Multimaster 260 using .023 wire?

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Have you guys had any success with using the Multimaster 260 at low heat settings with .023 wire on sheet metal?    My specifics: 15 ft lead    .023 drive rolls    .023 liner and contact tips    Lincoln wire    75/25 gasI have had many starts (maybe 90+%) where there is a "snap" or "pop" sound and then the wire is welded back into the contact tip. Very frustrating!! It seems that the wire is acting like a fuse being blown out as the arc is initiated. I took the machine into our LWS repair station. He put in a new .023 liner and a new contact tip and made a test bead about 4" long. He did not try the start/stop as you might do with tacking sheet metal. He claimed the machine is working correctly, and evidently it did for his one bead.I talked with another ESAB dealer at a farm show, and he said that .023 wire is never successful when used in a 15 ft gun lead. For the sheet metal applications, he sells only 10 ft leads with proper liner and contact tip and drive rolls. So I bellied up to the bar, and ordered up a new gun, 10 ft lead with proper fittings to connect to the welding machine. I haven't given it a trial run yet, but it all arrived as ordered.My Multimaster 260 runs just fine with .035 wire, giving me consistently good welds. My machine is an early MM 260 with the tan face. It has 4 large capacitors in the power circuit. Some of the later machines only used 3 such capacitors, but maybe there is some other tweek in the circuitry. When the .023 wire was giving me the immediate burn backs, it seemed to me like a charged capacitor releasing its first blast of stored electricity. A good buddy brought over his lab grade capacitor checker and all 4 tested within specifications, however this is not a check under full power.Both of my sons have similar ESAB Multimaster machines, although one is the newer black face 260, and the other is a Multimaster 300 yellow box, black face. We have not tried the .023 wire in either of the son's machines.What experiences do you have with this model machine and .023 wire??Thanks for your replies!Paul in MN
Reply:There are times when a 15 gun can run with .023 wire. Just not all times. Get a 12 ft gun or run .030 wire. I used a shorter gun in my 260/300 machines with .023 wire.. Perfect feed.. Don't forget the correct drive tube guide also..Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:Brand X,Thanks for the encouraging reply. I now have some hope for successful sheet metal welding with this machine.Paul in MN