYS

CAN

INJURE

EYES

AND

BURN

SKINI To reduce risk of injury from arc rays, never
strike a welding arc until you and all bystanders in
the welding area have welding helmets or shields
in place and are wearing the recommended protective clothing. DO NOT CONTINUE
unless you
have read, understand, and intend to follow the
entire SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
section of this
manual.
e,

1. The POWER SWITCH has three settings: LOW,
OFF, and HIGH.
When in the OFF position,
power is disconnected from all welder functions.
The LOW position is selected for welding steel
thicknesses of 16 gauge or thinner. The HIGH
position is selected for steel thicker than 16
gauge. The variables that affect the heat selector setting are wire type and size, base metal
type and thickness, and desired penetration.

IN" THE

most important parts of MIG welder operation and
must be done before starting each welding job or
whenever
any of the following
variables
are
changed: heat setting, wire diameter, or wire type.

Lower your welding helmet and pull the trigger on the gun to start an arc, then begin to
drag the gun toward you while turning down
on the WIRE SPEED control knob at the
same time.
LISTEN!
As you decrease the wire speed,
the sound that the arc makes will change
from a sputtering to a smooth, high-pitched
buzzing sound and then will begin sputtering
again if you decrease the wire speed too far.

Selecting the best wire speed setting is much the
same as "tuning in" a radio: continue decreasing
the wire speed until the arc noise passes the bestsounding, high-pitched buzz and begins to sputter
again, then turn the WIRE SPEED control the
opposite direction until you come back to the best
sounding arc noise. The welder is now "tuned in"
and welding can begin.

OPERATION

Page 20

REPEAT THIS TUNE-IN PROCEDURE
if you select a new heat setting, a different diameter _vire,
or a different type wire.

2. Angle "B" can be varied for two reasons: to
improve the ability to see the arc in relation to
the weld puddle and to directthe force of the arc.

NOTE: When "tuning-in" the wire speed for selfshielding flux-core wire, you will find a very wide
"best-sounding
range", spanning as much as 60
degrees on the WIRE SPEED contro!. It is important to know that the heat of the arc and penetration into the base metal increases as the wire

The force of the welding arc follows a straight tine
out the end of the no>>te. If angle "B" is changed,
so will the direction of the arc force and the point at
which penetration will be concentrated.

speed is increased within the "best-sounding
range" for a given heat setting.

Therefore, you can use the wire speed control to
slightlyincrease or decrease heat and penetration
for a given heat setting by selecting higher or lower
wire speed settings WITHIN the _est-sounding
range".

On a butt weld joint, the only reason to vary angle
"B" from being perpendicular (straight up) to the
work piece would be to improve visibility of the
weld puddle. In this case, angle "13' can be varied
anywhere from zero to 45 degrees with 30 degrees
working about the best.

°,,,,_P II

,_ _v,'*"

HOLDING

THE GUN

The best way to hold the welding gun is the way
that feels most comfortable to you. While practicing to use your new welder, experiment holding the
gun in different positions untilyou find the one that
seems to work best for you.
Position

•

!
I
!
t
!
!
!

of the Gun to the Work Piece
Angle A

There are two angles of the gun nozzle in relation
to the work piece that must be considered when
welding.
1. Angle "A" can be varied, but in most cases the
optimum angle will be 60 degrees; the point at
which the gun handle is parallel to the work
piece. If angle "A" is increased, penetration will
increase. If it is decreased, so will penetration.

On a fillet weld joint the nozzle is generally positioned in such a manner so as to "split" the angle
between the horizontal and vertical members of
the weld joint. In most cases, a fillet weld joint is a
90 degree angle so angle "13"will most often be 45
degrees.

45"..---_
.

%
%

8oii
==lllliHi

..................

==lHi

, lllllll

Angle B
i

OPERATION

Distance from the Work Piece
The end of the welding gun is designed with the
contact tip recessed from the end of the nozzle and
the nozzle electrically insulated from the rest of the
gun. This permits the operator to actually rest the
nozzle on and drag it along the work piece while
welding.
This can be very helpful to beginning
welders to steady the gun, allowing the welder to
concentrate on welding technique.
If the nozzle is
held off the work piece, the distance between the
nozzle and the work piece should be kept constant
and should not exceed 1/4" or the arc may begin
sputtering,
signaling a toss in welding performance.

