What size wire, What size liner. Velocity tips?

 

Polarity?

 

It’s a Rebel 215. Smart MiG setting. All factory parts. 0.30 wire. As previously stated, it was running fine and suddenly it started acting up.

 

looks like a gas problem to me. Check to make sure your bottle isn't running low, and check all your fittings to be sure it isn't drawing in air where the gun plugs in.

 

Exactly what do you mean by "when I started an arc I got a flame instead." and by titling the thread "burnback"? Does it act as if the wire feed stopped but the current/arc continued, burning back to the tip and melting it? How does it act if triggered but not near the work? Are you sure the wire didn't stick and slip; stop feeding? Does it keep doing it always, now? Yes, is the current gas flow OK and which gas?

If you clip and respool the wire so it doesn't go through the gun, what is the resistance from the feed wheels to the torch tip?

Does "Smart MiG setting" mean it adjusts everything? How do you know what those values are? Did any of them change somehow, perhaps due to an electrical HV pulse coming through the power line? Yes, I'm just guessing what might be possible.

 

if the voltage is wayyy too high for the wire speed, that's what happens, looks like the arc tries to stay lit, hence the "flame". I'd bet the wire is sticking or getting stuck. Might not even be in the groove of the driver roller, so it kinda goes but kinda doesn't.

 

Show us acceptable welds? What is the coating on the metal? I am sure it is frustrating to just see a change, without anything else changing.

 

Try blowing the whip backwards to clean the liner? Is the gas getting low, might be picking up contamination from the tank. Hopefully all of the information given will help you out.

 

Check that you have not accidently changed the initial run in settings. When the gun starts feeding the amount that feeds can be changed and it looks like it is too low. My Miller takes holding down some button when turning it on and then adjust. Check your manual or welders website and make sure that you didn't accidently change it.

 

View attachment IMG_3057.jpg

 

Sounds like a liner issue to me.

 

I took the feed roller and cleaned it with a spray degreaser, replaced the o-rings at both ends of the gun, adusted the tension on the spool so it wouldn't bird nest and the feed tension on the feed roller until I couldn't stop the feed by pinching the wire. Checked for gas flowing and tried it again. Same result.
View attachment image0 (1).jpeg
View attachment image1.jpeg

I then set the machine to manual mode and used the settings listed on the chart. This is the result.
View attachment image0.jpeg

As you can see, the puddle is too hot. If I lower feed speed it stutters. I played with the voltage and I wasn't able to dial it in. The reason that I purchased this machine was for the smart mig feature because I don't really know what I'm doing and it makes it quicker for me to change steel thicknesses.

 

Maybe take the liner out and see if you have a kink in it.

 

The weld looks fine. Is it mild steel? Looks like you are traveling too slowly for the material thickness and joint.

Looks like stainless, could your test piece have been anodized.

 

open the cover where the wire spool is at. Set up your phone to record video, and hit record (making sure it captures the drive roller area as well). then grab the mig gun and replicate the mis-hap. Then go to your phone to review what the video shows. Post it up.

 

[video]https://youtube.com/shorts/DYdIruSIj-A?feature=share[/video]

 

Looks like it's in spot weld mode.

Have you called ESAB Tech Support?

 

I agree that it looks quite normal aside from the abrupt stop. Even then, the synergic setting might be off or mis-adjusted since you can usually adjust the voltage (and perhaps other settings as well). We'd need to see the all the settings available and the actual settings for each one. I do not think it is a feeding issue anymore, but more of a machine setting issue.

 

I see a new board in your future.

 

one main reason it burns into the tip is because its not squirting out consistent. the arc keeps going wether the wires feeding out or not. could have a kink. might just have whip coiled to much. i recomend atleast 1size bigger liner so the wire dont get pinched when coiled. could be improper roller tension. to tight drum tension. maybe something faulty in the drive motor. if the settings are a mile off maybe it could burn to the tip as well

 

When I had problems with my HH190 everybody told me it was liner, roller tension, spool tension............yada yada yada.

I knew it was erratic wire feed. None of that other stuff. New board solved the issue.

Same deal..........................the damn thing would only attempt to make a weld at full tilt, pedal to the metal. The wire would only feed right if you turned the speed all the way up.

You're dealing with a short circuit process. That's how these welders work. The wire is constantly shorting, burning back, then the wire feed advances the wire for the next short circuit. If it messes up.............it won't advance the wire in a manner that compensates for the burnback.

https://youtu.be/tpXFGpSXONY?si=zwhtz13yRLIIo93-

And.................all that stuff is controlled by the board.

