Who makes the best ER70S-6 mig wire ?
Is there a difference in quality between manufacturers ?
Where do you buy ?
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Who makes the best ER70S-6 mig wire ?
Is there a difference in quality between manufacturers ?
Where do you buy ?
I guess I have not compared... But I usually get mine from Harbor Freight... It used to be if you broke $50 you would get free shipping... Plus there is a store nearby. They do stock it here...Quote:
Originally Posted by zoama585
http://www.harborfreight.com/0030-in...oll-42919.html
I buy cheap wire!!! but yes there is a difference and I know people who will only buy Lincoln wire. Lately I have been using Radnor wire and have had good luck, but I have read were people had problems. I have also used some inweld mig wire and tig rods with good luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by zoama585
A guy in my town has a machine/welding shop and bought a roll of cheap mig wire because a salesman told him it was good stuff. All of the sudden his machine started going nuts; he would weld and the machine would start sputtering and then clear out and run smooth. It continued over and over again and he thought something was wrong with his welder. He bought a new liner for his gun, new drive wheels, and it still did the same thing again and again. He finally unrolled 4-5 feet of wire and it had some some places where the wire was thicker than .045. He unrolled another 4-5 feet of wire and checked it as well and the same thing again. I have heard other people having similar problems. From what the guy told me he unrolled 25-30 feet of lincoln wire and checked it as well; he said it measured correct with no variances.
National makes a GOOD wire.
But the best?
ESAB OK Aristorod 12.50
Without a shadow of a doubt.
For a decent cheapy...Techniweld.
I'll never buy HF wire again. I buy Lincoln and Hobart at the lowest end. Chicago Electric was the worst wire I ever bought, so bad I stopped welding and pulled it from the machine. Bad arc, breaks, jams, crappy weld quality, etc.
Maybe next time I will have to give another kind a try... Hate to say it out loud... But I have never had a break or jam with their wire. I have used miles of it. As far as quality... Hard to say a lot of the stuff I use it on is rusty and dirty. Almost always used for fixing rather than projects.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trip59
Thanks, I'll try the Esab.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
I have good results with Harris ER70S-6 and if you compare the detailed specifications with Lincoln, Hobart, Radnor, Victor etc they're all identical in composition.
Maybe these welders are tuned with Aristrorod, it's the one ESAB product that is made in China. :D
It's funny, where I used to work we had an ESAB that ran best on Hobart wire, and a Hobart that was best with ESAB SpoolArc 86. The machines were used for different jobs, but I always thought that was odd. If you swapped wires, neither machine worked as well. I was told at the time it had to do with the inductance of the machines as these did not have all the bells and whistles of modern MIG welders.
I use any wire that's the cheapest , to me they weld all the same to me if i adjust gas flow , some need more gas flow and some need less . most the time i use forney mig wire , since best price were i live
I can't find the Esab wire... any suggestions ?Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
You can usually buy it through your local distributor. It is worth every cent trust me. Don't give up on it. Try the national brand next though if you just can't find it or order it through your lws.
Praxiar, Wescoweld.com
I use Harris as well. Tried Hobart but the Harris feels betterQuote:
Originally Posted by X83
Hahaha.... Right after you said you would try it, I thought I would look into it... I found a 20 or 40Lb box of it on ebay and nothing else. I thought I would wait and see what you posted where you got it from. I can find listings for it but no retailers... At least in my limited looking. Was curious what the price is. If it is a little higher or extremely expensive.Quote:
Originally Posted by zoama585
The 40lb roll on ebay is $115 with shipping... that's pretty steep.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Ski
It's about 80.00 per roll locally with shipping (if it has to be special ordered). It's a 44lb roll. With reduced spatter, and less pre weld cleanup and all factor's considered, it isn't bad at all. Again, it's worth it to me.
