Has Anyone Converted the Wire Feed "Numbers" Into Inches Per Second?

[MrGatsby]

Hey folk, the only welder that I have here at the house at the moment is a Chicago Electric 90 Amp [it is what it is]. As you likely know, it has those numbers [0 thru 10] on the front panel for wire feed speed. My question is: Has anyone mapped those front panel numbers to the approximate corresponding inches per minute [IPM] for this welder? Example: #4 on the welder corresponds to 250 IPM, etc.

Figured I'd ask here in order to save me the time of mapping it out myself (and wasting some wire in the process).

Thanks.

[Welder Dave]

They may or may not be in equal increments. A simple way to measure wire speed is feed the wire for 10 seconds and measure it. Then multiply by 6 to get wire speed in inches per minute. You can buy a wire speed gauge but they are expensive. Usually you set your wire speed or volts and play with the other until you get the desired characteristics.

[MinnesotaDave]

I wouldn't worry about wasting wire. The amount would be measured in pennies.

[mla2ofus]

You don't have to waste wire, just relieve roller tension and wind it back on the spool then retension rollers and start next test.
Mike

[MrGatsby]

I wouldn't worry about wasting wire. The amount would be measured in pennies.

I'm literally down my last not too many feet on this roll, and don't wanna buy a new roll just to finish up 6 or 8 inches of this one weld.

[MrGatsby]

You don't have to waste wire, just relieve roller tension and wind it back on the spool then retension rollers and start next test.
Mike

Did I mention it's a Chicago Electric? ..... Which it pains to admit has Chicago Electric flux wire on it. Man, this thing already only feeds like every other inch sometimes. To unspool and then re-spool this stuff is like Harbor wire suicide.
That and the fact that the CE feed settings are not likely linear. So, in order to get an accurate IPM chart, I'd need to run calculations at least at 3 or 4 different speed settings. Bottom line: I just figured somebody knew a link to a chart that had been done already since these HF appear to be popular cheap welders.
This is the first time that I've used it in the 4 years since someone gave it to me, and it's not likely I'll need to ever use it again before I pick up a tank [argon] for the TIG... and I said to myself that one day I'd probably pick up a Lincoln MIG just to have one on hand in case I ever needed it.

[mla2ofus]

Well, if the feed is that unsteady I don't see any reason to go to the trouble.
Mike