Perfect Mig Welder Settings in 3 Easy Steps

Getting the settings right on a MIG welder doesn't have to be frustrating or time consuming.
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[@TimWelds]

You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.

[@derekbell5333]

Can you talk more about what a good pool/arc looks like?? What should we be looking for?

[@lordboysen9052]

He’s got a video somewhere on that that I watched

[@mikeford963]

For many welder, Miller's especially, that 1-10 dial for wire speed is actually in 100's of inches per minute. IE setting 4 is 400ipm.

[@gerrysmith4493]

You are a good instructor! I learn more from you than any other videos that I watched way far away! I am 78 years old and trying to learn some welding for a project and maybe some small projects later thank you very much gerry

[@summersoldier3311]

This was one of the finest videos explaining the setup parameters for MIG welding. Beginners and experts can learn a lot from Tim's video.

[@duanedorow3981]

I learned a lot from you showing the over-voltage examples. That was new for me. You do a great job showing the scenarios that come up and what the results are with different settings. Thank you!

[@andreamoorhead3813]

Hi Tim, I am 2 days into a 5 day MIG Welding course at the moment and have found your videos extremely informative. All of the issues I have been stuck on you have addressed succinctly and simply enough for this complete novice to understand. I shall keep watching for new videos and save them all to re-enforce what I have learned so far. Thank you so much

[@dannymeil3294]

That was cool I went to welding school back in 2011-2012 and even though I wasn’t very good with it I did graduate and went back into construction. I was waiting for the housing market to turn around after the crash but the reason why I wanted to learn welding was to add another learning experience to my toolbox. I wish I could have seen your videos back then but I have more of an understanding about the things you mention. Thanks 😊

[@jamesyates5191]

Tim you such a good teacher. While I could take a welding class, what you provide here is such a good start to welding. Later on I may take a class but I feel I am well prepared to dive in and do it safely.

[@davenkaren2572]

I have watched dozens of vids, but honestly learned MORE from you in this one video!!! I’m going to re-watch it a couple times- because your info pours out so fast and full! Love it! THANK YOU!!!!!

[@hdflame]

Was just thinking I need to save this video to watch several times while actually practicing.

[@JamesSmith-bj9vk]

I've always wanted to learn how to weld and I'm making You my teacher as soon as I get a mig welder. You seem to be full of knowledge and have a great way of thoroughly explaining it. Thanks!

[@13Voodoobilly69]

These videos are great. I recently bought a 110v MIG and have been practicing. I looked into adult extended studies or local community college courses but they all seem to be 600 hour weld cert type courses, 4 days a week, 4 hours a day. So it’s KZbin university for me and I feel I am learning all I need to know for home use.

[@duanedavidson7658]

Never seen any of your videos before tonight, I'm a an entry level welder and no one to teach. You just in 1 video explained every issue I've been having and how to remedy it.

[@hokep61]

I agree with the scrap plate tip. I always had a piece of clean scrap near by, to do my final dial in. Even though I already knew about where to set the machine, tips get a bit worn, liners get a bit dirty but not bad enough to replace. This and other factors will affect the final "tune in" on the wire feeder. Retired now, after 35 plus years.

[@qivarebil2149]

I just love how easy You put that gun back in the holder at 5:03 - without looking! LOL 😂

[@stejac51]

BRILLIANT ... really good explanations of what's going on during the MIG welding process !!

[@bryce_hello]

Thanks Tim, this vid came at the perfect time as we just started Mig welding in my highschool welding class :)

[@TimWelds]

Awesome! Enjoy the class and learn all that you can; the skill will serve you well no matter what you end up doing professionally.

[@Hey_Its_That_Guy]

Tim, you are getting better with each video. Well done! Would love to see a video about transfer modes.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks a ton!

[@flycasterbryan]

I am just loving your talks, we the followers of your site have learnt so much, so please tell us all about transfer mode. sincerely Bryan.

[@maddog19671967]

OMG LOL I've learnt a lot !!!! i've definitely been doing the opposite🤔 going back in on monday and resetting my machine 👍thank you Tim!!!! I really mean that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@alexgonzalez2338]

Great video! Very informative as usual!

[@gtzmwt]

Helpful for me! you spoke my language. I'm greatly appreciative!

[@SimplyChrist]

Excellent. Exactly what I was looking for. BIG thanks!

