I have an older Millermatic 35 welder. It's set up for .030/.035 wire. I am considering purchasing the updated gun kit that can accommodate .023 wire however I have to figure out how to retrofit .023 drive rollers. I have two spare OEM rollers. Looking for ideas as how to make these work. I thought about applying JB Weld around the grooves and then machining it back to OD of the roller. Then machining .023 grooves. Any thoughts out there?
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Millermatic 35 Welder
- Thread starter Scruffer
- Start date
I spoke with a rep at a welding supply who sells the retro kits guns to accommodate the .023 wire on the welder. What he said was that they use to sell the top roller with a thin sleeve over it to make it flat without the groove. Leave the bottom roller as is. That would give it enough tension to push the .023 wire through the liner. The sleeve would have to be machined from a hardened steel I suppose. Not sure how thin walled I could machine it. Maybe .050?
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- Apr 23, 2018
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- 6,550
I ran a Millermatic 35 for ten or fifteen years, it's a classic. It does very well on sheet metal with .023, that's what made it a sought after welder for body shops back in the '60s-80s.
You need to buy Miller feed rollers for 023. No modifying those hardened precision parts, they need to be correct.
When you change wire size in a Miller, you need the following parts to match the wire:
Contact tip
Wire feed liner (inside the gun cable)
Feed rollers
The liners and tips are cheap, the rollers are a little steep if you're on a tight budget but there is no substitute. Buy them once and you never need to buy them again.
You need to buy Miller feed rollers for 023. No modifying those hardened precision parts, they need to be correct.
When you change wire size in a Miller, you need the following parts to match the wire:
Contact tip
Wire feed liner (inside the gun cable)
Feed rollers
The liners and tips are cheap, the rollers are a little steep if you're on a tight budget but there is no substitute. Buy them once and you never need to buy them again.
My welder is the white face model. July 1979. The black face were 1980 and later (I think). They were adaptable for the .023 wire. Near as I can determine, the lower roller stays the same but the upper roller changes out to accommodate the .023 wire. Part # 058 553. More than likely would work on my welder. The liner would be easy to locate. That upper roller probably not.
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
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Saying it would be hard to find rollers for a Millermatic 35 is like saying it's hard to find a water pump for a small block chevy. They started making that welder in 1971, and sold it for 25 years. It was the first all in one MIG machine, with the wire feeder and power unit in the same box. They sold a lot of them.
I sold mine when I got my 251, almost two decades ago, so I don't remember how the drive wheels are grooved, but with some wheels you can use different wire with the same groove, changing only one side. It's more about being sized right so it performs right, so check the manual. Manuals are free from Miller, no matter how old your machine is.
I sold mine when I got my 251, almost two decades ago, so I don't remember how the drive wheels are grooved, but with some wheels you can use different wire with the same groove, changing only one side. It's more about being sized right so it performs right, so check the manual. Manuals are free from Miller, no matter how old your machine is.