LAYING A BEAD
ARC

RAYS

CAN

INJURE

EYES

AND

BURN

SKIN!
To reduce the risk of injury from arc rays,
never start a welding arc until you and all bystanders in the welding area have welding helmets or
shields in place and are wearing the recommended protective clothing. DO NOT CONTINUE
unless you have read, understand, and intend to
follow the entire SAFETY iNSTRUCTIONS
section of this manual.
IMPORTANT!
The wire in this welder is always
electrically energized whenever the switch is not in
the OFF position, and will arc whenever brought
into contact with any electrically conductive materials that the ground clamp of the welder is connected to or in contact with.

Once you have the gun in position with the wire
lined up on the weld joint, lower your helmet, pull
the trigger and the arc will start. In a second or
two, you will notice a weld puddle form and the
base of a bead beginning to build. It is now time to
begin to travel with the gun. If you are just learning
to weld, travel by simply dragging the gun in a
straight line and at a steady speed along the weld
joint. Try to achieve a weld with the desired penetration and a bead that is faidy fiat and consistant
inwidth.

CLEANING

THE WELD BEAD

When using solid wire and shielding gas, cleaning
of the weld bead is not normally necessary.
However, when welding with self-shielding
flux-core
wire, slag is deposited on the top of the weld bead.
This slag consists of the flux from the welding wire
as well as any impurities
the flux was able to
remove from the molten weld puddle.
This slag must be cleaned from the weld bead both
for cosmetic reasons and to visually inspect the
finished weld bead.
Cleaning the weld bead is
done best with a chipping hammer followed by a
wire brush.
Slag must also be cleaned from a weld bead that
was stopped in the middle and now will be restarted from the point at which it was stopped. A poor
weld will result when a weld bead is started or laid
on a weld bead that has not been cleaned
CHIPPING

Therefore,
it is best to clip the wire back to the
contact tip so that you don't create an arc when
lining up on the seam to be welded.

Page 21

AND BRUSHING

of slag.

SLAG CAN INJURE

EYES! To reduce the risk of eye injury from flying
slag, always have eye protection such as goggles,
in place prior to chipping slag.

WELDING TECHNIQUES

Page 22

WELDING TECHNIQUES
As you become more familiar with your new welder
and better at laying some simple weld beads, you
can begin to try some different welding techniques
to improve and add versatility to your welding
skills.

TRAVELING

WITH THE GUN

Gun travel refers to the movement of the gun along
the weld joint and is broken into two elements:
Direction and Speed. A solid weld bead requires
that the welding gun be moved steadily and at the
right speed along the weld joint. Moving the gun
too fast, too slow, or irratically will prevent proper
fusion or create a lumpy, uneven bead.
1. TRAVEL
DIRECTION is the direction
the gun is moved
along the weld joint in
relation to the weld
puddle.
The gun is
either PUSHED
into
the weld puddle or
PULLED
away from
the weld puddle.

TRAVEL SPEED is the rate at which the gun is
being "pushed" or "pulled" along the weld joint.
For a fixed heat setting, the faster the travel
speed, the lower the penetration and the lower
and narrower the finished weld bead. Likewise,
the slower the travel speed, the deeper the
penetration and the higher and wider the finished weld bead.

TYPES OF WELD BEADS

1. The STRINGER
BEAD is formed by traveling
with the gun in a straight line while keeping the
wire and nozzle centered over the weld joint.
This is the easiest type of bead to make and is
the type you have been using up to this point.

PULLING

PUSHING

For most welding jobs you will "pull" the gun
along the weld joint to take advantage of the
greater weld puddle visability.
However, there
are a few applications where "pushing" the gun
may provide some advantages:

VERTICAL WELDING can be done by starting at
the top of a weld joint and "pulling" the gun down
toward the bottom.
However, in the event that
puddle control becomes difficult (such as the puddle wanting to "run" downward), starting a vertical
weld at the bottom of a weld joint and "pushing" the
gun up toward the top will help to overcome this
problem.

ALUMINUM
WELDING
can be done using either
direction of gun travel, but "pushing" will leave a
weld that is cleaner in appearance. "Pulling" the
gun will leave a sooty weld since the finished weld
is always being blasted by the arc and the impurities coming out of the weld puddle. This problem
affects the weld appearance only and the weld can
be cleaned up with a stainless steel bristled wire
brush.

