Thread: School me on MIG contact tips

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  1. #1 School me on MIG contact tips 
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    I just bought my first MIG welder the other day-- a Lincoln Powermig 255C I got on craigslist. It has the original gun and tips on it, and now after welding with it, I'm looking at getting replacement contact tips (I got a wire shorted out in the original tip several times and I need to replace it). I noticed when I first got the welder, the gun contact tip is flush with the end of the nozzle. I'm used to the large welders they have here at work that have the tips recessed into the nozzle. I'd rather have the tip recessed because it seems to get less weld splatter on the tip, but I've heard the only reason to have those is if you do spray arc transfer MIG welding (which I don't). I went to Nexair today to get the contact tips. The only ones they carry are the recessed versions. Is it OK to put the recessed version on my gun and use it, even if I don't use spray arc transfer method? I assume so. The ones I bought today are 11-35 and I think the one that came off my welder said 14-35.
    Other question I got is I went to Tweco's website to try and look at the different types of tips they sell (since that's what the Nexair store carries). They've got over 1000 different kinds (tapered, heavy duty, light duty, long, short, etc.). Anybody got a lamen's term explanation as to what they mean? I guess I just want to know I'm getting the right tip for my gun.
    FWIW I use the welder with .035" wire with 25/75 CO2/Argon mixture. The tip is a screw on type, and I've been using the welder mostly on plate steel around .25" or so.
    Thanks for the help.
    -RC
    97 ZJ 5.2 V8 with a 231 and a BB.

    "What you do in life echoes in eternity"
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  2. #2 Re: School me on MIG contact tips 
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    Not an expert here, but I don't see why you'd have trouble with the recessed tip as long as you could keep your stickout within the recommended range and still keep the gun at the right orientation to the weld...?
    Last edited by paulkeith; 11-19-2008 at 04:21 PM.
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  3. #3 Re: School me on MIG contact tips 
    Senior Member GSSW Planner chadjans's Avatar
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    My welding supplier the Lincoln tips are special order. They only stock the tweco. I needed a new nozzle and some contact tips. Went from flush to recessed setup. Never looked back. The nozzle stays much cleaner and it is virtually impossible to arc the wire to the contact tip. I buy a whole lot less tips now. This is all on a PM215. Same gun as the 255.
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