the_oliver•3d agoProlific Poster

Can we talk about how much cleaner a weld looks after you finally get the gas flow right?

I've been fighting with my Miller 252 for months on 3/8 inch plate, getting porosity and spatter every time. Last Tuesday I realized my flow meter was reading 20 cfpm but actually dumping 35 because the regulator was shot. Replaced it with a Victor since my dad's old one was sitting in the barn, and the beads are night and day different. Anyone else ever chase a gas issue for way too long before catching the real problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

williamhenderson3d ago

Did you also check your liner while you were at it? I had a similar issue with a 252 a few years back, chasing a gas problem for weeks before finding the liner was all gunked up and causing the wire to feed uneven. That plus the right gas flow made a huge difference in bead quality. Sometimes it's a combo of small things that screw up the weld, not just one big fix.

fisher.thomas3d ago

Hey @williamhenderson, I gotta push back a little though. A gunked up liner is a maintenance thing, not really a gas problem, and chasing both at once just makes it harder to figure out which fix actually did the trick.

gavin_kim3d ago

Oh come on @fisher.thomas, you're making this sound way too simple. A gunked up liner is exactly a gas problem half the time because that crud builds up from bad gas or low quality wire that leaves residue. I've seen guys swap regulators and tanks twice before finally pulling the liner and finding it was coated in crap from day one. You can't separate those things cleanly like you're saying because the gas flow and the liner condition work together to mess up your arc. If you fix one without the other you'll still chase your tail wondering why the weld looks like trash.