Quick Welding Help Please. . .substitute for MIG wire cleaning lube???

[atomicjoe23]

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!

 

[atomicjoe23]

Well I'm guessing that you guys must be having better weather over this Labor Day Weekend than I am. . .

. . .not much activity on the forum at all. . .it's raining here and I'm betting all of you are out in the desert for the weekend.

Have fun guys!!!

 

[Mike @ pit b]

What I've seen as the norm for cleaning the wire before it's fed into the gun is some scotch-bright and a clothes pin. Fold a piece of scotch-bright over the wire before it hit the rollers the feed the wire and use a clothes pin to keep it on there.

 

[mikeyfrombc]

you sure it,s your wire ?? i live in a similar climate and ,my wire never caused me issues even with the machine sitting in a non heated shop for 3yrs , my major prosity issues always lead back to the cheap ass Smith regulator that is supplied with the machine , i,ve had both my Smiths rebuilt and keep a spare in the shop just incase , also i run 17 to 20 cfh for flow on my 210

 

[atomicjoe23]

I'm not positive it's the wire, but that was my best guess. . .I had good weld for about 2-3 minutes. . .enough to theoretically run the filler that was encased in the liner/hose out and then get to the wire that was exposed to atmosphere.

I could hear the gas flowing so I don't think it's the gas and I've used the bottle before with great results. . .leaves me to think it's the wire.

 

[atomicjoe23]

Will just the scotch brite pad by itself be enough. . .that's the same set-up that I'm familiar with as well, just used to the lube/cleaner be used in conjunction with it. Soak the scotch pad in the lube/cleaner and clothes line or bulldog clip onto the wire.

 

[etl450]

Iv don alot of welding in my driveway over the years, just ask the local law enforcement! I have always had issues with the gas levels outside. Middle of the night, not a breeze one. Its like how the actual air flows off the earth or something star trekie like that. If your work has some wire for nongas applications, i would try to borrow it for the evening. In Oklahoma we get some pretty good humidity and moisture and some of my odd size spools will sit for almost a year at my house and never had any problems with corrosion.

 

[Brian Mapes]

I know its a little late but If you cant get any lube or anything I would settle for just using a scotchbrite pad clipped around your wire. The friction of the pad to the wire should remove the bulk of the rust and oxidation.