# So, I came into a pallet load of .062 MIG wire...



## TORQUIN (Mar 4, 2017)

OK, maybe a pallet is too big, maybe 25 spools of it, all flux core and in plastic bag or plastic bag and box. There's one or two rolls of .055 wire in there too. It got thrown in with another deal.
It's too big for my Miller 350P, which can handle .045. What can I do with it? Have thought about selling it, or using it for an electric fence.

Thanks,
Chris


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## 4GSR (Mar 4, 2017)

Electric Fence sounds good to me.

I don't know of anyone that runs flux core wire that size.  That size is almost always used for submerged arc welding more than you find in mig welding.

Edit- Actually you can use it for MIG welding, dad had a gun set up for 1/16 wire for his welder.  Never saw him weld with it though, always .045 wire.


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## ScrapMetal (Mar 5, 2017)

I'd throw it out on e-bay and see if there was any interest.

JMHO

-Ron


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## Eddyde (Mar 5, 2017)

Yeah sell it on eBay or Craig's List.


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## Ironken (Mar 5, 2017)

4gsr said:


> Electric Fence sounds good to me.
> 
> I don't know of anyone that runs flux core wire that size.  That size is almost always used for submerged arc welding more than you find in mig welding.
> 
> ...





TORQUIN said:


> OK, maybe a pallet is too big, maybe 25 spools of it, all flux core and in plastic bag or plastic bag and box. There's one or two rolls of .055 wire in there too. It got thrown in with another deal.
> It's too big for my Miller 350P, which can handle .045. What can I do with it? Have thought about selling it, or using it for an electric fence.
> 
> Thanks,
> Chris



Is it gasless fluxcore or gas shielded fluxcore or maybe even metal core wire. I used to run 3/32 gas shielded fluxcore by the ton. Post up the brand and AWS class.


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## Ulma Doctor (Mar 6, 2017)

you'll need an LN-25 (or equivalent) and a lot of amps (200-250 amps) to run that .062 wire


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## TORQUIN (Mar 8, 2017)

I got to looking and it turns out Miller does make feed wheels for 1/16" wire, so I could use it in my 350P, if I have something big enough to weld. My problem is I don't get enough need to weld around here. All I got is a trailer frame with a crack in it now. It's only 1/8" steel, so probably won't need that thick of wire to weld it.
I will get back out to the shed where it is stored and get more specs off of it.

Thanks,
Chris


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## Ironken (Mar 8, 2017)

TORQUIN said:


> I got to looking and it turns out Miller does make feed wheels for 1/16" wire, so I could use it in my 350P, if I have something big enough to weld. My problem is I don't get enough need to weld around here. All I got is a trailer frame with a crack in it now. It's only 1/8" steel, so probably won't need that thick of wire to weld it.
> I will get back out to the shed where it is stored and get more specs off of it.
> 
> Thanks,
> Chris



Keep a couple spools and Ebay that stuff!


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## TORQUIN (Mar 10, 2017)

OK, I have:
Kobe 71T-1, .062
Lincoln Outershield MC-710XL, .062
Lincoln Outershield 71-H, .062
Megafil 713R, .062
Hobart Fabco XL-71, .052
Coreweld 70 (E71-T1), .062
Nittetsu SF-3, .052
JIS SF-36F, .052

Most are 44lb rolls.

Chris


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## Cadillac STS (Mar 10, 2017)

TORQUIN said:


> I got to looking and it turns out Miller does make feed wheels for 1/16" wire, so I could use it in my 350P, if I have something big enough to weld. My problem is I don't get enough need to weld around here. All I got is a trailer frame with a crack in it now. It's only 1/8" steel, so probably won't need that thick of wire to weld it.
> I will get back out to the shed where it is stored and get more specs off of it.
> 
> Thanks,
> Chris



Well you do have enough wire to turn that 1/8 inch frame trailer into a 1/2 inch frame trailer by building up the entire thing!


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## Ironken (Mar 10, 2017)

TORQUIN said:


> OK, I have:
> Kobe 71T-1, .062
> Lincoln Outershield MC-710XL, .062
> Lincoln Outershield 71-H, .062
> ...



Looks like you have a bunch of gas shielded flux core wire. Personally, I have used the Lincoln Outershield and the Hobart Fabco. I really like both when it's time to drop the hammer and put down some metal. They tolerate scale very well and penetrate very, very well not to mention very good deposition rates. If I remember right, both of those wires can be used with pure CO2 up to C25.