I ask my lws if they will order it monday.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
I have to agree with you Rod,,,but there are differences in the metal in the wire, depending on the maker,,,which takes me back to my early days in the oldmans body shop,,if you had an American car and an import with the paint on the fenders ground off,,and left them over night or over the weekend,,,in the morning the import would have a yellowish tinge of oxidation on the exposed metal,,,likely due to the absense of chome in the recycled metal used to build them,,,today everything is recycled metal and that can affect the heat required to melt it or the gas required to protect it,,,So each maker of wire makes it to the spec,, but there are subtle differences..most important thing is to get properly packaged and stored wire,,,,rusty wire from a good maker is stil crap..Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodsmachineshop
Always been happy with Lincoln SuperArc 70S6 for mild steel. S/F....Ken M
My lws wants $100=shipping for a 40LB roll... I told them NO.
The roll is actually 44 lbs.
What most people don't know is that frequently the price that they are quoted on other wire, while the same diameter roll, is only 30 lbs. But when you get 14 MORE pounds on a roll, the price goes up.
I bought a roll from the ebay guy... says 40 lb 18kg on the box. The lws said the same, 40 lb. Attachment 7433Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
It's a high price but I gotta see for myself how it does.
I hope that wire isn't rusty. The box is suspect.
The wire I use is copper coated... Or it looks that way... I was told it was to keep it from rusting. I know raw steel will rust in seconds in a humid environment. I live in a humid area and never had a problem with rusty wire.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
Isn't all MIG wire coated like that???
http://products.esabna.com/EN/home/f...od_1250_er70s6Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Ski
The cheap stuff usually is. Copper is used as a substitute deoxidizer, but it also can add impurity to the weld. Plus you end up with the problem of the copper flaking and packing your gun liner and can cause drive roll issues long term.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Ski
Edit: Lookie what I just found:
Things that make you go hmmm. That OK 12.50 sounds better by the moment, doesn't it? You won't find a cheap copper wire that isn't coated, or at least I haven't seen it. The national standard wire that I talked about isn't coated either.
http://www.esabna.com/ca/en/Products/OK-Autrod-1250.cfm
very cool videoQuote:
Originally Posted by zoama585
I notice that stuff it blue... I don't see where it says if it is coated... Maybe not??? Looks like a lot better wire. But for the long term between uses is there is a rust or corrosion problem sounds like not for me. Sometimes I can go for several rolls a year and other times a roll can last several years. With the humidity here I can see surface rust forming on tools if I leave the garage door open on a damp day.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
Brian, it is not coated with copper, but that does not mean it will rust any faster than copper coated wire. I've had copper wire rust on me faster than this stuff. Copper wire will rust. As far as not using it, and the wire rusting, IF a wire does oxidize, it is usually only the top layer of wire, and once that is removed, the wire beneath is just fine, if it is on a closed spool. I live in S. GA, 2 hours from the gulf, and 2 hours from the Atlantic. It doesn't get much more humid, with summer averages around 80-90% humidity.
Mark... Thanks for the info... Learning all the time. Will have to cut off a few pieces of wire and see how they hold up to rusting. Looks like the Esab wire is protected/sealed somehow.
The ebay guy still hasn't shipped. I asked him to put a hard backer on each side of the spool in hopes of avoiding shipping damage.
i keep my mig wire from rusting is i spray anti spatter spray on my wire spools i store . . when i get done welding i open my side cover and spray the outside of spool with anti spatter spray works good
Isn't anti-spatter spray just soapy water ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodsmachineshop
Attachment 7436No its can be silicone or DICHLOROMETHANE . the good anti spatter spray is made with DICHLOROMETHANE methylene chloride i use this spray works awesome for keep mig tip clean
I've got a can of hobart brand... looks like windex to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodsmachineshop
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichloromethane :O Looks like some nasty stuff.
I have used the Hobart don't work very well cant even find a MSDS for it so is probably Windex lol check out msds on what is used for food prossessing they use lye and other bad stuff
The anti spatter the guys use at work is some sort of fish oil base I believe. Smells like Long John Silvers when it is being used. Not sure of the brand but it is a red and silver can.
Another take on the oil based products.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...ng-tip-20.html
The only problem with that is that it will cause impurities and porosity in your weld. When that stuff is heated up it goes to gas, and when it does it creates air bubbles beneath the surface of the weld. Only a little should be used inside the gun nozzle and non weld areas.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodsmachineshop