Using up old welding wire.

[Highpower]

I set out to do a little welding today on some 20 gauge sheet metal which is right in the wheelhouse for my little 110 volt Miller 140 mig welder. I normally keep it set up with .030" flux core wire for outside/portable usage, so I needed to change it over for use with solid wire. Not feeling up to pulling down a 10 lb. spool from the top shelf in my storage rack, I spied a small 1 lb. spool that someone had given me probably 15 years ago. Campbell Hausfeld .024" ER70S6, probably from a big box store. It was unwrapped and the outer layer of wire was a little crusty, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to use some of it up.   

I didn't want to run the ruff stuff through my mig gun liner so I un-spooled the top layer and trashed it. After getting it loaded up in the welder I had another thought. I never use the "auto set" function on this machine and decided to try it out using this old spool of wire. Using the suggested starting voltage (#3 w/.024" wire) from the door chart was a total failure. Didn't have enough voltage to maintain an arc. I finally got it to run pretty well with the voltage at #4.5 but it was too hot for the thin sheet metal. I knew that the auto set calibration was lacking the first time I tried it when I bought the welder, but it wasn't that bad. It just didn't like the old dirty wire - at all.

   

So it was back to manual mode where the chart calls out for 3/50 on the knobs. After running a few test beads I settled in on 3.8 for the voltage and about 54-55 on the wire speed. Pretty close, but Miller's starting points always seem to be on the weak side to me. Same way on my Millermatic 185. I'm just patching up some panels on an old snow thrower so these certainly aren't critical welds. Nothing to write home about, but better results than I expected from an old dusty open spool of wire sitting in my basement for years. Have the welds ground down smooth and flush now, and the first coat of primer applied. One panel down, two to go....  

   

   

[Mayhem]

I always put a disposable ear plug in line with the wire feed. Just poke the wire through it before feeding it into the feed. It keeps crap from being dragged through the liner. If I remember, I'll grab a photo.

[Highpower]

That is a good tip Darren. I've got a truckload of disposable ear plugs here but I don't know that they would have been tough enough to scrape off the crud that was stuck to this wire. I have thought about getting some of these cleaning and lube pads many times that seem to be pretty popular, but never got around to actually doing it.   

[DaveH]

Ooow ........... welding my favorite   
 
DaveH

[stevec]

Dave, on another forum I noticed one poster's sig line, it read "If you can't weld good, weld lots". Not grammatically correct but it's the thought that counts, keep it in mind.

Steve

[Mayhem]

(01-24-2015, 12:22 AM)Highpower Wrote: That is a good tip Darren. I've got a truckload of disposable ear plugs here but I don't know that they would have been tough enough to scrape off the crud that was stuck to this wire...

Perhaps it is the flux core wire that gives problems, as I've never had any problems with the solid wire. The earplug cleans off what ever crap accumulates on the roll between uses and has worked for me so far. You could always try a scouring pad and a bulldog clip before the ear plug...

[arvidj]

(01-24-2015, 12:22 AM)Highpower Wrote: I have thought about getting some of these cleaning and lube pads many times that seem to be pretty popular, but never got around to actually doing it.   

I have those and on occasion they work 'Too Good'. I'll get a motor fault error which means the wire drive motor is working too hard. I have to remove one or both of the pads to keep the error from showing up.

I've not bothered to try and resolve the issue ... like maybe reapplying lube to the pad or reducing the pressure on the pad spring clip so they don't grip the wire as tightly as they do. It is .045 from a 44 lb spool so its probably not easy to push anyway.

[Highpower]

Darren, it's not the flux core wire that is dirty. It's the little one pound spool of solid wire that has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust and surface rust for years on end.

Arvid, that's a good thing to know about the cleaning pads putting that much drag on the wire. I wouldn't have though the spring clips were that strong, but apparently they are. If/when I get some I'll have to remember to check that and maybe spread the spring clip a bit to ease the squeeze. 

[Mayhem]

Sorry Willie, I didn't read your post closely enough. I've never had any issues with the wire but I keep mine in the original packaging until I use it. If you are in a damp area, I'd suggest storing them spools in zip-lock bags.

[Highpower]

(01-24-2015, 07:29 PM)Mayhem Wrote: I'd suggest storing them spools in zip-lock bags.

I do keep my wire in bags, but this spool was given to me already open and crusty a long time ago. I didn't really think I would ever use it since I keep 10 lb. spools for both of my mig welders. I didn't worry about bagging up the little 1 lb. spool when it was given to me because that would have been like closing the barn door after all the cows had already run away. 

I do keep several small spools in bags but those are aluminum and bronze wires for my spool gun. I've never bought a 1 lb. spool of steel wire. It's just too expensive (per ft.) buying those little rolls like that.