Curious about the Forney Easy Weld 125 FC? This machine is simple to set up and comes with a few things to help you get started. Let’s take a look inside!
WHAT’S INSIDE?
When you open the box, you’ll first see a contact page, an owners manual and a quick start guide to help you get set up. This machine comes with a chipping hammer/wire brush combo, a small roll of .030″ self shielding flux-core wire and 2 extra contact tips. There’s 2 torch wrap ears and 2 screws to attach the ears to the machine.
The machine also has a hardwired MIG gun and ground clamp, along with a 120 volt plug. The input is 120 volts and the max output is 125 amps. At 60 amps it has a 20% duty cycle.
SETTING UP THE MACHINE
- Begin by installing the wire. Open the cabinet and remove the knob, spring and washer from the shaft.
- Remove the plastic wrap on the spool of wire but don’t remove the wire from the spool yet. Place spool of wire with the wire end feeding from the bottom of the roll so it feeds properly into the wire feed motor.
- Place the washer on the shaft first, then the spring and then the knob. Tighten the knob enough where there is still play to move the spool freely with your hand.
- Next, remove the wire end from the spool. Make sure to maintain the tension so the spool doesn’t unravel. Trim the end so the wire you’re loading is straight.
- Push the wire through the inlet guides and about an inch into the MIG gun. Retension the wire feed if needed.
- Plug the machine into a dedicated 120v outlet. Turn the machine on. Turn up the wire feed speed so you can feed the wire through the MIG gun quicker.
- Remove the nozzle and contact tip at the end of the gun. Pull the trigger to feed the wire through the gun. It’s easier if your line is straight so the wire has a straight path to reach the nozzle.
- Once the wire is at the end of your MIG gun, place the nozzle and contact tip back on your gun. Cut your wire to about 3/8” stick out.
- Check the chart on the inside of the machine to help you properly set the machine for your steel thickness. For example, when welding 14 gauge steel so my switch will be set to sheet metal and the wire feed speed dial set to 5.
- Make sure you have a good ground. Do this by attaching your ground to your workpiece, or if you’re welding on a metal table, attach the ground to the edge of the table.
- Remember the proper safety equipment. Wear non-flammable clothing like demin or cotton. Don’t forget your safety glasses, welding helmet, welding gloves and protective FR clothing.
STRIKE THE ARC
When you first go to strike the arc, remember you must pull the trigger! Once the wire hits the steel, it will be extremely bright and make a popping sound as the arc strikes. As you continue to lay your bead, you’ll notice it sounds like crackling bacon. This is exactly how it should sound when the machine is running properly and your settings are appropriate. If it sounds different, adjust your wire feed speed until you get a steady sound to the weld.
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER…
- The machine is not always electrically hot, so you must pull the trigger to create an arc.
- Because this machine is transformer based and not an inverter, it tends to be loud.
- You can only weld mild steel with this machine because it doesn’t require or allow for gas. You cannot weld aluminum with this machine.
- If you are working on painted or rusty and dirty material, it may require minimal clean up to get a good contact when you attach your ground to your work piece.
- This machine has a gas nozzle on it, but again doesn’t require or allow for gas. If you prefer, you can run this machine without a nozzle.
- Anything past 1/8” thick will work with multiple passes as well as being beveled.
- If you are too far away from your base metal, your wire will bounce off your metal. This means you need to move your nozzle closer to your work piece
