HB-28: very poorly wound roll

**Dan** · 07-07-2006, 03:26 AM

Drove the 30+ miles round trip yesterday to Airgas to pick up a 10 lbs spool of .030 HB-28. Got home and took the roll out of the box, and could immediately tell I was probably going to have problems with it. For one, the roll is wound quite loosely. Secondly compared to any other roll of wire I've purchased, the wire looks like a tangled up mess on the spool. Lastly, the copper coating on the wire looks like its flaking off.

Anyway, I went ahead and installed the roll on one of my machines. What I saw next is something I've never experience before from a roll of wire. When I pulled the trigger on the gun, I could very easily see the wire cork screwing between the roll of wire and the drive rolls. After this I tried running a few beads. Notice I stated tried. The wire was cork screwing like crazy out the end of the contact tip. I suspected it was going to do this though. Considering the fact that the wire was wandering all over the place as it exits the contact tip, my resulting weld beads looked quite similar to what my 10 year old produces.

Now, I 'm either going to have to drive back to Airgas, which costs me close to $10 anymore, to see if I can exchange the roll for another, or just throw the roll of wire into my scrap bin.

I guess from now on, I'll be removing the roll of wire from the box and inspecting it before I leave the store. In 18 years of welding this is the first time I ve ever got a roll of wire like this.

**fyoung** · 07-07-2006, 03:39 AM

I believe I'd take it back...I'm sure it cost you quite a bit plus if you don't and you're like me it will bother you for awhile knowing you got Sc@@?e.d

**Hotfoot** · 07-07-2006, 06:41 AM

I would have driven the 15 miles back, and exchanged it (checking out the new rool before I left). You probably never should have put that in your machine....migt screw up your liner! What brand is it??

**Sundown** · 07-07-2006, 08:47 AM

Dan,

See, you should have kept the roll of HB-28 you sent to me

I was using it yesterday and it performed quite well

. I wonder if someone had opened it before you got it and had it come loose and tried to rewind it?

Foot ... That would be Hobart Brothers wire, which I use a lot of and have never had any that was poorly wound.

**storts** · 07-07-2006, 09:02 AM

I would call the store,and have one of there salesman del a new roll,they can afford it,,and in my 30+ years,thats a new one,,You learn something new here everyday

,Good Luck,Jack

**Sparkeee24** · 07-07-2006, 09:41 AM

Howdy Howdy! There are standards which nead to be met. Manufacturers know this. I believe it is called helix, or something like that. It's where when you unroll a single coil NATURALLY, and where the two ends nearly meet, set it flat on a table top. The coil is supposed to be a certasin size for a given diameter of wire, and also have a certain helix, or seperation due to twist put into the wire. Regardless of unwound or not. I believe the helix is supposed to be roughly 1/4" or less. one cut end should stand aboput 1/4" above the other cut end, when resting flat on a tabletop. Good luck! Brian Lee Sparkeee27

**dda52** · 07-07-2006, 10:51 AM

Yup, that is a bad one alright. Sounds like someone rewound it after dropping it or returned it...something. I've never had a Hobart Bros roll like that. I'd return it for sure. That stuff ain't cheap to begin with.

**Mike W** · 07-07-2006, 10:56 AM

I agree Don. I have used up a lot of that wire and never had any problems. Take it back Dan.

**Brand X** · 07-07-2006, 11:39 AM

It would be nice to know with country the wire came from???
I was thinking of getting another roll of .030 because the
last one worked really well. Could of just been the machine
I using it in though????

**Dan** · 07-07-2006, 11:48 AM

Well guys, I took the time to return the roll.I didn't return home with a roll of HB-28 though, because we (salesman and I) opened up all five boxes Airgas had on the shelf, and they all looked identical to the roll I was returning. Grabbed another roll of Radnor wire for now, since the stock they currently have has been running real nice.

My C-25 bottles will need to be filled next week, so I'll check out there HB-28 stock then. I know this was just more then likely a fluke run, because I've used the wire quite a bit in the past and never had any trouble with it, which is why I wasn't concerned about opening the box yesterday and inspecting the roll.

**Dan** · 07-07-2006, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Brand X

It would be nice to know with country the wire came from???
I was thinking of getting another roll of .030 because the
last one worked really well. Could of just been the machine
I using it in though????

Scott, the roll of .030 HB-28 that I sent to George was running great on my 210, and a couple other machines around here. Guess I shouldn't have sent it to him.

All you have to do is open up the box and inspect the roll. Just looking at the roll I had it was obvious that it was probably going to run poorly. I didn t exspect the cork screw effect though, that was definitely a new one for me. Didn't have to do any type of oscillation, because the wire was already doing it for me.

**hankj** · 07-07-2006, 01:02 PM

The production run must have been late Friday or early Monday, or the new kid was running the machine and pulled the wire from the wrong spot on the feed roll! Guess the quality control guy was off, too?

That stuff really fires me up...

Hank

**Roospike** · 07-07-2006, 01:07 PM

I'm about 35 mile round trip from my welding supply store and i normally use the Lincoln L-56 in .30 . I just had this same problem with a 11# roll of wire except mine was iner twined , when you pull the trigger the weld would go and then stop , go and stop . Every time the roll got to the same spot it would catch and stop because of how it was wound. PITA for sure . I just took it off and put my spare roll on and when i went back to town i just changed it out for another . I keep two rolls on-hand and get a new roll when the first roll is about 3/4 of the way gone , this way my two rolls are always bought at different times and never of the same store stock . I also had a roll of .35 wire on a .30 roll , couldnt figure out why the wire wouldnt go through the .30 tip i had . ( I normally run .30 wire for standard welding ) Found out the local supplier had many with this issue .

**anchoi4mua** · 07-07-2006, 02:08 PM

per Dan's recommendation, I ordered a roll of HB-28 from cyberwell.com...Hopefully won't have this problem

**Thomas Harris** · 07-07-2006, 02:54 PM

I'd guess the small rolls put into migs are likely rewound off a huge bulk rolls that may weigh tons. If the process is done wrong I bet the result is some funky spool memory which doesn't straighten out when it goes through the liner. If... it goes through the liner, that is. Kinda sucks considering the price of wire now. Too bad you had to run back to the supplier to fix it.