[@jasonpagan4912]

You are awesome! Thanks for the help thru out the years!

[@deniscortes9200]

MAN!, THAT WAS GOOD. I'M LEARNING MUCH MORE FROM YOU GUY THAN FROM ANY OTHER. THANKS.

[@cornelburger]

I wish I found your channel sooner. The best explanation on welder settings I have seen.

[@alexgerling3686]

I generally use a Miller in my job, I've got bo qualification in welding but I'm always trying to learn. Generally we keep the same settings we are comfortable with over the whole chassis because it's target based changing settings amd making the best welds we can isn't a priority to the company but I want to improve and do that regardless so thanks for the info. We generally use 3-5mm thick mild steel and as you said its numbered something like 1 to 10 lol so I use c for voltage just over 7 for wire speed and 4 for current... If I remeber rightly. I was thought on my week long training course to go off sound it should sound like frying bacon!

[@josecuervo9002]

Nice Video. I enjoy the information you give us.

[@stanleybiaz]

Great explanation, thank you!

[@stevensunhing2618]

Thank you Tim for all your helpful posts

[@TimWelds]

You're welcome! Thanks a ton for the comment!

[@weul7]

Thank you for your informative videos... 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@Choober65]

LOLZ, your welds are better than my "good" ones 😭

[@rsanchez5676]

Very well explained!

[@andy_j4490]

This video was seriously helpful

[@peterd2587]

Thanks for another great video

[@jimalessandra5908]

Very helpful information, much appreciated!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks so much!

[@melgross]

Thanks again for a fine video.

[@timothyedwards6818]

Thanks for the insight, Tim. I'm wondering how one might change the voltage on one of the less-expensive inverter welders that only has a control for amps. Also, I'd like to know a bit more about transfer modes. . . Cheers!

[@debugin1227]

Thanks for the vid!

[@fredastaire6156]

I have yet to find a video explaining wire feed speed and voltage as well as you have; thank you Tim!

[@Hjfvvdst]

That's great info, eyes and ears.

[@StuTubed]

This was really helpful, in fact I've been binging the channel and I've learned a lot, most importantly that I've been doing it wrong up until now. I have one question though: What about welders that use voltage selector rocker switches rather than a rotary dial? My welder has two switches that are numbered 1/2 and min/max, but they don't correspond to a voltage, and the manual doesn't mention anything about it either. Has anyone come across these before?

[@Goalsplus]

Thanks. That sequence makes a lot more sense rather than having a problem and trying to solve it by doing this or that.

[@frankobrien9124]

thanks buddy, that helped my a lot regards .

[@Native_love]

Great video!

[@kehindeoluwatosinchanges4605]

You've always been a problem solver. Thanks for your contributions. I also need your assistance on gasless flux core welder, I just got one, I need the chart and how to dial it properly. One love from Nigeria 🇳🇬

[@JM-qy5yd]

Excellent video!👍

[@TimWelds]

Thank you very much!

[@Brian-xt7bp]

I just found you on KZbin. Subscribed. You're a great help! So, I've been MIG welding at my job for the last 5 years. But, it's minor welding here and there (about 15% of my job responsibilities). My employer is sending me to school. Now, at school, I'm doing stuff I've never done before and I feel that I'm not getting the attention I need (too many students, not enough instructors). Can you tell me how to run a long bead (8" or more) without burning my hands (ruining my gloves) and also, how I can do a straight line on a blank flat plate without guides? I can't see crap! Soap stone didn't work, new glass in my helmet, etc. I mostly deal with 1" x 1" and 2" x 2" mild steel. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

[@miszced]

Just wondering, if anyone wonders about wire feedability. Even determining drive roll pressure versus drive type (knurled/v-grooved). Gun cable liner & contact tip condition. Can you rotate the contact tip 90 degrees once worn or better to replace it? Is there a better manufacturer's solid wire over another? Are the easy feed pads (clip-on) helpful?