2. The WEAVE BEAD is used when you want to
deposit metal over a wider space than would be
possible with a stringer bead.' It is made by
weaving from side to side while traveling with
the gun. It is best to hesitate momentarily at
each side before weaving back the other way.

WELDING TECHNIQUES

WELDING POSITIONS

There are four basic welding positions: fiat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead.

1. The FLAT POSITION

is the easiest of the weld-

ing positions and is probably the one you have
been using thus far. It is best if you can weld in
the fiat position if at all possible as good results
are easier to achieve.

2. The HORIZONTAL

PosmoN

is next in diffi-

culty level. It is performed very much the same
as the flat weld except that angle "B" (see POSITION OF THE GUN TO THE WORK PIECE
above) is such that the wire, and therefore the
arc force, is directed more toward the metal
above the weld joint. This is to help prevent the
weld puddle from "running" downward while still
allowing slow enough travel speed to achieve
good penetration.
A good starting point for angle "B" is about 30 degrees DOWN from being
perpendicular
to the work piece.

Page 23

The VERTICAL
POSITION
is the next most
difficult position. "Pulling" the gun from top to
bottom may be easier for many people, but in
some instances it can be difficult to prevent the
puddle from "running" downward. "Pushing" the
gun from bottom to top may provide better puddle control and allow slower rates of travel
speed to achieve deeper penetration.
When
vertical welding, angle"B" (see POSITION OF
GUN TO THE WORK PIECE above) is usually
always kept at zero, but angle "A" wil! generally
range from 45 to 60 degrees to provide better
puddle control.

The OVERHEAD

POSITION

is the most difficult

welding position because gravity is pulling at the
weld puddle trying to make it drip off the work
piece. Angle =A" (see POSITION OF THE GUN
TO THE WORK PIECE above) should be maintained at 60 degrees, the same as in the flat
position. Maintaining this angle will reduce the
chances of molten metal falling into the nozzle
should it drip from the weld puddle. Angle "B"
should be held at zero degrees so that the wire
is aiming directly into the weld joint. If you experience excessive dripping of the weld puddle,
select a lower heat setting. Also, the weave
bead tends to work better than the stringer bead
when welding overhead.

WELDING TECHNIQUES

MULTIPLE

Page 24

PASS WELDING
,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,

1. Butt Weld Joints

In PREPARING THE WORK PIECE, we discussed
the need for edge preparation on thicker materials
by grinding a bevel on the edge of one or both
pieces of the metal being joined.
When this is
done, a '_/" is created, between the two pieces of
metal, that will have to be welded closed. In most
cases more than one "pass" or bead will need to
be layed into the joint to close the "V". Laying more
than one bead into the same weld joint is known as
a "multiple-pass"
weld.

First or Root Pass

Second

Pass

The illustrations, on this page, show the sequence
for laying multiple pass beads into a single 'V' butt
joint.

NOTE:

WHEN

USING

SELF-SHIELDING

FLUX-

CORE WIRE it is very important to thoroughly chip
and brush the slag off each completed weld bead
before making another pass or the next pass will
be of poor quality.

Third Pass

2. Fillet Weld Joints

Most fillet weld joints, on metals of moderate to
heavy thickness, will require multiple pass welds to
produce a strong joint.
The illustrations
below
show the sequence of laying multiple pass beads
into a "T" fillet joint and a lap fillet joint.

Finished Weld

I
III

ill

iii

T-Joint in three Passes

iiii

i1_

iiii ii i
i

iiiii

Lap-Joint welded
in three Passes

SPECIAL WELDING METHODS

Page 25

SPECIAL WELDING METHODS
SPOT WELDING

and the arc is directed through this hole to penetrate into the bottom piece. The puddle is allowed to fill up the hole leaving a spot weld that
is smooth and flush with the surface of the top
piece.

