Lincoln Flux core wire problem

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Hey all, I just bought a spool of Lincoln flux core .030 from fleabay... Price was really low... first problem was total bird nesting. which might have beeen my lack of know how.. Second problem.. any slight bend.. Even very small the wire snaps.. And I mean it is snapping alot! Tryibg to clean up the bird nest it was snapping.. can wire go bad? Really brittle? Thanks
Reply:It's not brittle, it's just the fact that it is hollow that allows it to snap.  If you set it up correctly you should have no problem. I've used 030 gasless fluxcore wire from weldingcity, aka one of the most dirt cheap places you can find stuff, and I did not experience issues.  Take your time, read up and learn how to properly setup your machine, and you shouldn't have any problems.  So no, wire doesn't just turn brittle unless a few hundred years has passed since it was made, at which point it's simply rusted to hell and back.  The internal granulated flux, however, can readily absorb moisture, so that can affect how it runs if it was allowed to be exposed to humidity. You end up getting porosity and other artifacts like that.

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Reply:What type of welder and voltage?Dave

Originally Posted by mhein68

Hey all, I just bought a spool of Lincoln flux core .030 from fleabay... Price was really low... first problem was total bird nesting. which might have beeen my lack of know how.. Second problem.. any slight bend.. Even very small the wire snaps.. And I mean it is snapping alot! Tryibg to clean up the bird nest it was snapping.. can wire go bad? Really brittle? Thanks
Reply:Thats the Sh@@@@ thing... this isnt in the machine.. This on my kitchen table... and its very brittle... I have a video but dont know where to post.. It should be able bend a little?? This just "snaps" with any slight bend... Sorry if I  am explainig this wrong...I am just wondering if thtas why I got it so cheap?
Reply:No I use fluxcore all time but different than mig welding. Dave

Originally Posted by mhein68

Thats the Sh@@@@ thing... this isnt in the machine.. This on my kitchen table... and its very brittle... I have a video but dont know where to post.. It should be able bend a little?? This just "snaps" with any slight bend... Sorry if I  am explainig this wrong...I am just wondering if thtas why I got it so cheap?
Reply:Had a couple of spools of Lincoln .30 that was like that. It was not like that the whole spool. Welded ok, did have to adjust the pressure on the feed rollers.  Had similar issues with some harbor freight stuff, so tried a spool of the Lincoln, now I think the spools are either Vulcan or Hobart, try theseRetired Old GuyHobart 210Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 Evolution 14” Saw
Reply:Most have problems with stickout. Fluxcore need 3/8"-1/2" for flux to workI keep the tension low like NotaVegetarian said: or you get bird nesting. Dave

Originally Posted by mhein68

Hey all, I just bought a spool of Lincoln flux core .030 from fleabay... Price was really low... first problem was total bird nesting. which might have beeen my lack of know how.. Second problem.. any slight bend.. Even very small the wire snaps.. And I mean it is snapping alot! Tryibg to clean up the bird nest it was snapping.. can wire go bad? Really brittle? Thanks
Reply:What does the label say?  Was it sealed when you got it? Counterfeit?
Reply:

Originally Posted by tapwelder

What does the label say?  Was it sealed when you got it? Counterfeit?
Reply:When you say "slight bend" how tight of a bend are you talking about? Can you put it around a coffee can without it breaking, or a 15 ounce corn can, etc. Was it shrink wrapped, did the end get away from you when you opened it? I certain they use automated processes to load the spools and it would be a ton of effort to get it wrapped wrong. It's perfectly normal for it to unwind rapidly if it's not controlled when the end is freed. Is it NR-211?Last edited by CAVEMANN; 5 Days Ago at 05:32 PM.NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINELET'S GO BRANDON!"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Reply:

Originally Posted by CAVEMANN

When you say "slight bend" how tight of a bend are you talking about? Can you put it around a coffee can without it breaking, or a 15 ounce corn can, etc. Was it shrink wrapped, did the end get away from you when you opened it? I certain they use automated processes to load the spools and it would be a ton of effort to get it wrapped wrong. It's perfectly normal for it to unwind rapidly if it's not controlled when the end is freed. Is it NR-211?
Reply:If you're birdnesting it sounds like your drive and/or spool tension is too high or you have the wrong type of drive rolls in the machine. Could be a bad cast on the spool of wire too I suppose.If you trim enough wire off the spool by hand without bending it so that it forms a complete circle and let it sit flat on a table how big of a diameter circle does it make? If the circle is smaller than the diameter of the spool it's on then the wire cast is probably way too tight and that spool is going to be a nightmare to run. Same with if it lifts more than 1" up off the table, that means the wire's helix is bad. As far as how brittle the wire is, it's hard to say without knowing the exact type of wire and how far you're trying to bend it but since you said it's ultra cheap "fleabay" wire then it's probably not made very well. They either started with crappy/cheap material to draw the wire or they started with a thickness/strip width that was cheaper for them to make. Manufacturers use a strip of x thickness and x width steel to make wire of x outside diameter. If they want to save on material costs they can use narrower strips and just draw form it more to get the desired outside diameter they want the wire to be. The end result is a thinner wall thickness wire that's been work hardened more.