Welding guides
Parts, troubleshooting, equipment, and life in the trade. Browse by topic or search below.
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MIG Contact Tip Overheating Causes: Wire Drag, Short Stickout, Loose Tip, Duty Cycle, Ground, and Gun Setup
MIG contact tip overheating shows up as blue/purple discoloration, repeated burnback, wire sticking inside the tip, unstable arc, spatter welded to the tip face, loose consumables, or tips that fail after only…
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ESAB Rebel Aluminum MIG Setup Issues: Wire Feed, U-Groove Rolls, PTFE Liner, Contact Tip, Gas, and Spool Gun Checks
ESAB Rebel aluminum MIG setup issues usually show up as birdnesting, wire shaving, burnback, erratic starts, black soot, lack of fusion, poor bead wet-out, or aluminum wire that feeds briefly and then…
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Lincoln Power MIG Poor Arc Stability Troubleshooting: Wire Feed, Contact Tip, Liner, Gas, Ground, and Settings
Lincoln Power MIG poor arc stability usually comes from inconsistent wire delivery, poor electrical return, wrong setup, or shielding gas problems before it comes from a failed control board. Common symptoms include…
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MIG Spool Gun Birdnesting Causes: Aluminum Wire Feed, Spool Tension, Drive Pressure, Contact Tip, and Gun Setup
MIG spool gun birdnesting happens when aluminum wire buckles, loops, or piles up inside the spool gun instead of feeding smoothly through the contact tip. The usual symptom is a stalled arc,…
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Lincoln Drive Roll Pressure Adjustment Guide: Wire Feed Slip, Burnback, Birdnesting, and Wire Shaving Fixes
Lincoln drive roll pressure should be set only tight enough to feed wire without slipping. Too little pressure causes the drive rolls to spin while the wire stalls. Too much pressure crushes…
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ESAB MIG Gas Flow Troubleshooting: Porosity, Nozzle Blockage, Gas Leaks, Flowmeter Settings, and Torch Checks
ESAB MIG gas flow problems usually show up as porosity, pinholes, black soot, popping starts, oxidized welds, or welds that look contaminated even when the wire feed feels normal. On ESAB Rebel,…
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Lincoln MIG Burnback Troubleshooting: Contact Tip, Liner Drag, Wire Feed Speed, Drive Rolls, and Magnum Gun Checks
Lincoln MIG burnback happens when the wire melts back into the contact tip instead of feeding cleanly into the weld puddle. The usual symptom is a sharp pop, the arc stops, and…
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ESAB Rebel Wire Feeding Problems: Drive Rolls, Liner Drag, Contact Tip Burnback, and Spool Tension
ESAB Rebel wire feeding problems usually show up as stuttering wire, drive-roll slipping, birdnesting, burnback into the contact tip, wire shavings, or feed that changes when the MIG gun cable bends. Start…
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Weld Wall: Built for Welders Who Actually Build Things
Most welding websites only show polished finished products. Perfect welds. Perfect lighting. Perfect shops. That is not real life. Real welding is shop repairs at 7 PM. Fabrication projects halfway through completion.…
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Why an Air Carbon Arc Gouging Torch Sputters Instead of Cutting Clean
When an air carbon arc gouging torch sputters, spits molten metal back, or leaves a rough wash instead of a clean groove, the problem is usually not one single part. It is…