Select the wire diameter, heat setting, and =tunein" the wire speed as if you were welding the same
thickness material with a continuous bead.
BURN THROUGH

PUNCH AND FILL

3. The LAP SPOT METHOD directs the welding
arc to penetrate the bottom and top pieces, at
the same time, right along each side of the lap
joint seam.
LAP SPOT

The purpose of a spot weld is to join pieces of
metal together with a "spot" of weld instead of a
continuous weld bead. There are three methods
of spot welding: Bum-Through,
Punch and Fill, and
Lap. Each has advantages
and disadvantages
depending on the specific application
as well as
personal preferance.
1. The BURN-THROUGH
METHOD
welds two
overlapped pieces of metal together by burning
through the top piece and into the bottom piece.
With the burn-through
method, larger wire diameters tend to work better than smaller diameters
because they have greater current carrying capacities allowing the arc to burn through very
quickly while leaving a minimal amount of filler
metal build up..030"
diameter solid wire or .035"
self-shielding flux-core wire tend to work the best.
.024" diameter solid and .030" self-shielding fluxcore wires should not be used with the bumthrough method unless the metal is VERY thin or
excessive filler metal build-up and minimal penetration is acceptable.
Always select the HIGH heat setting with the burnthrough method and "tune-in" the wire speed prior
to making a spot weld.
2. The PUNCH AND FILL METHOD
produces a
weld with the most "finished" appearance of the
three spot weld methods, tn this method, a hole
is punched or drilled into the top piece of metal

Select the wire diameter, heat setting, and =tunein" the wire speed as if you were welding the same
thickness material with a continuous bead.

SPOT WELDING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Select the wire diameter and heat setting recommended above for the method of spot welding you intend to use.

2. Tune in the wire speed as if you were going to
make a continuous weld.

3. Hold the nozzle piece completely perpendicular
to and about 1/4" off the work piece,

4. Pull the trigger on the gun and release it when it
appears that the desired penetration
has been
achieved.

5. Make practice spot welds on scrap metal, varying the length of time you hold the trigger, until a
desired spot weld is made.

6. Make spot welds on the actual work piece at
desired locations.

MAINTENANCE

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

MAINTENANCE
GENERAL

Page 26

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

MAINTENANCE

b. Remove wire from gun assembly
assembly from welder.

This welder has been engineered to give many
years of trouble-free
service providing that a few
very simple steps are taken to properly maintain it.
1. Keep the wire drive compartment lid closed at all
times unless the wire needs to be changed or
the drive tension needs adjusting.

and gun

c. Remove nozzle and contact tip from gun
d. Loosen set screw holding liner collet in place
at rear of gun.
e. Lay gun assembly out in a straight line.

2. Keep all consumables
(contact tips, nozzles,
and gun liner) clean and replace when necessary.
See CONSUMABLE
MAINTENANCE
AND TROUBLESHOOTING
later in this section
for detailed information.

3. Replace powercord, ground cable, ground
clamp, or gun assembly when damaged or
worn.
4. Periodically
clean dust, dirt, grease, etc. from
your welder. Every six months or as necessary,
remove the side panels from the welder and
air-blow any dust and dirt that may have accumulated inside the welder.

Holding rear of gun assembly, grasp liner
collet and pull liner out of gun assembly.

g°

ELECTRIC

SHOCK

CAN KILL? To reduce risk of

electric shock, always unplug the welder from its
AC power source before removing side panels.

CONSUMABLE
MAINTENANCE
AND TROUBLESHOOTING
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT
TO MAINTAIN
CONSUMABLES
TO AVOID THE NEED
PREMATURE
REPLACEMENT
OF THE
ASSEMBLY.

THE
FOR
GUN

1. The GUN LINER is intended to provide an unrestricted path for the welding wire to flow through
the gun assembly. Over time it will accumulate
dust, dirt, and other debds.
Replacement
is
necessary when these accumulations
begin to
restrict the free flow of wire through the gun
assembly.
TO REPLACE

A GUN LINER:

When removing or installing a gun liner, care must
be taken not to kink or otherwise damage it or
replacement will be necessary.
a. Turn POWER

SWITCH

to the OFF position.

