floating arc

[New2theArc]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with why my arc may be floating. While I'm welding my arc starts to jump becoming very unstable. I stop and clean my tip thinking it may have gotten spatter on it but when I start up again it continuse to be unstable. I have had to change my tips a lot and it solves the problem but only for a short time. What should I be doing as I can not be changing tips like this. What am I missing??? Please help.

[TJJ]

I'm missing what process your using.

I think mig. You might be welding on magnetized material or near something magnetic.

[New2theArc]

Sorry yes I am using MIG but I'm not sure if what I am using is magnetized material or something near magnetic. I don't know if this will help but while I am welding I can feel the whip start to vibrate then sometimes my arc starts to jump other times it does not. I have pushed wire through the tip and at times this works and other times I can't even get the wire through the tip. Which would make sense why my arc becomes unstable. But what don't make sense is why this happens

[TOMWELDS]

What gas? wire size? Tip size? Mild steel? Type Mig machine?

[tigman]

Sounds like you need to change your tip.

[New2theArc]

gas - Blueshield 6 wire size - .035 Tip size - .035 Mild steel Type Mig machine - Miller Deltafab welding 5/16'' material horizontal welds in spray mode about 29volts and 210 amps.

[hankj]

gas - Blueshield 6 wire size - .035 Tip size - .035 Mild steel Type Mig machine - Miller Deltafab welding 5/16'' material horizontal welds in spray mode about 29volts and 210 amps.

Can't figure if yor're talking arc blow or just a wire feed problem. What's your stickout?

Try sliding the nozzle up so that you have a 1/8" setback for the tip, and hold about a 3/4" stickout. Make sure you have a good work lead connection. Move it as close to the weld location as practicable.

If that doesn't work, try switching to .030 wire.

Hank

[Hotfoot]

The action you describe sounds just like a Quija Board...maybe someone is trying to communicate with you through your MIG gun...well, I DID say MAYBE...

[tailshaft56]

If the gun shakes from the wirefeed it sounds like it is a feed problem. The wire should feed smoothly.

[lars66]

seems like a bad roll of wire . draw 20- 30or more' thru your thumb & finger feeling for irregularities in the wire.

[wworks]

i think your holding the gun too far away from the work, move it closer and see if tat helps.

[Engloid]

It could be that the wire is slipping through the drive rollers, giving inconsistent wirefeed, OR a gas mixture with helium (which can sometimes create arc wander), OR a spool of wire that's spun incorrectly and kinda kinks up, OR a tip that's too large and allowing the wire to wander around instead of being fed out straight, OR maybe your metal is not clean and the arc is trying to find the path of least resistance.

[BKD]

Could you actually be stubbing the wire on the work... ie, wire feed speed too high? Or a bad ground connection?

You'd definitely feel that!

[New2theArc]

Thank you for all the tips, I went and bought a new liner for my gun, that helped but didn't solve the problem. I am finding tonight that when I am welding the arc comes back up into the tip and has been leaving a little ball of weld on the end of the tip I figure this is causing it to happen more frequently so when ever it happens once I check the tip it isn't always there. I have had to change my tips more tonight due to this little ball of weld at the end cause when I pick it off sometimes a little bit of the tip comes with it. Also when the wire starts to come back up to the tip it will leave some searious undercut. I am not a great welder and leave undercut at times but never like this or as much and often as this. I am getting very confused and frustrated with this as nonthing seems to be working. GOD help me tonight.

[Mike W]

If I get the tip too close to the work, I will have the wire stick to the tip. Usually it will pop free.I did have one tip where it was fused tight. I stuck it a drawer to await further attempts to get the wire out.