Right now, I am using Hobart Fabcor 86R metal core wire in my 252 and really like it.


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## TORQUIN (Mar 10, 2017)

Shucks, if it's gas shielded flux core, well I already have LOTS of .035 and .045 of that. Esab Dual-shield 7000, Tri-mark TM770 and Verti-Cor 70 E71T.
I need to get to welding a lot of things, I guess.
I have not used any of it yet, so don't know what it welds like. I was hoping I got flux-core for MIGing outdoors, when I bought the smaller stuff (another lot deal I couldn't turn down).

Chris


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## Ironken (Mar 10, 2017)

Bummer, try selling it off and make a few bucks!


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## Rustrp (Mar 12, 2017)

4gsr said:


> Electric Fence sounds good to me.
> 
> I don't know of anyone that runs flux core wire that size.  That size is almost always used for submerged arc welding more than you find in mig welding.
> 
> Edit- Actually you can use it for MIG welding, dad had a gun set up for 1/16 wire for his welder.  Never saw him weld with it though, always .045 wire.


Flux cored wire breaks with little effort so it wouldn't make a good fence for long.


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## Rustrp (Mar 12, 2017)

TORQUIN said:


> OK, I have:
> Kobe 71T-1, .062
> Lincoln Outershield MC-710XL, .062
> Lincoln Outershield 71-H, .062
> ...


I'm guessing the wire came from a fabrication shop auction or going out of business etc. Finding a home for the wire would be easiest if you look back towards the direction it came. I'm not sure how many structural steel fab shops are in your area. Since all the wire is dual-shield, it's used in the shop more than the field. Using dual-shield in the field requires setting up wind breaks, curtains etc. along with gas storage.  I think the most important question is how the wire was stored because humidity creates some problems. If the wire has any oxidation (light rust) this is a problem too. The problem with using welding filler metals without knowing how it was stored is comparable to maching on material without knowing the chemical composition. A lot of labor can be expended only to have the product fail. You might consider a donation to a college or vocational welding program for use as pracitice but not for testing if a person wished to take a certification test. 

Running this on your 350P would require maxed out settings (250-275 amps/ 24-26 volts) and wouldn't be beneficial to you you or your machine.


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## TORQUIN (Mar 13, 2017)

Thanks for the info, Rustrp.

I played with some .035 ESAB Dual Shield II 70 Ultra, E71T-1/T-1M/T 12M over the weekend, on some 1/8" mild steel . Couldn't make it penetrate worth a darn and got a lot of porosity, no matter what I tried.
I swapped the polarity, primarily using electrode positive, and varied the voltage between 18 and 23, with 260 to 310 ipm, using 75/25 Co2/argon, but could not make a decent bead.

Chris


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## Rustrp (Mar 13, 2017)

TORQUIN said:


> Thanks for the info, Rustrp.
> 
> I played with some .035 ESAB Dual Shield II 70 Ultra, E71T-1/T-1M/T 12M over the weekend, on some 1/8" mild steel . Couldn't make it penetrate worth a darn and got a lot of porosity, no matter what I tried.
> I swapped the polarity, primarily using electrode positive, and varied the voltage between 18 and 23, with 260 to 310 ipm, using 75/25 Co2/argon, but could not make a decent bead.
> ...


DCEP is the correct polarity. Dial back the amps/ipm and increase the volts. Do one step at a time. Leave the volts where you have it (go with 23) and reduce the amps. My guess is you will see results at somewhere around 200 ipm. You should be able to produce something close to a spatter free weld bead. The stick out (contact tip to work) for cored wire is longer than solid wire, 1/2"-3/4". What doesn't come with the welder is an explanation between a CC and CV power source. MIG welders are a CV power source. The voltage is set and the amperage varies based on stickout. e.g. If you have your machine set at 200 amps with a 1/2" stickout, the amperage will drop as you lengthen the stickout, or increase as you shorten it. 

Do you know what to look for as far as weld pool shape? Are you welding the correct direction? The range on weld parameters usually don't include travel speed, but if you are on the high end it means you better be moving quickly.


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## TORQUIN (Mar 14, 2017)

In MIG setting on a 350P, there is no Amp setting. Just Voltage and wire feed speed. I do have "Arc Control", which is a value from 0-99, but am not clear on what it does for me.
One likely problem is my grounding. I didn't think to do it like I normally do, which is clamp a vise grip to the part and connect the ground clamp to the vise grip. I'll have to remember to do that when I get back out there.

