[grandpa01]

Does anyone know what the gas regulator should be set on with a Lincoln SP-135 Plus welder?

[matt167]

I use 20-25 CF on the regulator

[grandpa01]

This welder uses a pressure regulator instead of a flow meter.

[OneMoreTime]

Moving to garage/tools forum...

Sam

[oldred]

There is no one setting for all welders since the equipment will vary but setting it is easy. Get a piece of scrap and with the gauge on about 15 PSI or so (you did say you had a regulator and not a flow meter?) start welding and while you are running a bead turn the regulator down until you start getting porosity then turn it back up slowly until the porosity just clears up, add a couple of more PSI and you will have it right for your welder. Sure someone may give a setting that will work but if it is to high you will just be wasting a lot of gas, it won't hurt the weld but if you are using twice as much as you need your tank will only last half as long. Like I said there simply is no "one size fits all" and setting the gas pressure/flow correctly is just part of the learning process.

[jonahb]

Originally Posted by oldred

There is no one setting for all welders since the equipment will vary but setting it is easy. Get a piece of scrap and with the gauge on about 15 PSI or so (you did say you had a regulator and not a flow meter?) start welding and while you are running a bead turn the regulator down until you start getting porosity then turn it back up slowly until the porosity just clears up, add a couple of more PSI and you will have it right for your welder. Sure someone may give a setting that will work but if it is to high you will just be wasting a lot of gas, it won't hurt the weld but if you are using twice as much as you need your tank will only last half as long. Like I said there simply is no "one size fits all" and setting the gas pressure/flow correctly is just part of the learning process.

Oldred is right, there is no set it and leave it setting. I use around the shop with the door closed is 15 to 20 cfm and with the door open I use about 25 to 35 cfm.

[grandpa01]

Thanks for the replies, I haven't mig welded much so I was trying to eliminate potential problems.

[deadbodyman]

We like to keep it set as low as possible because we HATE buying gas....having it set a little too high might be best to learn with just to eliminate that problem....having too much gas wont effect the weld but to low will...

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by deadbodyman

We like to keep it set as low as possible because we HATE buying gas....having it set a little too high might be best to learn with just to eliminate that problem....having too much gas wont effect the weld but to low will...

Ahhh the pain of buying C25 gas - my recent trip to the local United Welding supply came with pain. I had barely enough left from two $20 bills for a cup of coffee (and no donut) and not at Starbucks. That will teach me to NOT to leave it overnight with the valve on (again )

Dave W

[oldred]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

Ahhh the pain of buying C25 gas - my recent trip to the local United Welding supply came with pain. I had barely enough left from two $20 bills for a cup of coffee (and no donut) and not at Starbucks. That will teach me to NOT to leave it overnight with the valve on (again )

Dave W

Forgetting to shut off the valve usually results in one of those "I can't believe I did that" moments but like you said a trip or two to the welding supply does wonders for the memory! The regulator/flow meter setting OTH can easily waste nearly as much gas as is used when actually welding but it happens unnoticed and some guys never realize just what it is costing them. That's the reason I like the method I suggested earlier of just turning down the gas flow until porosity is observed then turn it back up up until the porosity problem clears up that way the flow is set exactly right for that machine. Welding manuals will sometimes recommend X-amount of flow but really asking about what flow setting to use on the gauge is sort of like asking how long is a piece of rope because they all will be different, all it takes is enough and any more than that is just money wasted.


I realize you never asked about any of that and I know that you already know the proper way to set the gas flow but it is such a common problem I thought maybe someone might be able to use this info.

[deadbodyman]

You'll always forget to turn the valve off Dave,its human nature....What you need to do is prepare for the day you will no doubt screw up...always check for small leaks even inside the machine..., soapy water,car wash works great.I left my welder gas on for a week a couple times (you know the feeling) when you go to turn the valve on and its already on ,you slowly peak around the corner at the gauge expecting EMPTY ...It feels great when it hasnt lost a lb..
Something else I cant stand is an air leak and all the waste that comes with them, other than the expense ,the noise drives me crazy...

[matt167]

Yea, I'v left the gas on a couple times.. 1 of those times it was DAYS apart, and the guy at Airgas knew exactly what I had done

[deadbodyman]

Oh no ,a full tank Matt,I hate when that happens....
Ole red ,If you saw my old rig you would have yourself a good laugh ..I got a 30-40 yr old 220 solor rig and you can tell its history just by looking at it...
One day my gauge stated leaking so I pulled it out and plugged the hole...No gauge at all,just tank pressure...
When was the last time you saw a mig with a purge button???? It still amazes people how well it works...

[oldred]

Originally Posted by deadbodyman

You'll always forget to turn the valve off Dave,its human nature....What you need to do is prepare for the day you will no doubt screw up...always check for small leaks even inside the machine..., soapy water,car wash works great.I left my welder gas on for a week a couple times (you know the feeling) when you go to turn the valve on and its already on ,you slowly peak around the corner at the gauge expecting EMPTY ...It feels great when it hasnt lost a lb..
Something else I cant stand is an air leak and all the waste that comes with them, other than the expense ,the noise drives me crazy...

Checking for and sealing leaks is certainly the thing to do (also checking frequently) but leaving the gauge on a few days and then finding no loss at all is going to be the rare exception. The reason is the gas solenoid rarely seals 100% and even a very tiny leak over a few day's time adds up, or in this case subtracts, so having a good tight system is no grantee that forgetting to shut the tank off will not result in losing your ga$ Those stinkin solenoids are notorious for "seeping" and checking them does not help much for this type of leak because they may seal 100% one time when you pull that trigger and not seat fully the next time. I am not talking about a leak you will notice but just a tiny seepage that adds up over days and there really is little you can do to prevent this kind of loss except to remember to shut that valve off!

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by deadbodyman

.always check for small leaks even inside the machine..., soapy water,car wash works great.I left my welder gas on for a week a couple times (you know the feeling) when you go to turn the valve on and its already on ,you slowly peak around the corner at the gauge expecting EMPTY ...It feels great when it hasnt lost a lb..
...

It's the dam' solenoid operated valve and while it just seeps, it will drain an almost empty tank overnight. Too lazeee to fix it. I'm taking some medicine right now for CRS - called Folgers Colombian Blend.

Dave W