Forney MIG 180FI, Operating Manual

Page: 24 / 38

24
MAINTENANCE
GENERAL
This welder has been engineered to give
many years of trouble-free service providing
that a few very simple steps are taken to
properly maintain it.
1. Keep the wire drive compartment lid
closed at all times unless the wire needs
to be changed or the drive tension needs
adjusting.
2. Keep all consumables (contact tips, noz-
zles, and gun liner) clean and replace
when necessary. See CONSUMABLE
MAINTENANCE and TROUBLESHOOT-
ING later in this section for detailed infor-
mation.
3. Replace power cord, ground cable,
ground clamp, or gun assembly when
damaged or worn.
4. Periodically clean dust, dirt, grease, etc.
from your welder. Every six months, or as
necessary, remove the side panels from the
welder and air-blow any dust and dirt that
may have accumulated inside the welder.
WARNING
Electric shock can kill! To reduce the risk
of electric shock, always unplug the welder
from its ac power source before removing
side panels.
CONSUMABLE MAINTENANCE
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN THE
CONSUMABLES TO AVOID THE NEED
FOR PREMATURE REPLACEMENT OF
THE GUN ASSEMBLY.
The GUN LINER is intended to provide an
unrestricted path for the welding wire to flow
through the gun assembly. Over time the
liner will accumulate dust, dirt, and other
debris. Replacement is necessary when
these accumulations begin to restrict the free
flow of wire through the gun assembly.
MAINTAINING THE CONTACT TIP
The purpose of the CONTACT TIP is to
transfer welding current to the welding wire
while allowing the wire to pass through it
smoothly.
Always use a contact tip stamped with the
same diameter as the wire it will be used
with.
Note: Due to inherent variances in flux-cored
welding wire, it may be necessary to use a
contact tip one size larger than your flux core
wire if wire jams occur.
1. If the wire burns back into the tip, remove
the tip from the gun and clean the hole
running through it with an oxygen-acety-
lene torch tip cleaner or tip drill.
2. Over time, the hole in the contact tip will
become worn by the wire passing
through it. The more worn this hole
becomes, the less efficient is the transfer
of welding current to the wire and eventu-
ally arc breakage and difficult arc starting
will result. Replace contact tips when
signs of wear become apparent.
MAINTAINING THE NOZZLE
The nozzle directs the shielding gas to the
weld puddle, determines the size of the
shielding area, and prevents the electrically
hot contact tip from contacting the work
piece.
CAUTION
KEEP THE NOZZLE CLEAN! During the
welding process, spatter and slag will build
up inside the nozzle and must be cleaned
out periodically. Failure to clean and/or
replace the nozzle in a timely fashion WILL
CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT-END OF
THE GUN ASSEMBLY.
For best results, coat the inside of a new, or
freshly cleaned nozzle with anti stick spray
or gel.
1. Stop welding and clean any accumulated
slag or spatter from the nozzle every 5 to
10 minutes of welding time.
2. When welding overhead, if any molten
metal drips from the weld puddle and
falls into the nozzle, STOP WELDING
IMMEDIATELY and clean the nozzle.
3. If the slag cannot be thoroughly cleaned
from the nozzle, REPLACE THE
NOZZLE!