Got my UK setup but can't get it to flow right. What do I do wrong and how much flow is needed?

Wire speed on 8, 7 too slow and 9 too fast.
Current on 3 or max, turning to 2 is worse.

My welding look shit, can't get an easy run, HELP

Viking,
Have you tried welding with the cylinder upright?
I'm sure there's a reason why they're normally attached to a welder in the upright position and I don't think it's for safety reasons alone.

ken

Bottle is upright but no change.
Turned up the flow until I hit max, no change.
Up and down on wire speed, 8 seems best with current on max. Maybe the welder itself is faulty? However running a straight weld on the middle of 1 mm thick sheet, comes up very good. Trying 2 egdes against each other and it looks like bird shit, despite good contact and completely clean.
Don't understand

Test run

Hi Viking.

1O to 12 Litres Per Minute.

And make sure you have a good earth.

Peterj

Yes I got 10-12 LPM, tried 20 and 25 LMP (max) same result.
Earth is good, right next to where I weld. What do you see by looking at the welding photos?

This helps...

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/tutorial.htm

May just be the pic but the metal you are welding to needs to be cleaner than it looks..

And a calculator

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/calculator.htm

Welds dont look too bad thin stuff needs to be "stitched"....

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/thin-metal.htm

Your new metal, not galv is it?

Well I do have plenty of practice but it all GASSLESS. I'm also listening to the sound from the weld, it doesn't sound as it is right. Sometimes no sound at all, just hissing but burning OK other times the familiar rattling sound, then suddenly jumping all over the place.

Viking.
with the wire feed setting as you've got it, does the wire spool out at a constant speed when you press the trigger?
No need to have the gas on, just pull the trigger and watch that the wire comes through without 'stuttering'.
( I had one feed roller on my old welder which was off-centre, so the wire feed slowed down at the same point every revolution of the roller, but luckily that's a very rare fault. )

Also, is the contact tip the correct size for the diameter of wire you're using and in good condition.
They're a consumable item and if used when past their best, contact with the wire will be intermittent, causing 'hiccups' in the arc.

ken

Sounds a little like the wires slipping through the feed rolls, also ken is right you shouldn't lay bottles down, but looking at the welds you posted have been shielded by gas so I don't think too little gas is the problem. No two welders I've used ever weld the same so you'll probably have to spend a little time getting used to it. Get a load of rotten doors or something, grind the paint off and cut some slits in it with a 1mm disc, then weld up the slits. My wanky little 150A Clarke mig is horrific compared to the 180A Eland set at work, and that's a pile of shite compared to the 400A synergic pulsed mig we have also got. Each is good for its different things though, and all are totally different to use.