Chris


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## Ironken (Mar 14, 2017)

I'm thinking the "0-99" setting may be inductance. The only other issue that I can think of is travel direction as stated earlier. Unless welding vert up, you should drag flux core. Also dual shield should run in a spray like transfer if your set up correctly.

It may be that 350P machine is bad. I will gladly trade my MM252 for your 350 and help you out....ha! Just kidding. I really love my 252 but, wish that I would have ponied up for the 350P. A very nice piece of equipment you have.


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## Rustrp (Mar 14, 2017)

TORQUIN said:


> In MIG setting on a 350P, there is no Amp setting. Just Voltage and wire feed speed. I do have "Arc Control", which is a value from 0-99, but am not clear on what it does for me.
> One likely problem is my grounding. I didn't think to do it like I normally do, which is clamp a vise grip to the part and connect the ground clamp to the vise grip. I'll have to remember to do that when I get back out there.
> 
> Chris



Wire feed speed/IPM and amperage are the same and as I stated earlier, if the amps were measured with a meter or you had a built in meter you (or the person watching the readout) could see an increase or decrease as stickout changes. ....and, I had to watch a youtube video on the 350P setup in order to give (attempt)  a lucid response. If I believe everything I hear I don't need an employee, I just buy the welder. 

If I understood correctly, when going through the setup you have the option of viewing wire feed speed or amperage. This would be done while in set up, and you would change between the two settings by turning the knob on the right. When you are out of setup mode the left knob controls voltage and the right knob controls the amperage (wfs). The following link has some helpful information but holding true to most information regarding welding theory, the arc control/inductance setting explanation is lacking. There is a direct correlation between volts/amps and penetration/fusion. i.e. The appearance of the weld bead with or without the inductance feature, which would be accomplished with voltage when welding within the parameters set for the filler metal.

https://www.millerwelds.com/resources/welding-resources/basic-electricity 

My interpretation of the inductance setting which is used in the short arc mode, controls the amperage in the short arc process. Keeping in mind that voltage is fixed, the inductance setting helps stabilize the amperage used in the pinching force of the short arc cycle to squeeze the molten metal off the end of the filler wire being fed. The cycle is occuring at at rate of, or up to 200 times a second. That's a lot of keystroke to explain something that really doesn't pertain to the FCAW process that we're discussing with the dual-shield wire, but **I had to know** what the arc control setting is supposed to do. 

The short arc metal transfer process in GMAW (MIG) welding isn't deep penetrating, so the emphasis is placed on "wetting" better know as fusion, better know as how well is my weld bead sticking to the base metal. The same isn't true for FCAW or solid wire in the spray mode transfer in regard to penetration and lack of fusion usually isn't a common weld defect, so a lot of concern isn't given. 

Back to the issues running the ".035 ESAB Dual Shield II 70 Ultra, E71T-1/T-1M/T 12M". Just dial back the wire feed speed and if you wish set the arc control on 40-50 ( I don't think it's in play with this process) and you will see things improve. After that it's just some fine tuning. If you wish to play with the .062" wire, I think your machine has what it takes but I don't see any reason to change out feed rolls, liner and contact tips just to play with that much fire. 

Now I need to get back to my shop drawings. Keep us posted on the progress.


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## Rustrp (Mar 14, 2017)

"One likely problem is my grounding."

I suggest only using an additional clamp or vice grip when the part is too small for the ground clamp, otherwise you are creating one more path of resistance for the current circuit to flow. i.e. an overheated ground clamp. If you like the c-clamp or vice grip method then attach your ground lead to the custom made clamp.


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## KBeitz (Nov 11, 2018)

Dumb question... Could the flux core wire be cut into 12" chunks and used on an arc stick welder?


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## TORQUIN (Nov 12, 2018)

KBeitz said:


> Dumb question... Could the flux core wire be cut into 12" chunks and used on an arc stick welder?


The wire is thick, but I doubt thick enough to be stiff enough to use for stick welding.

Chris


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## P. Waller (Nov 12, 2018)

You are not far from a shipyard and very likely several ship manufacturing subcontractors, this would explain why someone has a skid of largish fluxcore GMAW  wire.

When you build large structures you use skids of wire per day. I do not know this as fact but would not be surprised that when building weldments for the US Military a simple "Welding wire must be sourced from this manufacturer, all other materials are noncompliant after this date" order is not out of the question.

A contractor may have hundreds of reels of wire that do not meet the new requirements so in the scrap they go.


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## KBeitz (Nov 13, 2018)

Wow... Great video...


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