Wire Identification

[Frankw]

Good Morning Gentlemen,

Need help to identify some mig wire. There are no markings/labels etc. The plastic spool has a small label "Made in France" but that may be just the spool, not the wire.
Here are some pictures....

[Frankw]

Forgot to say the wire diameter is 0.020" Yes twenty thou??? seems a little small.

Frank

[hankj]

Absent any markings, what makes you sure it's welding electrode? From the non-standard size and spool, I'm thinkin' it may be some kind of other wire, like tie wire or something? What's the ID of the hub? How did you meausre the .020? Precision instrument or hand-held caliper?

Hank

[Frankw]

Hankj,

Not sure about the inside dia, will measure later. Wire dia was measured with a micrometer, I re-measured along after unwinding a few turns... same reading 0.020". Wire was given to me as mig welding wire from a friend who owns a tool shop.

He said "here try this out, see what you think"

Frank

[hankj]

Heck, I'd just mount it and run it through a .023 tip and see what you get. You'll find out fast enough!

Hank

[tooldude56]

I am not sure,by any means,but judging from the spool configuration,could it be EDM wire or the wire that they use for hotwire cutting of foam??Just a few suggestions........I have seen EDM wire spools that look very similar to this.

tooldude56

[James D. Clark]

tooldude56 may have identified it-EDM wire. In one photo the wire has a flat spot on it? The wire could be new or it could be used if it's EDM wire. On a EDM machine the used wire is wound onto a take-up spool. It isn't reused. Does the wire look like a brass alloy? If it is I doubt it will weld in a MIG welder. Wonder if your friend isn't pulling one one you.

[Frankw]

Jim,

The flat spot is a trick of the camera, is definitely not a brass alloy. The wire is quite stiff and springy... more like stainless. Will give it the magnet test when I get home.

Frank

[James D. Clark]

The spool doesn't look like a welding wire spool. It does look like the spools used for EDM wire. I had to look on an EDM wire web site. The wire dia. sounds a bit too big. I think .012 dia. is about as large that EDM wire comes in. It's been maybe 15 years plus since I've seen any EDM wire. Didn't spend much time looking at it-just wanted to see what I was programming and how it worked.

[newtoit]

"The wire is quite stiff and springy... more like stainless"

Music wire? Piano wire?