snap, crackle, pop Question

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arustybolt

snap, crackle, pop Question

Post by arustybolt »

I have a Hobart handler 135 mig running with mixed gas. I'm getting a lot of "POPing" lately as I weld along. I checked the regulator and gas inlet for leaks and haven found any. Is this air getting into the system or something else?
I'm using .024 mild steel wire on mild steel.
farmallfan

Re: snap, crackle, pop Question

Post by farmallfan »

I'm not an expert like a bunch of the other guys here, but here's my two cent's worth:

Whenever I've run into snap-crackle-pop problems, it's come down to one of four problems, in order of likelihood.

1. Bad grounding.
2. I forgot to turn the gas on. (yep, and it's happened more than once! Must be a sign of aging or something.)
3. I was using a magnetic fixture holder and the magnetic field was making a mess of things.
4. My nozzle was filling up with spatter and I wasn't getting smooth gas flow.

Good luck,

- David
Jacin
Posts: 1046
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2002 12:14 am
Location: Near Cleveland, Ohio

Re: snap, crackle, pop Question

Post by Jacin »

I also vote for lack of shielding gas.

In addition to the obvious things (leaking hose, dirty/obstructed torch nozzle, bad contact tip) I would also wonder how much gas pressure you have in your bottle. I have noticed that when operating at lower bottle pressures that the regulator setting is misleading - some settings that work fine when the bottle is full don't work for crap when the bottle is near empty - even though the output pressure READS the same.

The "magnet comment" is pretty mild - at least compared to how I've encountered it. I believe the official term is ARC BLOW - man when you encounter it - you're gonna remember it - my experience with it wasn't similar to the description here - Instead I would describe it was DRAMATIC if not VILOENT arc wander - but I suppose there are different magnitudes.

I have also had my drive rolls slip - makes for some interesting resutls as well.

You could also try rolling your bottle around to "remix" it- I've never pesonally had to do this, but some guys here swear it can make the difference.
I have had hoses leak at the welder connection - very annoying to say the least, as it took me a bit to find.

Good Luck
arustybolt

Re: snap, crackle, pop Question

Post by arustybolt »

Thanks for the replies. I found out the wire feed was turned down real low. Why this would cause poping I don't know, but increasing the feed caused the problem to go away. I also hace a clean nozzle, no leaks, and a well mixed tank.
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