If ESAB requires a dealer to program a new board...................THAT'S F'N OUTRAGEOUS

They will pry my old transformer based simple machines from my cold dead hands. They go to Hell too..........but you can fix them for less than selling a vital organ.

 

Films from Canadian sources... I like it...

 

You also said that you really don't know what you're doing when setting parameters manually. That is NOT A SIN. I didn't know how to run a wire welder when I bought one. It takes time.

If you're doing manual settings, based on the door chart...........................go with the voltage they suggest...........but set your wire speed much lower than what the chart calls for. Then increase wire speed until it starts burning through, stubbing, or forces you to travel faster than you'd like.

If you're still getting burn through..................drop your voltage, and repeat the process.

I don't do a lot of wire welding, so when I find a good setting for a particular thickness..........I write it down for future reference. Not so much anymore because I only use a wire welder for thin stuff. 16ga, 14ga, and 11ga..........3/16 in a pinch. I'm capable, with the LN25, of doing thicker stuff, but I generally use stick. Although, now that I'm getting older, my eyesight, and muscle control, ain't what it used to be.....which might force me to start using wire more.

 

First pictures definitely looks like lack of gas coverage. Brown stain nearest weld zone, black soot outside ring, greyish weld metal with bubbling. My Lincoln welder has this problem when the machine gets pulled around by the gun. The gun gets a little loose and the gas ports don't line up, and you can get very little flow to absolutely no flow. The welds look like the first ones you posted.
Where did you verify gas flow? at the gauge, or the nozzle. Even with out a proper flow gauge you should be able to hear the gas flow when you pull the trigger with the gun pointed away for the work. I had to tell my son to listen for gas before welding on a recent stainless job because of this, stuff is to expensive to mess up. I may have to figure out why the gun keeps coming loose.
Also, CTWD (contact to work distance) , is important too. It must be fairly consistent to get good results. Just some of my observations, YMMV .

Good Luck

 

From what I understand, up there they have a more stringent qualification program for welders. Probably better welders than down here.

 

Hmmm... looking at my last vertical..... apparently there's a difference between certified and certifiable...

 

Are you charging the hose with gas, prior to initiating an arc? Wire burnback indicates lack of gas coverage.

 

Well ..... I was a bit optamistic when I wrote that it was welding ok in the manual setting. I do understand that the feed rate is basically an amperage setting and that the voltage controls the bead profile. Now as to getting that dialed in, it's generally a time consuming process because I'm not all that experienced in the manual mode. As I went on to complete the project that I was working on after it decided to stop behaving. I started with the settings that are on the table on the welder. It never did weld very well, no matter what I did it didn't feed the wire smoothly. And I went far on each side of the recommended setting. It would hit the metal, burn back, hit the metal again, and would do that the entire time I was welding. I was able to get the puddle hot enough to weld the parts together, but I woudn't go out my way to show anyone the welds.

Earlier in the year, I had an issue that looked like a gas problem. After spending an hour on the phone with the ESAB. With the tech that was suspossed to be their best with this machine. He told me that it was a board problem. The gas would shut off after 3 seconds. Well, I latter learned that is a feature of the machine if an arc isn't struck. Their "best" tech was unaware of this feature. Not a confidence builder if you ask me. He also informed me that when a board is replaced, the software has to be updated and only a factory authorized repair center has access to the software. I went to every "Factory authorized repair center" within a 75 mile radius. Everyone of them told the same story of ESAB not paying for their warranty work and the shop no longer works on ESAB's. I did leave it with one guy that had worked on them in the past and he put it on a load and ran it full out and said that the gas coverage issue was a missing o ring where the whip goes into the machine. There was only one and there should have been two. I was then given the lecture about being careful when installing it. That cost me $100. The thing is, that's how it came from the factory and had never been removed since the day I bought it. I tried it out when I got it home and it seemed to be fine. I knew that I should have sold it then, but being retired and inflation kicking my butt, I didn't do it. This was the first project since getting it back.

So, I'm done wasting my time with this one. Several people told me that ESAB was a good company when I bought this turd. I'm only on my second spool of wire. So much for other peoples opinions.

Any suggestions on how to dispose of this machine?

 

Sorry to heard about your troubles. My experience with customer service is similar to yours. Depending on which tech you speak to, you can get convincingly incorrect information. But the are accessible and friendly. My ESAB em125 is pretty much crap.

Are you around any professional welders who may test it for you?

 

Yes, customer service was very friendly, since I'm still having problems with it, he was probably was correct that it needs a new board, maybe not the one he was thinking about. During my conversation with him he had me checking voltages all over that board and said that nothing was what it should be.

And no, I'm not around any professional welders that could help me out.