Wire feeding issues in Hobart mig welder

[bnew17]

I am a rookie welder and have pretty much taught myself how to weld by alot of practicing. Im towards the end of my first smoker build. I have a 220v Hobart Handler 180 mig welder. Rught now i am running .035 flux core out of it with .035 Hobart tips. I clean my steel as good as i can with a wire cup brush and grinder. A lot of the times when i am in the middle of a weld the wire will quit feeding through the tip. The rollers and all in the machine are turning when i hit the trigger but the wire doesnt feed. I do get a good bit of splatter on my tip which i clean off before every bead i put down. Usually i can unscrew the tip and clean it and it will work for a little while , the rest of the day , or until i try to lay another bead. I bought the welder reconditioned. It hadnot been used since getting by from the factory and i have only run 2 spools of 5lb flux core through it. I have read where people use a bigger tip than their wire so the wire feeds through easier....should i do that ? Because i am kinda think the problem is the tip getting gunked up.

[Blazer]

bnew17, I've used .045 tips with .035 wire but it was when running at high amps, give one a try. Make sure that where you have your ground clamp is good and clean. Also keep your gun lead fairly straight from your machine to where you are welding, loop's can cause problems. Don't run to much tension on the nut on the center of your wire spool also enuf tension on the drive wheel's which should be stamped .035. Might try a little nozzle dip also.

[Travis_Creek]

A couple of things. May just need a new tip or the liner could be damaged. You may also just need to tighten your drive wheels. Try leaving a little more space between your tip and the welding surface. Honestly, Flux Core Mig wire is not the easiest to weld with...
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[bnew17]

[bnew17]

[Travis_Creek]

Too far away, should have around 1/4" to 1/2" between nozzle and welding surface. The nozzle should be leaning slightly, as to push the weld puddle. Try work the nozzle in small circles or right to left slightly. Lots of practice.
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[aufgehdraht]

Try getting a bottle of mixed gas and running dual shield. Puts out a really pretty weld also rurn your wire down just a hair andd your splatter should go down

[BigWeld56]

bnew17, The problem is you are using smooth drive rolls with flux core wire. I had the same problem with mine, it worked for a little but started having problems for no reason. The problem is the smooth rolls crush the wire to an oval shape. What you need for flux core is a grooved roll, it has little teeth is the best way I can explain it, which will grab the wire and feed it. check out www.cyberweld.com it looks like they sell what you need, and remember you are looking for rolls for your flux core wire.
hope this helps buddy

[bnew17]

[TheMidniteRyder]

As you can tell, I dont get on here much so I though I would update this thread with my findings. Drive rollers were correct, put in a new liner and tip with no change. I buddy of mine who is certified in MIG told me to take the cone off and wrap the end of the gun with electrical or 10mil tape as close as I could get to the tip without melting it all off. That it was arcing in that area and causing the problem. did as he suggested, although I was skeptical and it worked!!!

While I was still cussing at the Hobart, a friend loand me a Millermatic and didn't tell me it had the same problem. wrapped his gun in tape and his works perfect now too. All I can say is.....I dunno.
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