PrimeWeld MIG 180 Wire Speed Settings

Another Mig Welding video using 115 volt on a 20 amp circuit.
The primeweld mig180 has a good settings chart inside the wire feeder door.
Settings for 1/8" thick steel were listed at 18 volts and 236 inches per minute with .035" er70s6 wire and C25 gas (75 argon 25 co2).
What happens when you lower wire speed too much?
and what happens when your wire speed is too high for a given voltage?
WIre speed controls amperage but you also need adequate voltage in order to have an efficient arc.


Join the discussion with thousands of welders at the Welding Tips & Tricks forum

[Bleda]

Ive found my primeweld 180 is also just super easy to get a good bead. In class I was using an old lincoln and it was really tough to get dialed in and even then it was really unforgiving. This primeweld is so easy by comparison.

[flatwater]

Would love to have seen a cut and etch on each of those beads. Thanks for all you do for the welding community, Jody. Weldingtipsandtricks ROCKS.

[Coloradox]

I love watching these tests. That way I don’t have to do them 😂

[MatHelm]

I've had the Primeweld Mig 140 (I think) for the last 3 years, and aside from not having the digital readouts (or the 180 amps) it works just as well, and comes with the spool gun too. Still works as good as the day it arrived.

[philthyphil]

I love my primeweld tig 225x, I will definitely be adding this machine in the future. Thanks Jody for all the great videos, you've helped me a lot!

[johnmacmillan]

Very helpful. I have to say that balancing all the variables for good mig welding taxes my brain considerably.
Thanks again Jody, your videos are the best for a hobbiest welder like myself

[ypaulbrown]

always great to see you on my computer screen from Orlando, FL....Paul

[sirnearlyheadlesnick]

Thanks Jodi for this on easy to entry Mig right time right palce in my life right now have a project coming up welding thin wall tubing and well Stick welding it is gonna be a challenge have been thinking about purchasing a entry level Mig machine with a Spool Gun to tackle it. This video series is helping me learn what I need to know to be confident moving forward with said upend coming project. Thank you, Nicholas South Africa

[Dennis-ucgm]

I'm impressed with the PrimeWeld Mig 180. It's almost designed to where you really have to do something extreme before you really get a bad weld and I think for what you get for your money you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal.

[Thereapingghostie]

THIS HELPED ME ACE MY MIG TEST THANK YOU!

[countryracer]

A note. Too high will also kick the nozzle at you. My machine has a very narrow range to hit. Its old, huge, and hard to get parts for. But its 250 amp and a beast really. This week I was in someone else's shop and had to use his large Hobart. No infinite control of heat. Only 7 notches in the switch. Wire speed was easy to hit. Had the flex nozzle. But it would stick almost every time I stopped. Like the burn back control was too much! Except it doesn't have a setting for it. I hated it!

I will eventually have to get a new machine. But what I get will be picked by what I learned from you and Justin. And it sure wont be a hobart lol

[wadepatton]

Wow, so much better than the old MIG box I had years ago. Want to see it running the spool gun.

[luismelendez]

Great video! I have a dirt bike steel frame with a crack! Wich weld you recommend and that will be good for it and holds really good

[mikezanconato]

These are great, Jody. Curious if you are testing the new tig325x and if it will hit the store at some point.

[joeyvest]

Hello! You got any advice or videos on how to limit shock when tig welding? This weekend I touched the filler to my tig tip while leaning on my new metal bench. It got me. Thanks!

[MyBlueZed]

So just to confirm please … higher wire speed = higher current (amps) = more heat? I’m welding thin sheet metal and I’m trying to avoid melting it.

[gordowgwg]

IIRC, this is the same model as in the give-away? If so, very smart move as the winner may not be that familiar with the use and settings of the machine, and so it's an excellent primer for them.

[kerryyeroyan]

My little Miller 211 Auto set has a definitive sweet spot that seems really hard to dial in. I don’t use the “Auto set”, never found it to be accurate.
It also seems to weld much hotter than the chart indicates; once it’s dialed in, I’m happy with it, just not user friendly!
These new inverter welders seem to have a nice wide range and sweet arc!
Still wouldn’t trade my transformer but it’s a pain! Ohh and forget 115v it’s about useless!

[Downtownmtb]

Thanks for the great videos! I'm using your MIG wire feed setting guides, but I'm wondering if you have something similar for flux core welding. Or do the same settings apply as far as thickness, amperage and speed? TIA

[movazi]

Is it ok to compensate for lower wire speed by increasing the voltage?