I'm referring to the little ball that forms on the end of MIG welding wire after each arc. I clip them each time, I think it helps. Does everyone else do the same? You think it matters?
I clip the end every time the wire stops feeding for more than a second or two, but not every time I make a puddle. and yes. It makes a noticable difference
Only if I am doing something for the very best appearance. I also cut the wire back if it is too long. It's strictly about the amount of filler as you start the weld, IMO.
Depends. A lot of how those form have to do with the heat vs. the wire speed and the method with which you end you bead (pulling away etc.) But yes if you have a big dingleberry it will make for a cold and bubblegum looking start of a new bead, so cut it off.
Depends on thickness of the steel I'm welding...clip for thin wall or sheet metal..don't bother for plate.
i do if i want what i'm welding to look nice. if i'm blowing together something like an engine stand or fixture i just let it go
When i do production work I don't clip the end but I will when doing small percision welds. I like to TIG most of my rod stuff.
My parents made the decision to clip my dingle before I came home from the hospital... Oh wait, you were talking about mig welders. Yes, I always clip to keep from having too much filler at the start of the weld...
"My parents made the decision to clip my dingle before I came home from the hospital... " Wow, talk about TOO MUCH information.........
I clip it..my reason behind doing it..is the sharp tip on the wire helps with starting the next arc..
von rigg is right. that little angle does make for less metal for the welder to try burn. as for myself, if i did clip every time i started a fresh weld my old boss would still be going apeshit because id still be finishing all the work i did for him.
I had always gave the gun a little flick after each weld and the ball flies right off no need to clip.
I noticed a welder that worked in shop where I was foreman that did that a lot, on 'by the hour work', but when he did a 'flat rate', 'bid job', clipping (or anything else) that slowed him down was very infrequent With a Mig, I never cared. I clip it if it ends up too long because I withdrew before I released the trigger. ....Well sometimes........ When that happens, there's a short dab of wire mixed up in the startup. I purposly leave some of those, just to attract "spectator-weld-critics".. What happens if you don't clip it? If it matters to the quality of the weld, I'm kind of doubtful. As always, starts and stops create turds anyhow, not clipping it might leave a 'different kind' of turd on startup, but, oh well.... .
If you're getting the little ball on there, then you have your wire speed to high for your voltage. Some welders, like Esab, have a burnback control to help with that. But, it isn't hurting anything for it to be there because as soon as you strike the arc, and if your metal is clean, it's gonna melt into the puddle.
as much as i WANT to cut it off when starting a new bead, im just too lazy to go to the toolbox on the other side of the garage to get the cuttin' pliers, so i just weld away (i just did this today as a matter of fact!)
lazy sob's... I have a pair of snips in a holder welded to the side of my welding cart. they are usually in my pocket while welding. I snip when doing sheetmetal most of the time. not as much with the thick stuff.
I did the same thing when production welding on steel rule dies...usually made a nice splash of sparks when it hit the floor.
I blip it against the ground clamp sometimes to blaze the dingle off or if the wire's too long. I used to clip, but I got lazy. Am I a hack or what?
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