Pulsing when welding

[Brendan]

I have recently purchased the Handler 175. I am having an problem with pulsing when welding. I can see the wire burning up and then back down to the puddle. I am using flux core wire, for now, and am working with clean steel. It seems to work good at times but then starts pulsing again. Welds don't look too bad despite this. I used another brand of machine last year - won't mention the L word here - and didn't have this problem. The other machine was only a 115V unit as compared to the 230V machine. Is it my wire speed, heat, or welding speed or should I be using gas? Any suggestions.

[Mike W]

I think I had that problem the couple of times I used flux core. I use plain old CO2 with .035 wire. :)

[MAC702]

You don't have to switch to solid wire and gas unless you really want to for its other benefits. In fact, the flux-cored will give you greater penetration if you need it.

Sounds like a wire speed issue to me. Have you tried turning it up? Double-check your polarity, you want DCEN, electrode negative, for flux-cored wire.

[mountkidd]

It's a wire feed speed problem. The wire is burning back towards the contact tip faster than it's being delivered to the puddle. Any slower and you run the risk of fusing the wire to the tip.

Up the wire speed and of course you will probably up your travel speed as well. The pulsing will go away!

[Engloid]

I agree that it's a wire speed problem, but...

It sounds like the speed is going up and down, causing the arc to go long, then short. This can be caused by the feed rollers being too lose or oily. I have seen idiots put antiseize on them before thinking this would help ARGHHH!!!! Never put anything on the rollers. They should be clean and dry. You may try tightening up the tension on the rollers.

Also, without actually welding, pull the trigger while watching the spool of wire. If it jerks hard enough to get slack, then tightens, slacks, ect... a couple times, this can be the problem... if so, tighten the nut in the center of the spool a bit to add a bit more drag.

It can also be that you're getting the tip too hot and it is bonding to the wire, then breaking free as tension builds, then it sticks again when the arc lengthens...alternating this can cause a pulsating arc, by varying wire speed.

[James D. Clark]

You may need to loosen the tension nut/spring that holds the wire spool. If it is too tight the wire drive wheel (with the grooves) slips on the wire. Or the pressure adjustment needs tightning a little where the wire feeds over the drive wheel. Also check that the wire contact tip in the gun is for the same size as the wire.

Then check the wire feed by triggering wire feed while holding the wire against a block of wood. If the wire feeds and bends, the machine should be set right to feed. Then it's like the other suggestions-adjust the feed faster or change the stickout distance.