Lincoln Electric IM736-D manual Feeding Wire Electrode, Idle Roll Pressure Setting

B-9 OPERATION B-9

4.Re-install the Retaining Collar. Make sure that the Release Bar “pops up” and that the collar retainers fully engage the retaining ring groove on the spin- dle.

FEEDING WIRE ELECTRODE

WARNING

When triggered, the electrode and drive mecha- nism are electrically “hot” relative to work and ground and remain “hot” several seconds after the gun trigger is released.

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NOTE: Check that drive rolls, guide plates and gun parts are proper for the wire size and type being used. Refer to Table C.1 in ACCESSORIES section.

1.Turn the Readi-Reel or spool until the free end of the electrode is accessible.

2.While securely holding the electrode, cut off the bent end and straighten the first six inches. (If the electrode is not properly straightened, it may not feed properly through the wire drive system).

3.Release the pressure on the idle roll by swinging the adjustable pressure arm down toward the back of the machine. Lift the cast idle roll assembly and allow it to sit in an upright position. Leave the outer wire guide plate installed. Manually feed the wire through the incoming guide bushing and through the guide plates (over the drive roll groove). Push a sufficient wire length to assure that the wire has fed into the gun and cable assembly without restriction. Reposition the adjustable pressure arm to its origi- nal position to apply pressure to the wire.

4.Press gun trigger to feed the electrode wire through the gun.

IDLE ROLL PRESSURE SETTING

The idle roll pressure adjustment knob is set at the factory at the #2 hash mark. This is an approximate setting. The optimum idle roll pressure varies with type of wire, wire diameter, surface conditions, lubri- cation, and hardness. As a general rule, hard wires may require greater pressure, and soft, or aluminum wire, may require less pressure than the factory set- ting. The optimum idle roll setting can be determined as follows:

1.Press end of gun against a solid object that is elec- trically isolated from the welder output and press the gun trigger for several seconds.

2.If the wire “birdnests”, jams or breaks at the drive roll, the idle roll pressure is too great. Back the adjustment knob out 1/2 turn, run new wire through gun, and repeat above steps.

3.If the only result was drive roll slippage, loosen the adjustment knob on the conductor plate and pull the gun cable forward about 6" (15 cm). There should be a slight waviness in the expose wire. If there is not waviness, the pressure is too low. Tighten the adjustment knob 1/4 turn, reinstall the gun cable and repeat the above steps.

AVOIDING WIRE FEEDING

PROBLEMS

Wire feeding problems can be avoided by observing the following gun handling procedures:

a.Do not kink or pull cable around sharp corners.

b.Keep the gun cable as straight as possible when welding or loading electrode through cable.

c.Do not allow dolly wheels or trucks to run over cables.

d.Keep cable clean by following maintenance instruc- tions.

e.Use only clean, rust-free electrode. Lincoln elec- trodes have proper surface lubrication.

f.Replace the contact tip when the arc starts to become unstable or the contact tip end is fused or deformed.

g.Keep wire reel spindle brake tension to the mini- mum required to prevent excess reel over-travel which may cause wire “loop-offs” from the coil.

h.Use proper drive rolls and wire drive/idle roll pres- sure for wire size and type being used.

POWER MIG 300