Mig Wire Question

[iron bark]

I have a large roll of wire which has been sitting around without use for so long it has got a bit of surface corrosion on it. Since I don't currently have a gas bottle due to the rather costly hire charges, I can't try it out.

For future reference, does the corrosion mean it is a throw away reel or can it still be used - i tried a search but came up with nothing

Cheers, Ned

[Barry_White]

Iron Bark

I think it would cause some problems in the wire tube. You maybe able to unwind some and it may not be rusty further in the roll.

[Chris Parks]

Corroded wire will wreck the liner then you will have to buy a liner as well. If it is a a large roll you may be able to unwind it to find good wire underneath.

[iron bark]

Thanks Bazza and Chris - I will unwind it and it and see what I have got - the reason for my question was actually whether the oxidisation would affect the quality of the weld - I must admit I hadn't considered the feed factors - your input much appreciated

Cheers,

Ned

[Grahame Collins]

G' day Iron bark

As per the other respondents plus this.
When unrolling the layers of wire make sure there is a tension on the spool. Most migs have a spring loading assembly that bears on the spool spindle thus stopping over roll.
if the spool over rolls much more wire than you want or need to can and will come off the spool.

Also if the wire is not to be used for a while bag it up in a garbo bag or the like and chuck in some dessicant.I use the stuff that comes with my blood pressure tabs.That way you will avoid rust. Every Xmas holiday break I bag the mig wire at school in the wels shop, so that the spool wire don,t rust.

another handy hint from
Grahame

[simso]

Hate to admit to it, but Ive welded with corroded wire before. It works fine but does leave inclusions in the job, if its not structural not really a big deal. If your running a teflon liner then its still fine won t harm your machine, if your running a steel liner its not that great for it. I find that the best way to store a roll of wire is simply leave it fitted and wrap some waxed paper around the roll. Have left a mig with this stuff inplace and forgotten all about it and gone to use it about 2 years later and it still works perfect.

[Grahame Collins]

One I had forgotten about

Ok you got rust in your liner .Its not the end of the the world.I used to do the following weekly as regular mig machine maintainence when doing xray level work on pipework. This works on the cafe curtain type spiral wound type liner- not the teflon.

Remove the liner from your torch - roll into a diameter that will fit into an open top 20 litre steel drum.

Place enough kerosene in the drum to cover the rolled up liner and swill in around for a minute or two. Empty it out and dispose of it thoughtfully.

In the same drum place enough methylated spirits and swill it around again.

Remove the liner from the drum.

Carefully using an airline nozzle blow the fluid out out of the liner moving from the back of liner to the contact tip end.

Bingo ,one clean liner.

Done on a regular basis it also serves to be able to check the liner for kinks. -heavy thinks dropped on torch cables cause kinks in the liner- makes it harder to weld by causing resistance build up.

hope it helps you

Grahame

[Mick C.]

There are also small scotch brit/steelwool type cleaners that will fit over the wire in the welder and attempt to clean it as it is being fed, as the wire is drawn through the cleaner before it goes into the liner. Another trick that works to keep the wire from rusting while inside the machine, is to put a small cup with a oily rag, inside the machine near the wire spool. Will stop your wire from rusting and wont cause any trouble with the quality of the weld.

[Rebus]

Back in the north of SA, where I started this life, a time honoured method of cleaning the rust from welding wire was to tie a good length to the back of the ute and then do a couple of turns round the paddock with it in tow. :D

Very usefull for getting the rust off of fencing wire to be used for oxy welding, although it might put a kink or two in the mig wire :oo: