Harbor Freight MIG/ FCAW wire

[Gary Fowler]

I was at Harbor Freight this afternoon and I noticed that they didnt have any Chicago Electric wire only Vulcan wire. Looks like they are shifting to a higher quality wire. The Vulcan wire was $7.99 for a 2 # roll of 71T -GS which is the only FCAW wire that they had. That is half what I paid for a roll of the same type wire at my LWS in the Inweld brand.

 

[California]

I was at Harbor Freight this afternoon and I noticed that they didnt have any Chicago Electric wire only Vulcan wire. Looks like they are shifting to a higher quality wire. The Vulcan wire was $7.99 for a 2 # roll of 71T -GS which is the only FCAW wire that they had. That is half what I paid for a roll of the same type wire at my LWS in the Inweld brand.

Grab all they'll sell to you at that price! The website shows it at $19.99.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Darn, I didnt buy any. I already have 2 spools for 71T-GS and one of hard wire ER70s-2

 

[Gary Fowler]

I was back in HF today and the $7.99 was an advertised special on 5356 aluminum spool. It just had the tag underneath the Vulcan wire (had to read the tag closely to see what it was specifying. The Vulcan wire was $19.99. MY LWS charged me $13.99 for the 2# spool of Inweld brand .035.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I finally found some Lincoln NR-211 wire at of all places Atwoods, a farm and ranch supply. Looks like they may be an authorized Lincoln dealer since they had Lincoln welding machines also.
What was amazing, the Lincoln wire was $13.99 for 2# spool. A brand I had never heard of (Started with a K xxxx )was $19.99 for 2# roll. HF Vulcan wire is also $19.99.

 

[A-one]

More than likely a 1 pound spool of the NR 211. That's about the price of a 1 pound spool at Lowes here. I prefer buying the 10 pound spools. It cuts the price per pound almost in half. I've noticed the wires weld different after they've been opened a while though. I'm assuming moisture pickup. Im trying an ammo box with moisture absorbers from Dollar Tree to store wire.

 

[California]

Im trying an ammo box with moisture absorbers from Dollar Tree to store wire.

Brilliant idea, especially for flux core! That should be in any 'advice for beginners' thread.

 

[Gary Fowler]

More than likely a 1 pound spool of the NR 211. That's about the price of a 1 pound spool at Lowes here. I prefer buying the 10 pound spools. It cuts the price per pound almost in half. I've noticed the wires weld different after they've been opened a while though. I'm assuming moisture pickup. Im trying an ammo box with moisture absorbers from Dollar Tree to store wire.

You are right. I didnt look closely enough at the weight. I just assumed it was 2# like all the other 4" spools. I want to get a MIG welder that will use the 10# spools. Just looking for the right bargain.

 

[A-one]

It definitely helps to have the 10 pound spools. Just have to figure out how to keep this Arkansas humidity out of the wire.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I keep the spools that I am not using in ziplock plastic bags. One could also put some desiccant in with it . I have no idea how you would keep the spool on the machine from absorbing moisture. I think I read somewhere that the wire is good for about a year after opening the package. I dont know if the "packaging" that comes with HF wire is that good. The Welcote wire I got from Yomax was in a cardboard box and inside the box was a sealed Mylar bag with the spool inside. I would say that one would last a millennia if not damaged.

 

[A-one]

No way to keep the spool on the machine out of the atmosphere. I don't weld everyday. I've started taking the spool off the machine. That's another reason I started the thread about what size flux core wires to keep. If I could keep .030 and .045, the ammo box would be able to hold a couple of 10 pound spools and a moisture absorber. It seems life would be much simpler that way.

As far as shelf life, it depends on the manufacturer. If I recall correctly, some of the Lincoln wires are supposed to be good for 3 years if the packaging hasn't been damaged. I remember something about 70% humidity also. I figure the ammo box should be well under that.

 

[Bearskinner]

I roll my welder into the back tool room in the shop. I keep my tool box, power tools etc inside, it’s insulated with heat in the winter and a stand alone dehumidifier to keep things in good shape.
When I started wiring the shop a couple years ago, I framed in a 24’x12’ tool room with 2x6 walls, 2x8 ceiling, 12’ tall. It’s all spray foam insulated so it’s always comfortable inside. There’s still room for walk around storage on top too.

 

[California]

Like everybody else I've thought Chicago Electric (HF) flux wire was poor. My experience was awful with the wire that came with a HF 90-AC welder (blue) 15 years ago.

But Saturday I put in a half-used spool of CE .035 flux core that came with a used welder, and it worked great on a minor repair. No problems at all, and almost no splatter.

I described that experience in post #4 of this thread:

Harbor Freight MIG-180 upgrade

New toys! I was offered a Harbor Freight MIG-180 AND an inverter stick/tig unit - with all the accessories - for $25. I couldn't pass this up. Prior owner was an experimenter rather than a welder, and had modded the MIG-180 as a hobby project. It was immaculate and appeared almost never-used...

weldingsite.com

 

[Gary Fowler]

I finally got the one roll of Chicago Electric wire to feed and weld but it spatters and sparks a lot. You likely loose 20% minimum of the weld metal due to spatter with that wire. Other than that, it seems to produce a solid weld. The Vulcan wire does much better but none is as good as the Welcote E71T-11 I got from Yomax4. I was going to hook up my C25 and solid wire but this welds so good, I am just going to use that for now and save the gas and wire for thin stuff.

 

[Bearskinner]

Better quality supplies gives you better quality results

 

[A-one]

I've never used any other brand besides Lincoln and Hobart. The first welder I got my hands on, the seller gave me a couple of pounds of Innershield and a roll of Hobart. I bought a pound of Lincoln, then somebody gave me 10 pounds of Hobart. Then the seller of the welder listed about 4 more pounds of Innershield for $25. I've never tried any other wire. I need to go shopping right now. The only things I really look at are price per pound, and E71T-11.

 

[Bearskinner]

I’ve also tried some of the HF MIG tips, but they seem to be made from an inferior type of material. In my usage, the wire got welded to a couple tips, and I needed to turn the welder off, unscrew the tip, pull the tip and wire out, cut the wire, then replace the tip. I haven’t had that problem since I’ve gotten new ones at my local welding supply store.

 

[California]

I’ve also tried some of the HF MIG tips, but they seem to be made from an inferior type of material. In my usage, the wire got welded to a couple tips, and I needed to turn the welder off, unscrew the tip, pull the tip and wire out, cut the wire, then replace the tip. I haven’t had that problem since I’ve gotten new ones at my local welding supply store.

I had the same experience with flux core wire sticking in the tip on the HF MIG-180. But I think that was a consequence of the wrong feed roller crushing the wire, making it thin and wide so it couldn't fit through the tip. After installing a replacement roller with sharper knurling the wire will feed with very little down-pressure at the roller, letting the wire feed without distortion. I'm using tips from a HF combo-pack that has several of each size. After putting in that better roller, no more tip sticking.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I’ve also tried some of the HF MIG tips, but they seem to be made from an inferior type of material. In my usage, the wire got welded to a couple tips, and I needed to turn the welder off, unscrew the tip, pull the tip and wire out, cut the wire, then replace the tip. I haven’t had that problem since I’ve gotten new ones at my local welding supply store.

I had that happen one time. Mostly I just arc out the tip but the wire doesnt fuse to the tip. I do take a oxy-acetylene torch tip cleaner to the contact tip sometimes to clean out the carbon build up and that makes it feed much better. I also chuck up the tip in my drill and then sand the end down to make a new round end after arcing it several times. I did the same thing to the electrode in my Plasma rig. It had quit starting the pilot arc. The electrode had a pit burned into the center. A little sanding to remove the pit and it then worked fine. I only have one spare for it and need to make them last.

 

[Bearskinner]

I haven’t had a fillerspool feed problem, there’s just something in the metal of the tips I picked up that even when cleaned out, and I used a spatter shielding spray, the tips got boogered to the wire. When I picked up new ones at the welding shop, I have not had that problem since.