How to Weld With a L-56

Inspect the Lincolnweld L-56 and clean off any filth with a soft steel wool pad.

Insert the L-56 into the wire guide tube on the welder, often located on the back of or next to the gun. A 1/16-inch wire is best suited for high-speed welds on 14-gauge to ¼-inch steel plates, like the ones welded with a SAW. Thicker L-56 wires should be used with hand-held welders.

Push the wire through the drive roll, which is the device that feeds the wire through the welder.

Close the drive roll around the wire so it’s tight enough to feed the wire, but not tight enough to pinch the wire.

Adjust the current on the welder to the highest setting. High voltage produces a flat bead that is more resistant to rust and scale.

Adjust the travel speed on the welder to the highest setting if you are making a single-pass weld. If you are making a multiple-pass weld, adjust the travel speed to the setting that produces the desired bead size, which is the hump that forms when the weld is made. The slower the travel speed, the larger the bead.

Clip the tip of the electrode with diagonal wire cutters to create a sharp point. The length to which you cut the electrode should match the height of the flux cone tip. Grab the clipped portion with your hands and remove it. Don’t let the clipped portion fall into the welder.

Position the gun so the tip is aimed at the seam between the two plates which will be welded. The tip of the gun should be about 1/8 inch above the plates.

Squeeze the trigger on the gun to begin the weld.

Move the gun along the seam of the plates, keeping the trigger squeezed. The L-56 wire is automatically fed into the SAW; all you need to do is squeeze the trigger. When the entire seam is welded, release the trigger.