Welding Tips and Tricks

Note-I started a similar thread at WW.

So, I have the little Lincoln 210 mp.

It has an inductance and run-in settings.

I have used this to machine to fix a lot of things on our plows and trucks. For the worry worts be sure that nothing I do will effect anyones safety...no trailer hitch balls or any thing like that.

We are nearing the end of the boating season and its time to weld all the fenders and light brackets that the boat yard monkeys knocked off over the summer. I am happy that none of my previous fixes broke, although some did get bent some (thats just gonna happen when you back a trsailer into a tree!). I have no doubt that I will get it done soundly and securely.

However, while I was practicing for this week I found these inductance and run-in settings. I messed around with it some and couldn't really come up with much of a difference that I could quantify. I could tell something was different but I cant put my finger on it. I decided that for the typical stuff we use this machine for factory norms work fine.

Does any one have a quick explanation that would make sense?

I sure appreciate any comments and insight. (While I can't give back to the forum with any weld related responses I would be more than happy to talk someone through their outboard or inboard boat issue)

I look at the inductance setting for mig as a fine tune for the amperage on the V/A curve. So for a given voltge, it can run slightly different current, up or down. It has been said that stainless runs better with higher inductance, so on a machine with no adjustment the solution is to run the wire feed speed slightly higher. On a machine with an inductance adjustment, you can just turn it up (within limits) to where you like it.

Run in is typically a percentage of the set wire feed speed. On cobramatics (push/pull systems) for aluminum, it will give you a nice crisp start, then when the arc is established it ramps up to 100%, the full set wire feed speed.

I used some .023 70s wire to weld on and patch up some cracks on an old snow blower. Where it was real thin I found I was able to tweak the inductance to find a happy setting that gave me just a little less spatter as well as gave me a better looking toe on the bead.

Well Jody did a bit about inductance on a MIG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS136Y-yvJ8

Don't know if you already looked at that?

Bye, Arno.

Poland308 wrote: ... less spatter as well as ... the better-looking toe on the bead....

Josh, you hit the nail on the head.

Inductance controls the wetting action of the bead which makes for the better-looking toe, and it can make the arc spatter real aggressively or smoothly, kinda like the difference between a 6010 and a 7018, hence more or less spatter. I don't know if you've done much stick welding, but inductance is for mig kinda like what arc control is for stick.

I always tell my students that run in time is like doing a burn out before a heads up race. The driver wants the tires to stick so there's no lag that way they can be fast instantly off the line. Run in is similar. It controls the arc start so it occurs smoothly without lag. You ever go to mig weld and when you press the trigger it spits and spats and throws wire everywhere before it finally stabilizes and starts welding smoothly? That's because the wire is coming out faster than the voltage can melt it initially. Run in time slows the wire feed speed down for the first second or two, that way it touches the base metal softly to allow the voltage to run through it more smoothly. So instead of "spit, spat, spit, spat, buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" there's just "buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz". Hope this helps

Something to be aware of:

Inductance is backwards on some machines.

I had a machine where the inductance increase on the dial was opposite my other machine.

Ran one machine on 3 and the other at 7 for the same wire feeder.

Noticed it while dialing in a weld - looked up the manuals and found they were reversed.

Good info, thanks Dave..