[@evgeniikorolev5167]

thanks Tim, you are crazy👍

[@danielmierop662]

Thank you 😊

[@colingill9317]

Great tutorial, but what if I only have Amp, wire feed and inductance to choose from??? Great work, thanks

[@MoneyMotivationYT]

Learning to weld and the teachers don’t explain much, so I watched this video last night and.. I’m back, probably gonna be watching this video for the next 2 months. Anyone learning mig specifically in Europe? I could use a hand

[@bt5526]

Hi Tim - Considering that MIG performance can vary from brand to brand, I was wondering if you would consider creating an empirical settings chart that's based strictly on your actual welds using the HTP PP 220 machine? In other words, I subscribed to your channel because you use a PP 220. Would you consider creating a Feed Speed & Voltage settings chart based on your own PP 220 welds? I've never used our PP 220 for anything other than mild steel, but it's been fairly thick stuff for the most part. At the present time, I've got projects that involve 1/4" mild steel, so I'm particularly interested in 1/4" and thinner material welding. Please continue making the informative videos and keep us HTP MIG guys in the back of your mind as you produce them. 👍

[@paulnewton943]

Great informative video. Love the metric too, but what is the wire. We have .06 .08 .09 1.2 . Thanks Tim

[@colinsteam]

Great video...how do you stop the wire welding itself to the torch tip?

[@SP-mp9yi]

Awesome TY

[@michaelcardona7397]

Great Exposure; really glad I stumbled on to your site "TimWelds"; I also took a course in welding BUT, it was intended for commercial welders using mainly stick and acetylene, then COVID set in so everyone's been on a break for the past 2 years, I want to get back to it and I have a machine (Chinese, but good), it did not come with a chart inside or on the paper work and although I'v looked up for information, I really didn't know what I was looking for, so if you don't mind i'll only ask a double sided one question; You mentioned "MIG WIRE" in the video, is that the same as Flux Core Wire or just steel (I think it's steel) wire; I do appreciate ANY info you can provide me with, and PLEASE note, I picked up more info and details in this 9 minute video than in any (of the slew) of video's I have watched; I love the simplicity of MIG and TIG for welding.

[@johnmacmillan627]

Great!

[@whydotufaqoff]

have you got any info on distance of the tip from the part you’re welding and gas pressure used? many thanks...

[@dealinwithit1]

Best vid on wire speed my welder knob is 1-10 plus setting voltage and the chart !!

[@luisestevez4854]

Can you do the dialing of those same wire feed speed numbers and voltage on an analog display machine? What's the increment and where should the dials be?

[@isaks3243]

when I dial in a hot snot gun (mig/mag) do I do it entirely based on the sound. I get a piece of scrap, look towards the machine and away from the scrap, start the arc with one hand and dial in the settings with the other until it sounds about right to my ears. after that do I put down a test weld and see if the settings were right and re do but lower or higher amps depending on my needs. i'm not a hot snot welder tho so I don't know the tips and tricks about setting up a hot snot machine. what i'm good at is tig and stick welding pipes and I am able to set up and run a pipe weld with both tig and stick in my sleep

[@gerardmelia4245]

Cheers Tim. I think the feed is we're I'm going wrong.

[@kevlarshanahan1087]

Fantastic, I love how you cut right to it! Thank you Tim! I would think that Voltage setting is of course dependent on the wire feed speed but independent of the material thickness. The wire has a positive charge (voltage) and the work piece is effectively ground regardless of its size, shape or thickness. Is material thickness that important when setting the voltage?

[@garysharits4020]

I'm not Tim, but I can tell you that voltage will have a lot to do with the degree of penetration and the likelihood of burn through. If you use too much voltage on a thinner piece, burning through the piece will become a probability, especially at the edges. Using too little voltage usually results in insufficient penetration for a strong joint. I can tell you from experience that the weld itself can look really good, but if there is insufficient penetration, the joint will break apart under sufficient stress. I hope that this helps.

[@GeorgeZaharia]

i usually do 9.5m/s at 24.5v 200-300 amps on semi-auto mig depending on conectivity and if metal is clean or not. for 2-3mm thickness material i go 8.5 at 21.5 22.5 for me that works.

[@DigitalDemonicDavros]

I use 0.9mm fluxcore on galv material from 1.6mm to 3mm. Most welds are butt, v down or fillet, at 1.6 around 13.5 to 14.2 with 3.3 to 4.1metres ws. At 3mm I jump to about 16.5 to 18 and 5 to 6.5 ws to weld all my positions. If it sounds like frying bacon I got it sweet.

[@kalmarlaszlo7183]

Hi Tim, is the wire speed table in this vid accessible for download? I need the metric one.

