Advice needed for welding wire

JC Daniel

Promoted Users
I need to buy more welding wire for panel work and was wandering if Hobart ER 70 S6 0.024 solid wire would be okay for spot welding, Rural King has it local and I would rather deal local than ordering.
 
Exactly what I have started with in practicing to learn the trade. I did a test to see if my weld would break, bend it in two directions no cracks, sounds or splits. It does end up harder than the surrounding sheet metal. That was a first ever weld using some guidance and general agreement from around the web.
 
I need to buy more welding wire for panel work and was wandering if Hobart ER 70 S6 0.024 solid wire would be okay for spot welding, Rural King has it local and I would rather deal local than ordering.

I use that size wire as well.
Just be sure your liner is meant for the small diameter wire. I was using a liner that would handle .035-040" wire and recently switched to a .023-.030" liner. The wire feed while welding seems to be much smoother and easier to control.
 
Some MIG weld better with .023-025 wire some do better with .030. Some MIG's you can make nicer plug welds with .030 than with .025. Try them both (you just need to switch contact tips). Remember that successful MIG welding on sheet is done with spotwelds, skipping around until you connect all the spots. If you try to lay beads down on sheet you will get much more warpage than you would with spotting in a panel. If you are patching a exterior panel you always want to butt weld versus a lap weld.

Refer to the video that our member Robert posted to see why.
http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.php?threads/pitfalls-of-flanged-seams.5275/post-56085
 
when buying wire always buy small rolls . they feed better . the longer the wire sets in your machine the more corrosion it will build . this trashes your liner and creates all kind of problems. i use 030 wire .
 
when buying wire always buy small rolls . they feed better . the longer the wire sets in your machine the more corrosion it will build . this trashes your liner and creates all kind of problems. i use 030 wire .
when buying wire always buy small rolls . they feed better . the longer the wire sets in your machine the more corrosion it will build . this trashes your liner and creates all kind of problems. i use 030 wire .
At the welding supply I get most of my supplies at they have welding wire cleaners, they are a round scotchbrite looking deal that clamps around your wire between the roll and feeder. It makes liners last much longer.
 
I prefer the 10 lb rolls . I always have fresh wire in the machine. Also feed much easier . If your welding every day you need a larger machine and larger rolls .
 
80% of my welding is on 18 gauge or thinner material. I just find that the smaller wire does a nicer weld on thin metal, but still works fine on metal up to 3/16". Of course, you use way more wire than with .030, but the trade-off is worth it for improved weld quality. I Always use the 10lb rolls, but it does not sit on my machine very long. The small rolls of wire at HD are a pretty poor value. I was waiting for a roll of wire to arrive on the big brown truck and ended up having to buy a roll 2 lb roll of wire at HD, and realized that I would pay as much for 4 lbs of wire at HD as I would for a 10 lb roll from the welding supply. I usually go through a 10 lb roll pretty fast, so corrosion on the wire sitting in the machine is not a problem. It is not at all unusual for me to go through a 10 lb roll in less than 2 weeks, as I do a lot of fabrication.


Regards, John McGraw
 
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