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Eastwood Technical Assistance: 800.343.9353 >> [email protected]
SHIELDING GAS FLOW ADJUSTMENT
After connecting the Shielding Gas Regulator, the gas flow rate needs to be adjusted so that the proper amount of Shielding Gas is flowing over the weld.
If there is too little gas flow there will be porosity in the resulting welds as well as excessive spatter.
If there is too much gas flow, this will be wasting gas and may affect the weld quality. The included Regulator has 2 gauges on it; the gauge on the left is
Flow Rate while the gauge on the right is Tank Pressure.
• Open the Shielding Gas tank valve all the way.
• Adjust the knob on the Pressure Regulator to ~30 CFH.
• After the Welder is turned on (described in following section), the Trigger of the MIG Gun (or Spool Gun) will control the internal gas flow.
• As the MIG Gun is triggered, the Gas Flow needle will drop to a steady reading. This is the value to be used for measuring Gas Flow.
• The Gas Flow should ideally be set to ~20 CFH while flowing. The CFH (Cubic Feet per Hour) scale is the inside scale in red on the Flow Gauge.
20 CFH is the most typical flow rate but it may need to be adjusted in some cases, depending on whether there is a slight breeze or some other
instance where additional shielding gas is required to prevent porosity in the weld.
• When finished welding, the Valve on the Gas Bottle must be closed.
The Eastwood MIG 90 can be used to form many different joints and welds all of which will require practice and testing before using on an actual project piece.
This following welding process is just a baseline to get started. Welding, as with any skill, requires a learning curve to achieve proficiency. An extended period of
“Trial and Error” performed on scrap material is required before welding on an actual project can begin.
• Refer to the ‘Suggested Settings’ chart which is located inside the top panel (Fig 3) of the Eastwood Welder. From the chart select the baseline starting
point for the recommended settings described in the chart.
• Connect the ground clamp to the work pieces that are to be welded. Make sure the ground clamp contacts are placed on a clean piece of metal free of
paint, grease, rust, oils, etc. It is recommended to place your ground clamp as close to the weld area as possible.
• Assess the general work area and make sure the welding area is also cleaned of any paint, grease, rust, oils, etc.
• Plug in the Welder and move the Power Switch at the Upper Rear Panel to the “ON” position.
• Depress the Welding Gun trigger pointing the welding gun away from your body or anyone else then let go of the trigger and cut the wire back to ~1/4”
stick out length.
• Wearing a welding helmet, gloves with long sleeve shirt and pants, put the end of the wire sticking out of the gun into the joint to be welded.
• Position the MIG Gun so that it is perpendicular to the base metal with ~20° tilt back.
• Depress the trigger to start the wire feed which starts the arc.
NOTE:
A push, perpendicular, or drag technique can be used to weld the pieces together; the type used depends on the type of joint as well as other
influential conditions.
- Once the trigger is depressed and the arc has started, a molten puddle will form; this puddle is the weld bead and will follow the motion of the MIG Gun.
- Watching the size of the puddle dictates how the Gun should be moving.
- If the material burns through, the Gun is either moving to slow or some Wire Speed & Arc Volts setting adjustments must be made.
- If the base metal is not being penetrated, the Gun is either moving to slow or some Wire Speed & Arc Volts setting adjustments must be made.
• Release the trigger on the MIG Gun to stop the weld.
• After welding is complete, turn off the Welder and disconnect from power source.
