corroded wire

[A-KID]

hello All!
i am new, i have just bought a Mig welder 2nd hand, a carke100E, not the best but ok for starting im sure. i have done a bit of welding in college. like about 2 hours worth!
however i received some rolls of wire which are a bit corroded.
i will be using the wire for car restoration so am PARANOID about rust, will using corroded wire accentuate rusting on/ around welds?
thanks all, will post pics soon of my 'work'!
Kid

 

[backpurge]

It won't accelerate corrosion but you will quickly find out that corroded wire will not feed through the torch properly

 

[Wozzaaah]

Just strip off the rusty layers until it becomes good, unless it's been sat in a really damp environment it's usually only the top couple of layers that rust.
As backpurge says, you don't really want to be running rusty wire through your machine as the rust dust will soon clog the liner and tip.

 

[A-KID]

ah ok, thanks for the replies, ill just scrap the corroded layers then when i come to use them. is it a good or bad idea to 'oil' the wire spools or or something to protect it a bit to displace moisture until use?
if so, what oil would be suitable?
thanks

 

[penfold]

The only practical way of avoiding it going rusty is to have a workshop that's well insulated and heated 24hrs; a compromise would be to dehumidify, but that's not practical in a UK winter as dehumidifiers generally need temperatures well above zero to work effectively.

For hobby/home welding I've found that you just need to either take the roll off and store it indoors somewhere if you're not going to be welding for a long period(airing cupboards are good; dry and warm) or get used to stripping off the outer rusty layer and binning it.

Taking that thought a little further, you could keep the wire in the workshop if it was in a tupperware box or ziplock plastic bag along with some silica gel to absorb any moisture.

 

[Sean]

Spraying the reel with WD40 has little effect on the welds and keeps an infrequently used reel rust free. You can put a clothes peg and bit of rag on the wire to get most of it off before it goes through the feed. Im guessing your not welding to nuclear power plant or aerospce standards.

 

[TechnicAl]

If you put Oil or WD40 on the wire be very, very careful of the fumes. I believe they will be highly toxic. Wire manufacturers go to great lengths (and costs) to ensure there is no oil or any other contaminant on the wire...............then someone comes along and puts oil on

 

[Sean]

ok then - warning noted