Insert new liner into gun assembly and push
all the way through being careful not to kink
the liner. The excess liner wilt protrude from
the end of the gun.
With the gun assembly
lying in a straight
line, mark the liner at the end of the gun's
gas diffuser.
Hold the gun handle firmly in place, then
gently pull outward on the excess liner so
that the mark you made is about 118" out
past the end of the gas diffuser.
Using a wire cutter, cut the liner at the end of
the gas diffuser so that the liner ends up
recessed into the gas diffuser about 1/8", then
use a file to remove any burrs on the liner
where the cut was made.

k. Tighten the set screw, but DO NOT OVER
TIGHTEN or damage to the collet may result.
1. Reinstall gun assembly into welder (see INSTALL WELDING
GUN ASSEMBLY
in the
ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION
section).

MAINTENANCE

2. The CONTACT TIP's purpose is to transfer
welding current to the welding wire while allowing the wire to pass through it smoothly.
a. Always use a contact tip stamped with the
same diameter as the wire it will be used
with.
b_

If the wire burns back into the tip, remove the
tip from the gun and clean the hole running
through itwith an oxygen-acetylene torch tip
cleaner. This is especially important to do
after an aluminum wire burn-back.
Over time, the hole in the contact tip will
become worn by the wire passing through it.
The more worn this hole becomes, the less
efficient is the transfer of welding current to
the wire and eventually arc breakage and
difficult arc starting will result. Replace contact tips when signs of wear become apparent.

3. The NOZZLE prevents the electrically"hot" contact tip from contacting the work piece.
KEEP THE NOZZLE CLEAN! During the welding
process, spatter and slag will build up inside the
nozzle and must be cleaned out periodically.

a. Always coat the inside of a new or freshly
cleaned nozzle with anti-stick spray or gel.
b. Stop welding and clean any accumulated
slag or spatter from the nozzle every 5 to 10
minutes of welding time.
C*

Page 27

TESTING FOR A SHORTED NOZZLE
Arcing between the nozzle and the work piece
ALWAYS means the nozzle is shorted, but this can
be hard to detect through the lens of a welding
helmet.
The following testing method is another
way to tell if a nozzle is shorted.

With the welder unplugged from the AC power
source, touch the probes of an ohmmeter or continuity tester to the end of the contact tip and the
outside of the nozzle. If there is any continuity at
all, the nozzle IS shorted. Clean or replace as
needed.

TROUBLESHOOTING
The following
TROUBLESHOOTING
section is
provided as a guide to help resolve some of the
more common problems that could be encountered. Should you or qualified repair personnel be
unable to resolve a problem or determine which of
the possible solutions will remedy a specific problem, contact MIG WELDER
SERVICE for overthe-phone
diagnostic
assistance
at:
(800)-328-2921.
In Minnesota call: (612) 8843211.
BEFORE

CALLING

MIG

WELDER

SERVICE,

have the welder unplugged from the AC power
source, the side panels removed, and the telephone as near to the welder as possible.

When welding overhead, if any molten metal
drips from the weld puddle and falls into the
nozzle, STOP WELDING
IMMEDIATELY
and clean the nozzle.

d. If the slag cannot be thoroughly cleaned
from the nozzle, REPLACE THE NOZZLE!

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

ELECTRIC

_ARC

RAYS

SHOCK

CAN

CAN KILL!

INJURE

EYES AND

BURN SKIN!

Failure to keep the nozzle adequately cleaned can
result in a SHORTED NOZZLE which results when
spatter build-up bridges the insulation in the nozzle
allowing welding current to flow through it as well
as the contact tip. When shorted, a nozzle will
steal welding current from the wire whenever
it
contacts the grounded work piece. This causes
erratic welds and reduced penetration.
In addition,
a shorted nozzle overheats
the end of the gun
which can DAMAGE the gas diffuser and/or conductor tube.

DEATH,

FIRE OR EXPLOSION
CAN CAUSE
INJURY, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE!

CAUSE

FUMES, GASSES, AND VAPORS CAN
DISCOMFORT,
ILLNESS, AND DEATH!

MAINTENANCE

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Page 28

IMPROPER
HANDLING
AND MAINTENANCE OF COMPRESSED
GAS CYLINDERS
AND REGULATORS
CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR DEATH!
DO NOT ATTEMPT

TO TROUBLESHOOT

THIS

WELDER unless you have read, understand, and
intend to follow all five parts of the SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
section of this welder.

