KNOW YOUR WELDER
Figure 1. Model 20504 Welder
Handle – Rugged, top mounted handle
allows for easy transport of your welder.
Wire Speed Control – Use this dial to adjust
the speed at which the welder feeds wire to
the gun. 1 is the slowest wire feed speed, 10
is the highest. You will need to adjust or
"tune-in" your wire speed for different welding
conditions (thickness of metals, gas -vs-
gasless welding, metal type, wire size, etc.).
When the wire speed is properly "tuned-in"
the welding wire will melt into the material you
are welding as quickly as it is fed through the
welding gun.
Voltage Selectors – The VOLTAGE selectors
control the weld heat. There are six voltage
(heat) selections available on this welder.
Lower voltage (less heat) is achieved by set-
ting the Voltage Selector Switch to the MIN
position and/or the Voltage Selector Dial to
A. Higher voltage (more heat) is achieved by
setting the Voltage Selector Switch to the
MAX position and/or the Voltage Selector
Dial to C. Different materials and material
thickness will require different voltage set-
tings. You will need to adjust your voltage
accordingly for different welding conditions.
By properly adjusting your voltage settings
and wire feed speed, you will enable clean,
precision welds. (Refer to the Suggested
Settings Chart on p.32 of this manual OR on
the inside of the door of the welder.)
Power Switch – This switch turns the welder
ON and OFF. (Make sure the power switch is
in the OFF position before performing any
maintenance on the welder.)
Power Cord – This is a standard, NEMA 6-
50P 50 amp 220 volt power cord. (Make sure
you are using a properly grounded 220 Vac,
60Hz, single phase, 50 amp power source.)
Ground Clamp – Attaching the ground
clamp to your work piece "completes" the
welding current circuit. You must attach the
ground clamp to the metal you are welding. If
the ground clamp is not connected to the
metal work piece you intend to weld, the
welder will not have a completed circuit and
you will be unable to weld. A poor connection
at the ground clamp will waste power and
heat. Scrape away dirt, rust, scale, oil or
paint before attaching the ground clamp.
Ground Cable – The ground cable connects
the ground clamp to the internal workings of
the welder.
Welding Gun and Cable – The welding gun
controls the delivery of the welding wire to
the material to be welded. The welding wire
is fed through the welding cable and welding
gun when the welding gun trigger is pulled.
You will need to install a contact tip and
welding nozzle to the end of the welding gun,
as described later in this manual, prior to
welding.
Welding Terms
Now that you are familiar with the main parts
of the welder, make note of the following
terms. You will see them used throughout
this manual.
weld puddle: The localized volume
of molten metal in a weld prior to its
solidification.
weld angle: The angle of the welding wire,
as it extends from the welding gun, in
relation to the item being welded.
slag: The protective coating that forms on
the surface of molten metal.
arc: A sustained luminous discharge of
electricity across a gap in a circuit.
welding bead: The extended build up of a
weld, made by pushing or pulling the weld
puddle.
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