atomicjoe23
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Need some quick help from you guys. . .
I live in the Pacific Northwest so even now during the summer the moisture content in the air is pretty high. . .high enough that my filler wire has developed a surface layer of oxidation on it. I didn't notice it at first, but my welds were coming out full of porosity. . .I mean porosity on a level I have never seen before from a MIG weld (but all of my previous welding experience has been in a shop where we would go through a 12" spool of filler wire in less than a week so oxidation didn't have time to develop).
I was gonna play around with my new home welder a Millermatic 211 (I'm used to using a Millermatic 252 in the shop) so that I could figure out the settings I like on it. . .so being at home instead of the shop I'm welding outside so I thought it might have been a loss of shielding gas (using 75/25 Ar/CO2 and had the flowmeter at 25 which should have been plenty. . .I was in a relatively well protected area with no noticeable breeze and a full tank). While fiddling with the machine I noticed the oxidation on the filler wire. . .not enough to be visible but just enough that if you run your finger along the wire you would get a slight red oxidation stain on your finger.
I figure that running the lube pads on the wire will be enough to get rid of the slight oxidation and get rid of my porosity problem, but the problem is it's Labor Day weekend and Praxair won't be open again until Tuesday. . .I don't wanna wait 3 days to get the lube. I already have scotch pads and bulldog clips so all I need is the lube.
Is there a readily available substitute for the wire lube that I could pick up somewhere else or that I might already have at home?
Thanks!
I live in the Pacific Northwest so even now during the summer the moisture content in the air is pretty high. . .high enough that my filler wire has developed a surface layer of oxidation on it. I didn't notice it at first, but my welds were coming out full of porosity. . .I mean porosity on a level I have never seen before from a MIG weld (but all of my previous welding experience has been in a shop where we would go through a 12" spool of filler wire in less than a week so oxidation didn't have time to develop).
I was gonna play around with my new home welder a Millermatic 211 (I'm used to using a Millermatic 252 in the shop) so that I could figure out the settings I like on it. . .so being at home instead of the shop I'm welding outside so I thought it might have been a loss of shielding gas (using 75/25 Ar/CO2 and had the flowmeter at 25 which should have been plenty. . .I was in a relatively well protected area with no noticeable breeze and a full tank). While fiddling with the machine I noticed the oxidation on the filler wire. . .not enough to be visible but just enough that if you run your finger along the wire you would get a slight red oxidation stain on your finger.
I figure that running the lube pads on the wire will be enough to get rid of the slight oxidation and get rid of my porosity problem, but the problem is it's Labor Day weekend and Praxair won't be open again until Tuesday. . .I don't wanna wait 3 days to get the lube. I already have scotch pads and bulldog clips so all I need is the lube.
Is there a readily available substitute for the wire lube that I could pick up somewhere else or that I might already have at home?
Thanks!