In the following
TROUBLESHOOTING
table, a
POSSIBLE CAUSE, listed for certain problems, is
INSUFFICIENT
SHIELDING
GAS COVERAGE.
This "cause" itself can be the result of many different causes.
Below, and preceeding the TROUBLESHOOTING
table, is a table listing the causes
and solutions for insufficient shielding gas coverage. All of these causes have one or more of the
following symptoms: a weed that is dirty, porous,
brittle, and/or non-penetrating.

DISCONNECT
THE WELDER
FROM THE AC
POWER SOURCE BEFORE A'I'rEMPTING
ANY
INSPECTION
OR WORK ON THE INSIDE OF
THE WELDER.

BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING
SYMPTOM

DIRTY, POROUS,
WELD

BRITTLE

POSSIBLE CAUSE

Gas cylinder

valve turned off

Gas cylinder empty or near
empty

Loose gas supply-line fittings

Gas supply

hose leaking

Plugged welding nozzle
or gas diffuser

Frozen regulator/flowmeter

Broken or defective
regulator/flowmeter

Wrong polarity

GUIDE
REMEDY

Open gas valve

Replace

gas cylinder

Tighten fitting

Replace

hose

Clean or replace nozzle or
clean gas diffuser

Thaw regulator/flowmeter
and
change gas from CO2 to a mix
(see selecting shielding gas)

Have repaired

Change

or replace

polarity

MAINTENANCE

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Page 29

DIRTY, POROUS, BRITTLE
WELD

WIRE FEED AND GAS
WORKS, BUT NO ARC

GAS AND ARC WORK BUT
NOT WIRE FEED

WIRE FEED AND ARC
BUT NO GAS

NOTHING WORKS
FAN IS ON

BUT

Gas flow rate too low

Increase flow rate from
regutator/flowmeter

Wind or draft blowing gas
away from weld puddle

Try Increasing flow rate or set
up wind break

Wrong type of gas

See select shielding gas

Bad ground or
loose connection

Check ground or tighten all
connections

Bad connection to gun
or faulty gun

Check connection to gun or
replace gun

Faulty wire speed circuit
board/potentiometer

Replace wire speed circuit
board/potentiometer

No tension on driver roller

Adjust drive tension

Faulty drive motor
(extremely rare)

Replace drive motor

Faulty solenoid

switch

Replace solenoid switch

Faulty regulator/fiowmeter

Have repaired or replace
regulator/flowmeter

Gas bottle empty

Replace gas bottle

Clogged nozzle or gas diffuser

Clean or replace as needed

Faulty trigger on gun

Replace

trigger

MAINTENANCE

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Page 30
i

NOTHING WORKS
FAN IS ON

BUT

Exceeded duty cycle; thermal
protector opened circuit

Faulty rectifier

Faulty transformer
(extremely rare)

LOW OUTPUT
NON-PENETRATING

OR
WELD

Replace

rectifier

Replace transformer

Blow inside of machine out
with compressed
air clean and
tighten all connections

Too long or improper
extension cord

See manual under
extension cord use

Wrong type or size of wire

Check manual for proper
wire size or type

Poor ground connection

Allow welder to cool at least 10
minutes with fan running
(observe duty cycle)

Loose connection inside
the machine

Wrong type of gas or no gas

WtRE "BIRDNESTING"
DRIVE ROLLER

ii ir

Check manual

and change

gas

Reposition clamp and check
cable to clamp connection

Wrong polarity

Change

Wrong size contact tip

Use proper

polarity

size tip

Loose gun connection
or faulty gun assembly

Tighten gun connection
or replace gun

Too much tension
on drive roller

Adjust drive tension
(see manual)

Gun assembly not completely
seated into drive assembly

See gun assembly
instruction in manual

MAINTENANCE
.....

WIRE "BIRDNESTING"
DRIVE ROLLER

i lllllll

Liner stretched

or too long

Using aluminum wire with a
steel liner

Using aluminum wire with a
steel drive roller

or too long

GAS FLOW

Replace

liner

contact tip

Trim liner to proper length

Replace

liner with teflon liner
(Part # 4325)

Replace drive roller with a
rubber drive roller (Part # 4324)

Replace liner

Trim liner to proper length

Wrong size contact tip

Use correct size contact tip

Contact tip clogged
or damaged

Replace contact tip

Using aluminum wire with a
steel liner

CONSTANT

Replace

Gun liner worn or damaged

Liner stretched

Page 31

iii .......

