Craftsman 196.20569 owner manual Controls Andindicators, Learning to Weld, Holding the GUN

Operation of this welder consists of selecting and adjusting operating controls for optimum voltage (welding heat) and wire speed settings.

CONTROLS ANDINDICATORS

WARNING

Electric shock can kill! Whenever the POWER switch is in the ON position, the welding circuit is activated. Under this condition, an arc will occur if the welding wire or any part of the welding circuit comes in contact with welding ground.

POWER SWITCH - The power switch

supplies electrical current to the welder.

Whenever the power switch is in the ON position, the welding circuit is activated. ALWAYS turn the power switch to the OFF position and unplug the welder before performing any maintenance.

VOLTAGE SELECTOR; - The voltage selec-

tor controls the welding heat. The voltage selector is lettered A-D. Letter A is the lowest

heat and letter D the highest. Refer to the label under the welder hood (or on page 30 of this manual) for recommended heat settings for your welding job. Position D on the Voltage Selector produces the rated out- put of 85 amps.

WIRE SPEED CONTROL - The wire speed control adjusts the speed at which the wire is fed out of the welding gun. The wire speed needs to be closely matched (tuned-in) to the rate at which it is being melted off. Some things that affect wire speed selection are the type and diameter of the wire being used, the heat setting selected, and the welding position to be used.

Note: The wire will feed faster without an

arc. When an arc is being drawn, the wire speed will slow down.

LEARNING TO WELD

MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding is the process of uniting metallic parts by heating and

allowing the metals to flow together through the use of an electrical arc. The electrical arc is created between a continuous consumable wire electrode (the welding wire) and the work piece. An inert shielding gas is used to protect the weld puddle from contamination and enhance the welding capabilities of the electrical arc.

Whether you have welded before or not, it is important that you become familiar with your new welder, its controls, and the results achieved at different settings. We strongly recommend that you practice with your new welder on scrap metal trying different heat settings, base metal thicknesses, and welding positions for each type and size of wire you will be using. By doing this you will gain a feel for how changes in these welding variables affect the weld.

Of course, if you have not welded before, you will need to develop welding skills and techniques as well.

The self-taught welder learns through a process of trial and error. The best way to teach yourself how to weld is with short peri- ods of practice at regular intervals. All prac- tice welds should be done on scrap metal that can be discarded. Do not attempt to make any repairs on valuable equipment until you have satisfied yourself that your practice welds are of good appearance and free of slag or gas inclusions. What you fail to learn through practice will be learned through mistakes and re-welds later on.

HOLDING THE GUN

The best way to hold the welding gun is the way that feels most comfortable to you. While practicing to use your new welder, experiment holding the gun in different posi- tions until you find the one that seems to work best for you. Refer to WELDING POSI- TIONS- p.18)

Position the Gun to the Work Piece

There are two angles of the gun nozzle in relation to the work piece that must be con- sidered when welding.

1.Angle A (Figure 9) can be varied, but in most cases the optimum angle will be 60

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