stopping wire getting rusty

[rocketron]

With my last mig welder the wire on the reel got rusty real quick and jammed in the liner. I fitted a 25watt bulb and socket which stayed on 24/7. Until it blew over the Christmas break, came back to instant jam up. Ok, perhaps should have taken the reel out.
So with my new Portamig (Christ, I'm so happy!!!), which is flippin' brilliant, I put an enclosed tray with some white granules inside called "Moisture Mate" in the area below wire feed motor. Costs about £8 and last for 10 weeks in a small room. If it doesn't last 10 years in my migger, will take it back!
Anybody have experience of this stuff?

 

[schnappi]

No idea but I get every little sachet of those crystals that you get in boxes of new shoes, electrical equipment etc. and chuck them in the MIG welder.

Not sure if it does anything useful but it can't do any harm.

 

[brightspark]

desecant is the best. much better than silica gell .can absorb 200 times its own weight in moisture

 

[sean-1]

Go wilkinsons, they sell the stuff for a couple of quid for getting rid of damp in rooms

 

[gordon stephenson]

Usually the better quality makes of wire, Lincoln, Esab etc seem much more resistant to rusting.

 

[shenion]

Usually the better quality makes of wire, Lincoln, Esab etc seem much more resistant to rusting.

Yes my Lincoln and Hobart wire sits in my often flooded garage and still have no rust after 2 years.

The small Chinese roll rusted in a few days.

 

[s410man]

i just use silica gel in the bottom of the casings and never had a problem but i have noticed that a welder stored in a stone barn will rust the wire less than one in a metal shed

must be because the temperature stays a a bit warmer

 

[Balders]

desecant is the best. much better than silica gell .can absorb 200 times its own weight in moisture

Silica gel is a desiccant.

 

[Omniata]

You can dry it in the oven too to reuse it...

I have a desiccator with about 2kg of silica gel in it that I've reused more times than I can count on my fingers and toes

 

[reggieroo]

I asked this same question a short time back, apart from removing the wire & storing it somewhere moisture free, all you can do is use the silica as suggested. I have been keeping those little sachets when ever I can to chuck in the bottom on the welder.

 

[aametalmaster]

I asked this same question a short time back, apart from removing the wire & storing it somewhere moisture free, all you can do is use the silica as suggested. I have been keeping those little sachets when ever I can to chuck in the bottom on the welder.

Make the area smaller for the packets to protect. Slit the plastic bag that comes with the wire so you can at least cover the wire while its on the welder and put the packets in there. Or remove the wire and put it in the bag with the packets. I spray mine down with WD40 and don't have any problems. Just my thoughts...Bob

 

[keith19]

I spray with WD40 too, Bob, and I never get problems neither. But I've been keeping pretty quiet about it, because some of the guys on here start having kittens if you tell 'em that...

 

[reggieroo]

Do you guys spray the wire with WD40?

 

[mirafioriman]

I was advised to do that too when I had this issue. It stops the wire corroding but not sure if it affects the weld quality

 

[s410man]

I was advised to do that too when I had this issue. It stops the wire corroding but not sure if it affects the weld quality

i heard the fumes was the main reason not to do it

 

[keith19]

Yes, it does stop the wire corroding. You only need to spray it lightly, it's just a surface layer to keep out the moisture and air. Don't make the mistake of soaking the reel.

When I eventually restart I just make up a small pad of cloth waste and tie it on to the wire guides just before where it enters the rollers, so the wire gets wiped as it goes through. You can take this off once you've welded a few feet of wire and the WD40 residue is gone.

Technically, if you were doing safety-critical welding it would be unwise to run the risk of any kind of oil contamination, especially on that first few feet of wire. But as most of what we are doing on here is either auto panel work or non-critical work anyway, this issue doesn't really arise.
Or, as Scott says, buy good-quality wire in the first place, like he advises, and it won't go rusty over a few months standing idle.

 

[s410man]

my boss has put a low watt lightbulb in 1 welder as wire would go rusty overnight but his otherone which is in a stonebarn was fine after a 2 week christmas holiday

 

[keith19]

I have heard similar about keeping tools. In a metal box they tend to go rusty after awhile, but in a wooden box they don't. I guess the wood absorbs moisture that would otherwise condense onto the steel and interact with air to produce rust.

 

[outofthefire]

The anti spatter spray we use at work is veg oil based reckon you could spray that on if there's a worry about wd40 fumes

 

[keith19]

Here's the safety sheet for WD40.
http://www.wd40.com/files/pdf/msds-wd494716385.pdf
Nothing very much about toxic fumes. More about fire hazard, as you'd expect if stored in large quantities. Or sprayed near sources of heat or flames.
What little residue would be left on welding wire after several months storage, and going through a cleaning cloth, would be burnt off instantly during welding.