[@cois]

My technique sucks! This helped my a lot!

[@peetky8645]

nice vid

[@razorsharpness4]

Can you talk about more on synegic mode? I have noticed that my spartud easy MIG 215 has a limit on material thicknes so could I use that machine to get the job done with multiple passes incl root weld

[@diggindiggenit6540]

A good topic/video might also be choosing the wire right wire diameter for your welder and application?

[@mikefitzpatrick5209]

I have a question about prep work before welding. DO you sand off the MILL SCALE before you weld? If not will the settings change because you have to weld through the MILL SCALE

[@slingyslingwine2077]

119 amp 19 volts 0.35> 125 amps 20 volts in both after setting Amps & Volts then Set wire feed Speed till it sounds like Bacon Sizzling. Remember this works in all Short arc welding. .25 in from the face of your Gun.

[@voncilleanderson9186]

I have a MIG155Gsv and new to welding. What temp and wire speed should I start out on when welding a 1/8 of an inch metal flat rod on the door of a smoker?

[@jaapweel1]

What are the two different fire extinguishers behind you for?

[@davidbrooks960]

I’m gonna make the torch holder 😀

[@stevejordan8825]

I welded missile launchers for the navy for 10 years along with crane frames. You did a good job on your training, but nothing was said about the type of gas. I use 75/25 mix at home and you will get a lot more splatter. Don't know if some of your students would know this. Professionally we always used to set inches per minutes before anything else. Thanks for your instruction.

[@mrillis9259]

Good idea to check your wire feed pulse by counting ten seconds an multiply by six.

[@walleyeye]

Does all this also apply to flux core?

[@akbmunsell]

Welder, Lincoln 140, ran great for a long time then got really erratic and weird. Turns out it was dirty feed rollers. What’s the best way to keep them clean?

[@jeremiahkastner5445]

I need some help! My new job is running an old school Lincoln MIG machine, 3/8"-1/2" plate, the WFS is 400, and the voltage was set at... 1.2??

[@leh3827]

HA HA haha No, Tim keep giving imperial as well. Lots of us still like to use human instead of metric. I notice the Miller Welding Calculator app uses both systems. Seeing we can't go back to the good old days it's great that some folks like yourself are kind enough to give us both.

[@FM-ec9ov]

That’s for a continuous bead, what do you do differently for stitch welding?

[@georgelasala6588]

hi george here i have a gas dirv lc 305 and i have ln25 lc and i haveing litte promb i cant get it to work the way to get it to look the right way . do you have a in seat to my prb

[@vladtepes97]

2:46 that's precisely the calculation that beginners need to see and learn. that's what i thought i was going to learn from this video. imagine children sitting in maths class hearing the teacher say "i did all the calculation for you". there is no point watching any further.

[@danl.4743]

Hi Tim, I actually learned how to set up my MIG from your previous video, + one or two others. All in one day, and I run smooth beads on 1.5mm butt joints and fillets joints. So... Thanks! Can you explain what is "under cut"? I see a lot of comments on Instagram that this or that weld is undercut or that if you'll do this or that you'll get undercut. And it's been a long time that I have no idea what they're talking about. I tried to search but the answers are conflicting or don't make any sense.

[@mluce28]

Undercut is when you actually have a a gouge around your weld into the base Metal that is not filled with your filler Metal. It creates a weakness around the weld that you’ll want to avoid. Hope that helps.

[@johnholmes4960]

My wire machine of choice is the Hobart motor generator. It had a wire speed dial, and a voltage and amp meter. There was three ranges to weld with by tapping into the windings externally. I chose to run my Mach on high. The reason was to use the entire generator coil instead of a partial. Then on hot days, my machine is not running at full capacity to do the same work. For .035 wire and CO2 gas, I used my wire speed to set the voltage at 90 volts, and dial in my amps to 100 amps. Or was it Vice versa ? I could weld all day because ......in this case.....less IS more. I used to rebuild generator sets for the army. I understood how it works. Most importantly here, please pay attention to this. PROTECT YOUR EYES. You are not that good to avoid eye damage. Here is what you do, and this takes serious practice. While you learn this technique use soap stone on your joint. A thin line will fluoresce so you can see the line. Use your peripheral vision as your guide. Look ahead of your weld pool. Do not look directly at the arc. You will save your retina from serious damage, so when you get old, you will still be able to see. Do not inhale galvanize weld fumes. Last but not least is to protect your hearing. Let the others laugh at you. No big deal, until you can’t hear shit, when you can’t remember shit, while you can’t see shit either. Remember, you ain’t that good to avoid these things.