Gun liner worn or damaged

Contact tip is clogged
or damaged

WIRE BURNS BACK TO
CONTACT TIP

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Replace

liner with teflon liner
(Part # 4325)

Using aluminum wire with a
steel drive roller

Replace ddve roller with a
rubber drive roller (Part # 4324)

Problems feeding
aluminum wire

See installing aluminum wire
in manual

Faulty solenoid or
debris in solenoid

Replace

solenoid

MAINTENANCE

AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Page 32
=

FAN MOTOR

DOES NOT RUN

Loose connection or
faulty motor

GROUND CLAMP AND/OR
CABLE GETS HOT

Bad connection from
cable to clamp

GUN NOZZLE ARCS TO
WORK SURFACE

Slag buildup inside nozzle
or nozzle shorted

= = =llll,

Check connections and
replace fan motor if needed

Tighten connection
replace cable

Clean nozzle or replace nozzle

REPLACEMENT

PARTS LIST Page 33

PARTS LIST
ii i iin

ITEM

DESCR|!_TION

PART No.

ITEM

DESCRIPTION

PART No.

Rectifier

860-905-666

Faceplate

410-694-020

Fan Motor Kit

216-087-666

Wire Speed Control

880-094-666

Fan Blade

316-009-666

Knob

246-041-666

Power Switch

246-177-6_

4
5
6
7
8
..........
9
10

Sjoindle

312-076-666

Spindle Adaptor

312-077-666

Steel Uner,
Teflon Uner

248-197-666

Gun Wiring

253-018-666

Complete

246-212-666

TriQaer Assembly

334-221-000

253-038-000

Handle Cap
Conductor Tube Insulation

334-219-000

Power Cord w/Strain Relief
Fitting
Solenoid
Fitting
Drive

_,
......

Roller ,Q24/03,0/.035

4323

Harness
Gun Assembly

860-744-000
238-224-100

334-269-000

11
12

Tension Arm
Inlet Guide Tube

880-089-666
239-123-666

.024 Contact liDS (Bag of 6)

4309

Drive

312-103-666

4328
4329

Drive Motor

216-089-666

Steel Nozzle(Tapered),
Spot Nozzle (.Notched.)
Base

Base

433t
4325

334-228-000

i Gas Diffuser

410-643-010

15
16

Mig Gun Connector
Knob

412-465-666

35
36

Ground Cable Less Clamp
Transformer

238-216-666

246-326-000

Mig Connector

412-464-666

Reactor Coil

880-010-888

Handle

880-012-010

(Not Shown)

Left Side Panel

410-557-030

Hood Hinge

412-278-010

(Not Shown)

Hood

410-575-010

Right Side & Cover

410-568-030

(Not Shown)

Regulator

Jumper

880-011-888

332-226-000

WARRANTY

Page 34

WARRANTY

FULL 1-YEAR WARRANTY
If, within 1-year from the date of purchase, this Welder fails due to a defect in material or workmanship, simply return it to the nearest Sears store throughout the United States, and Sears wilt
repair or replace it, free of charge.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from
state to state.
Sears, Roebuck

and Co., Dept. 817WA

SERVICING

The Model Number

SHOULD

Hoffman Estates, IL 60179.

BE PERFORMED

will be found on the welder

nameplate.
Always mention the Model Number
when requesting service or repair parts for your
Sears Welder.
All parts listed herein may be ordered from any
Sears Service Center and most Sears stores.
WHEN ORDERING REPAIR PARTS, ALWAYS
GIVE THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION:

BY QUALIFIED

1.
2.
3.
4.

SERVICE

PERSONNEL

PART NUMBER
PART DESCRIPTION
MODEL NUMBER
NAME OF ITEM

If the parts you need are not stocked locally, your
order will be electronically transmitted to a Sears
Repair Parts Distribution Center for expedited
handling.

SEARS ROEBUCK AND CO., Chicago, IL. 60684 U.S.A.
FORM NO.

811-449-000

PRINTED

IN USA

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Craftsman 93420105 User Manual WELDER Manuals And Guides L0803454

CRAFTSMAN Welder Manual L0803454 CRAFTSMAN Welder Owner's Manual, CRAFTSMAN Welder installation guides

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