Trying to avoid waste

[wb80]

Hi everybody-

I was welding a small fence today with a mm175 and I was using, if I remember, correctly, .024 wire. I needed to switch over to a thicker wire since I was going to start to weld solid mild steel.

Anyway the question is - instead of pulling the wire out from the from of the gun and throwing it away, is it possible to reverse the spool manually to retract the wire and in turn avoid wasting wire?

I only do small jobs and rarely do I need to do this but sometimes I do need to change spool midway and was just wondering.


Thanks in advance,


Will

[Hotfoot]

I'm sure you could flip the tensioer off and roll the spool backwards to do it. Seems like a lot of trouble for a little wire, unless you're swapping spools out all the time...

[wb80]

Yeah your right - I just kind of hate to see it go to waste. I was also concerned about what affect it might have on the machine (funny how now that I have my own machine I worry about things like this and never did before when I would use my fathers machines for years). Thanks for the quick responce.


Will

[WelderDude]

I used to just cut the wire and throw it out. That all changed after my teacher yelled at me for wasting all that wire. He told me to just cut the last little bit of it so it fits threw the gun, then loosen the drive rolls and spool the spool backwards. He was a smart guy so I belived him. Jason W.

[Masher Mfg]

I used to just cut the wire and throw it out. That all changed after my teacher yelled at me for wasting all that wire. He told me to just cut the last little bit of it so it fits threw the gun, then loosen the drive rolls and spool the spool backwards. He was a smart guy so I belived him. Jason W.

Yep, that is what I do. The wire needs to be cut anyway, might as well cut the ball end off at the tip. The drive rolls need to be opened anyway and it is much faster just to turn the spool that to deal with tangeled wire.

Just make sure the loose end of the wire is fasened to the spool to prevent unwinding.

[Mike W]

Save the short pieces for when you get a tig welder.

[MAC702]

I've always snipped the tip of the wire, unscrewed the contact tip, loosened the drive roll, and rewound the spool. I never even considered cutting it all off, but that's 'cause I've always worked alone, I guess.

[rlarkin]

Just take a 10/32 machine screw about 3 inchs long, and double nut it about 1/4" in.
Stick it in the small hole that is used to secure the tag end of the wire, 2 lb or 10 lb, they both have them, and use it as a crank. With the tension nut loose, it only takes a couple seconds to wind it back on.

[richcharles]

What about when you finish a roll of wire and theres still that 10ft or so left in the cable. I tried running the new wire right behind it so it would push the old wire out of the liner, but most times I just ended up with a birdnest. I was .035 wire in a .035 liner. Now I just pull that old wire out and i'm done with it. What do you guys do?

Thanks
Charles

[MAC702]

What about when you finish a roll of wire and theres still that 10ft or so left in the cable. I tried running the new wire right behind it so it would push the old wire out of the liner, but most times I just ended up with a birdnest. I was .035 wire in a .035 liner. Now I just pull that old wire out and i'm done with it. What do you guys do?

Okay, now I've never even attempted that! But I find it interesting that you said "MOST TIMES" you end up with a bird's nest. You mean to tell me it's EVER worked????

[Mike W]

Just grab it with pliers and pull it out.

[rlarkin]

What about when you finish a roll of wire and theres still that 10ft or so left in the cable.

At the $2.39 per lb that I just paid for .030 Lincoln I don't worry about the last 10'.

[MAC702]

Seriously though , it's all in how you cut the wire before feeding the next one in behind it. The wire that is still in the liner has to be cut with a v-notch in the back of it. Then cut a point in the new wire. This will engage with the notch and push the old wire out...

[IRON TO ART]

thats what the scrap metal bins for. When it full you take it in and get $90 a ton for it.

[rlarkin]

cut with a v-notch in the back of it.

How in the devil do you cut a V-notch in .024 wire, or any wire for that mater!