Establishing The Arc And Making Weld Beads; Pre-Weld Procedure; Welding Procedure - Firepower FP-125 Operating Manual

FIREpOwER Fp-125, 135, 165
4.09 Establishing the Arc and Making
Weld Beads
Before attempting to weld on a finished piece of work, it
is recommended that practice welds be made on a sample
metal of the same material as that of the finished piece.
The easiest MIG welding procedure for the beginner to
experiment with, is the flat position. This equipment is
capable of flat, vertical and overhead positions.
For practicing MIG welding, secure some pieces of 16 or
18 gauge (0.06" 1.5mm or 0.08" 2.0mm) mild steel plate
6" x 6" (150 x 150mm). Use 0.024" (0.6mm) wire and
75% Argon / 25% CO2 shielding gas.

4.10 Pre-Weld Procedure

1. Check the OPERATION chapter of this manual for
details on this equipment.
2. Set the welding voltage range switch at position
1 or 2.
3. Set the wire feed speed control to about the 2.5
setting. Readjust as necessary.
4. Adjust the gas flow rate to about 20 cubic feet per
hour (15 - 20 lpm).
5. Review standard safe practice procedures in ven-
tilation, eye and face protection, fire, compressed
gas and preventative maintenance. See Safety
Instructions and Warnings chapter included in
this manual.
Manual 0-5123

4.11 Welding Procedure

1. Maintain the tip to work distance (stickout) at 5/16"
to 3/8" (8 to 9mm) at all times.
2. For transverse and longitudinal nozzle angles, see
section 4.07 Welding Gun Positions.
3. Hold the gun about 3/8" (9mm) from the work,
lower the helmet by shaking your head and
squeeze the trigger to start the wire feeding, and
establish the arc.
Get in the habit of shaking the helmet down, rather than
using the hands. One hand must hold the gun, and the
other is often needed to hold pieces to be tacked or
positioned.
4. Make a single down-hand (pulling) stringer weld
bead.
5. Practice welding beads. Start at one edge and weld
across the plate to the opposite edge.
When the equipment is properly adjusted, a rapidly
cracking or hissing sound of the arc is a good indicator
of correct arc length.
6. Practice stopping in the middle of the plate, restart-
ing into the existing weld crater and continuing
the weld bead across the plate.
When the gun trigger is released after welding, the
electrode forms a ball on the end. To the new operator,
this may present a problem in obtaining the penetration
needed at the start of the next weld. This can be corrected
by cutting the ball off with wire cutters.
4-8
OpERATION
NOTE
NOTE
NOTE
Operation