GMAW (MIG) TROUBLESHOOTING

REMOVING A BIRD'S NEST

A "birds nest" is a tangle of wire in the wire drive mechanism. This happens when the drive rolls continue feeding wire but the cable is blocked, the outfeed tube is misaligned, the wire is stubbing out on the base metal, or the wire has been welded to the contact tip. The drive rolls are set to slip in this case, but if the tension has been adjusted too tightly , they may continue to push wire.

To fix a bird's nest, turn off the machine and cut the wire where it comes off the spool. Remember the wire will come un raveled so you must remember to hold on to your wire when you cut it and then secure it through one of the spool holes on your spool of wire.

The tangled wire also may be storing tension, so it may fly out of the drive roll area. Release the tension arm or roller arm . Pull the wire out of the drive mechanism and the supply cable. remember to wear your safety goggles when removing a birds nest.