0.30" wire in 0.35" rollers

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just quick question will using 0.30" (0.8mm) solid wire in 0.35" (0.9mm) rollers work. Just converting from fluxcore to gas.
Reply:come on gurus need to know before tomorrow. My machine is a lincoln 180 power mig and it comes with 0.25" v grooved, 0.35" v grooved and 0.35" knurled drive rollers. The huy at the welding supply got me some 0.30" wire and said i could use it in my 0.35" rollers with no worries. As i am new to this i would like to know if this is a common procedure. If not should i just buy new drive roller and tip to suit 0.30" wire???HelpCheers sanger
Reply:You can go to the Lincoln web site and look at the manual on this model - it should tell you there. I bought a Pro Mig 180 from Lowes and I think it only came with two drive rollers.
Reply:Dude, RTFM.Page A-3, the machine comes with an 0.025 smooth drive roll, an 0.035 smooth drive rool, and an 0.030-0.045 knurled drive roll (listed as the one that's installed on the machine from the factory).Page B-4, Table B.1 lists the drive rolls to use for the varioous wire diameters.  The answer from the table is to use the 0.035 smooth drive roll (P/N KP2529-2) for 0.030 MIG (solid) wire.  Use the 0.030-0.045 knurled drive roll for 0.030-0.045 FCAW wire.Match the contact tip to the wire diameter though.  Use the 0.030 contact tips for 0.030 wire (solid or FCAW), 0.035 tips for 0.035 wire, etc.Last edited by MoonRise; 03-14-2008 at 12:19 PM.Reason: add info about tips
Reply:Jeez in my book .035-.030=.005 Divided by 2 and thats .0025 slip per side.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:ok sounds like i should buy 0.30" drive roller and a 0.30" contact tip which should set me up perfectly. Thanks all for the input...
Reply:One of my units is a Power Mig 180C. For .030 solid wire, which is mostly what I run on the unit, just use the .035  smooth V - groove drive roll, as stated in  the owners manual. I've experienced zero feeding issues when running .030 solid wire with this .035 drive roll.
Reply:It looks like the folks at Lincoln can't make up there minds which drive roll to use for .030 wire. In my OM  (PM 180C) dated July 2006 you're suppose to use the .035 smooth V-groove drive roll for .030 solid wire. In the current OM (PM 180C) I found on Lincoln's website , they've changed the .025 drive roll to an .025 - .030 drive roll.
Reply:You can use your .035 smooth v-groove drive rolls and .035 tips to run .030 or .035 solid wire.  It will work fine.  Put a wee bit more tension on the idler roll and there should be no problem.  If you intend to run .030 wire all the time, next time you buy tips, get the .030's.  When your .035 drive rolls wear out, buy .030's.  I see no reason to buy them right away though, may as well use up what you already have.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:You got it right moonrise. I tell 'em that all the time on harley tech talk, lol.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Thanks all for the replies i've installed the wire and it feeds fine with the 0.35 grooved roller. So now i'm set up for mig and i cant lay a decent looking bead. I can lay a mean stick weld and also a nice flux core bead but when i had a quick play hooked up on gas the bead looked like crap.I changed the polarity over. Gas flow 18-20litres per min. settings were per the machines guide inside the door for 3.5mm and all i could get was very convex looking welds that looked dark in colour kind off burnt looking. Also looked to have porosity in them but i'm not sure where im going wrong.I'll have more of a play with the settings today and see if i can fix the situation. I'll post up pics so i can get some feedback.Cheers
Reply:Try pushing the gun instead of dragging it, about 15 deg gun angle (near vertical), and try a shorter wire stick-out length, about 1/2", keep the wire on the leading edge of the puddle.  The bead will hump up if you hang back too much.  I don't know what liters/min equates to in standard terms.  I run the gas about 25 cfh.   If there is a breeze blowing, it can blow the gas away and create porosity problems.  Need to block the breeze with hand, body or other object, like a welding screen.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:up here some people weld inside of special tents to get out of the weather.
Reply:Well figured out that the there was no gas getting to the nozzle. The welding gun lead was not seated fully so thats where i was loosing my gas. Played with some wire settings and i'm pleased i have it sorted. Heres a crappy pic of my bpractice bead. Settings were wire speed: 5 Voltage: f  gas flow: 18 l/m torch movement: small cricles.
Reply:That happened to me when I first used mine. You really have to seat that connection. I really enjoy welding with mine and I am well pleased with the welder. I was really surprised how well the wire would feed with just a small amount of roll tension.
Reply:Glad you got the gas situation figured out.From your pic, move the torch a little slower.  The lower toe (edge of the weld) is cold lapped (no fusion) in some places and the surface has a pointed v-shape.  You want the surface shapes to be more c-shaped.   Looks like you've got a good handle on moving the torch straight and centered along the joint so that's good.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33Glad you got the gas situation figured out.From your pic, move the torch a little slower.  The lower toe (edge of the weld) is cold lapped (no fusion) in some places and the surface has a pointed v-shape.  You want the surface shapes to be more c-shaped.   Looks like you've got a good handle on moving the torch straight and centered along the joint so that's good.
Reply:10 gauge is about the limit for GMAW (aka MIG) with that machine.  For single-pass welding.  If you can weld from both sides of a butt joint, you can usually go a little thicker.  If you have some skill/experience and maybe do some tricks like pre-heating, you can go a little thicker still.  Remember the welding rule of thumb:  1 amp per 0.001 inch thickness (in steel) for single-pass full penetration welding.  So .25 (6 mm) steel calls for 250 amps of welding current, give-or-take.You can check out an on-line parameter calculator at http://millerwelds.com/education/cal...calculator.phpThey recommend 0.035 solid wire at 180-190 amps and 21-24 volts (depending on the shielding gas used) for welding 1/4 inch steel.  The PM180 can't drive that many amps with that many volts with that wire AFAIK.Thicker steel can usually be done with the same machine when you switch to FCAW (flux core) as opposed to GMAW.Per Miller's FCAW melding parameter calculator at http://millerwelds.com/education/cal...calculator.phpfor the same 1/4 inch thick steel using FCAW, they recommend 0.035 or 0.045 FCAW wire at 170-190 amps and 15-17 volts.  The PM180 can do that (or at least come pretty close), but at a short duty cycle (ie, the machine is being maxed out).
Reply:MoonRise about covered it.  Bevel an edge on the pieces and gap them 1/8" apart, tack both ends, and you will be able to weld with full penetration.  3/16", maybe 1/4", and up, you'll need to do more passes to fill up the joint, cleaning between each pass.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Thanks for the heads up guys. appreciate the advice.
Reply:With an .030 or .035 solid wire and C-25 the Lincoln PowerMig 180C outputs enough top end to handle a single pass fillet on 3/16".