[@randywilliams467]

I am new to welding I got me a yes welder mig 205ds I am using fluxcore right now

[@zurialjazz]

Do you have the chart to print?

[@amcustomfab]

A nother gold nugget ..

[@rpavlik1]

Useful to see, I imagine at least some of this transfers to flux core (I don't have a bottle yet). Unfortunately my welder (a Yeswelder MIG205DS) only has "synergic" controls: set material thickness, and then you use the amps knob to adjust something... It's supposed to be easier but I can find no information on how to use it well, other than that you can get it to go slower/colder for thin stuff if you tell it mig instead of flux core (yes the allowed ranges differ between the processes). I know they sent you the tig version of this machine, not the mig one, but if you have access to a machine with these kinds of settings, I would really appreciate a few minutes of tips: it may be easier but nobody teaches how to use it, everybody teaches voltage and wire feed speed.

[@TimWelds]

While I've never used that particular model, I'll explain how other machines that I've used with synergic controls work. Typically, you turn a knob for the material thickness, which will set your wire speed (it's like the charts I showed, just programmed in). It will then automatically set a baseline voltage based on that wire speed, but they typically allow you to adjust the voltage up or down a little from that level. In order to run higher wire speed (and thus amperage), you can just set it a little thicker than you are running and vise versa. The voltage can be tuned a little above or below their recommended level to get it running well for your application, which is basically the same thing I did in this video. Again, I've never run that particular machine, but I assume it can be operated in a similar way.

[@rpavlik1]

@@TimWelds thanks a bunch, this is really helpful!

[@whydotufaqoff]

Thanks...great lesson mate...saved under favourites ...👍👍👍

[@ussweeneyd]

Having quite considerable experience with older arc welding techniques, I bought a wire feed welder without doing much research. My 110/120 volt welder does not have a voltage adjustment. I only have a scaled wire feed setting and a fan speed setting ! How do I regulate as you describe ? Thanks.

[@Darnic-Fab]

Never heard of that What make and model?

[@lackybro3997]

hellooo sir ....can you show fcaw 3g co2 mig welding root run #hot pass and capping pass

[@stephboeker7835]

Say your connecting 2 different thicknesses of metal. Maybe .090 to .185 ? Is it correct to set speed & voltage for the .090 & weld in the middle ? Or, would I try to set the speed & voltage for the .185 and try to weld more on the side of the thicker pcs. ?? Thanks for your consideration, Sincerely ...............

[@user-hn9qg5qm3o]

Tim can you please do a video of a Lincoln Electric E6010 root pass on a 2G open root butt weld using 3/8” mild steel plate beveled at 37.5 degrees for a total 75 degrees included angle. This is one of the more difficult welds to get complete penetration on with backside reinforcement, and it is one of the more common tests given in welding schools. I’d love to see it in one of your videos if possible.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks for the suggestion, I still remember what a pain that was in school. It's been quite a while since I've done it, but maybe I'll cowboy up one of these days and give it a shot.

[@user-hn9qg5qm3o]

@@TimWelds It’s a pain and a half for sure. I completely understand how difficult it is, so I won’t knock you if it’s something you’re not comfortable doing on video. However, if you are I would like to see how you handle it. Thanks 😊

[@user-hn9qg5qm3o]

@@TimWelds Tim is it possible to become a well paid welder even if I can't seem to master E6010 root pass in the 2G position? I feel like I suck at welding all because of this...it's so difficult to do consistently

[@josephhalas1676]

Where can I find the source of this information?

[@jamesmerutka889]

So, gots a question for Tim here, or anybody else really. Let's say you're doing heavy industrial MIG... you have 90/10 argom/co2... and let's say the company you work for want the machines set between 23 and 27 volts... What would you set your wire speed to? These are all tacks and horizontal fillet welds. We're allowed to lower settings for downhill/uphill. Any thoughts?

[@glausmister]

Hi Tim I trust you are well. How come you only talk about wirespeed and voltage what about amps? I'm refering to a gasless mig welder... Regards