Which solid wire for CO2

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I tried searching on Google and here but couldn't find much in the way of recommendations. What's a good .030 or .035 wire for CO2 only? I've been using flux core, no gas.Some said Lincoln wire spattered a fair amount but EASB wire didn't but that's all I could find and they didn't say which particular wire they were recommending.I have no brand allegiance, just want it to work well: all position, multi-pass, low spatter.....mild steel.
Reply:I've never run Lincoln's L-56 wire on 100% CO2, but Lincoln says it will work. I've been very impressed with the strength of this wire. Remember with 100% CO2 you will get a little more splatter with any wire, than with C-25. http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us...c-SuperArcL-56Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1I have no brand allegiance, just want it to work well: all position, multi-pass, low spatter.....mild steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerIs there a particular reason you want to use straight CO2?  You get slight better penetration with CO2, but more spatter.  For just your normal everyday fab work I would go with a 75/25 mix.
Reply:Originally Posted by GravelMaybe someone else has to do the cleanup.
Reply:Originally Posted by GravelMaybe someone else has to do the cleanup.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPIf you think 100% CO2 is bad, run some self shielded wire.
Reply:I use an esab 70s6 wire with co2 and with a variable inductance setting its almost spatter free until you get into heavier gauges.
Reply:Originally Posted by GravelI have a bottle of CO2 but am yet to use it. Bottle was given to me by a friend that owned a bar (35# bottle). I got it tested and filled last year form $60.
Reply:Around here, last time I checked, it was $21.00 for a "K" cylinder of CO2. More than enough reason for me to use it. However, if I was welding something for show, I would opt for C25.If the Lincoln L-56 is not around you, get a ER70S-6 wire. That is the AWS designation for the L-56."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Whatever the LWS has on the shelf Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveFire that sucker up - cheap shielding gas is great. . Yeah, I'm cheap I like to use nozzle dip after the gun warms up, makes cleaning easier.
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Whatever the LWS has on the shelf
Reply:When I was a lab tech at the welding school, we got some of this "demo" wire from some supplier... it was made in China... came in a brown cardboard box (that flimsy squishy Chinese cardboard like all of HF's stuff comes in), covered in Chinese writing.  Not one word in engrish.  It was wound on the spools absolutely perfectly.  I mean the turns were stacked up side to side so perfectly it looked like a solid chunk of copper.  Threw some on an XMT350 with an s22 feeder and 75/25, and it ran like absolute ****.  We spent 2 weeks with dozens of people from amateurs to experts and instructors play with settings trying to make it run Well, and never got it looking any better than Harbor Freight brand flux core wire from one of their 90 amp poop flinging monkey machines.  Tried it with straight co2, 75/25, 82/18, 90/10, 95/5, 98/2, tri-mix, and straight argon.  Nothing worked.So don't buy Chinese wire.  It was probably made from melted down pintos and soup cans and bits of the Titanic.Last edited by anickode; 01-29-2015 at 11:30 PM.You didn't build that.'85 Miller AEAD-200LE
Reply:Originally Posted by DanEd, Based on your reply, I am guessing you've never ran any crappy P/3 wire that Airgas sells.One plus for L-56 wire is that every roll I've ever has had very good puddle wet out.Every time I try using CO2 it just annoys me.  The biggest reason being the window to get it dialed in properly is extremely tight.  And once you get past about 150 amps the arc quality sucks and spatter becomes an issue.
Reply:Make sure your CO2 cylinder isn't a dip tube cylinder that draws liquid out.
Reply:Originally Posted by GravelDoes that mean my little Lincoln 140 will do ok or will it be hard to dial in?
Reply:Originally Posted by GravelDoes that mean my little Lincoln 140 will do ok or will it be hard to dial in?
Reply:Yes use Lincoln L-56.I tried both .030 and .025 wire with my mig. I like the .025 wire much better. It does over head a lot better due to the faster feed speed. If all you have ever used is flux core you will love L-56 and CO2.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerIs there a particular reason you want to use straight CO2?  You get slight better penetration with CO2, but more spatter.  For just your normal everyday fab work I would go with a 75/25 mix.
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1I've been using flux core, don't have a mixed gas bottle but do have a co2 cylinder I used to use for airbrushing. Got tired of the flux core fumes and decided to switch. Co2 probably won't be messier than flux, might be better even though I've been running fairly clean. I'm going to be real interested to see if there's a penetration difference between solid wire/co2 and flux core.
Reply:On settings less than 20 volts or so I don't think you will see much of a difference.Use nozzle gel and spray your parts with anti spatter if your real concerned with spatter. For the most part when mig first became popular co2 was the for the most part the only gas that was used.
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1I've been using flux core, don't have a mixed gas bottle but do have a co2 cylinder I used to use for airbrushing.
Reply:Originally Posted by DanEd, Based on your reply, I am guessing you've never ran any crappy P/3 wire that Airgas sells.One plus for L-56 wire is that every roll I've ever has had very good puddle wet out.Every time I try using CO2 it just annoys me.  The biggest reason being the window to get it dialed in properly is extremely tight.  And once you get past about 150 amps the arc quality sucks and spatter becomes an issue.
Reply:I just finished playing around a little with the CO2 and what a MASSIVE difference from flux core! 1) The sound is different.2) WAY cleaner both in spatter (almost none with Lincoln wire) and in fumes (none).3) FAR more aggressive in penetration. I accidentally ate right through a 16 gauge scrap on the 11 gauge setting. That never happened with flux core even when set for heavier 3/16" bars.4) Much touchier range. A lot narrower than flux core. I don't have it quite dialed in yet.5) The puddle seems a little smoother and easier to control.So here's a question: why does it pop and crack when starting out but then after about 1/2" it settles down? Didn't have that with flux core. What do I change? I tried adjusting gas, feed and stick-out and none of it seemed to make a difference but maybe it's just the narrow range and I don't have it down yet? BTW my polarity has been changed.I'm LOVING the penetration difference and everything else about it (except the narrow range).Last edited by JD1; 01-30-2015 at 05:21 PM.It could just be a shielding gas surge when you pull the trigger screwing with the arc.Also, often the cold start has to be made just ahead of where you want to weld (about 1/4"), then pop over to where the weld needs to start and weld over the tracks. (similar to stick welding).Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Fire that CO2 up man!! That is all i use at home... At work we have C25, although the C25 has a broader ranger I still prefer straight CO2... i have a roll of .024, .030 & and .045 ER70s-6..... Been burning alot of .045 and very happy with it.  Just clean your millscale and dial it in and no splatter to speak of..... my .035 CO2 settings were 19.5-20.5 volts and 190-210 wire speed, good for 10ga to 3/4 thick(multipass  of course)
Reply:If CO2 and solid wire are giving you better penetration than flux core, did you have polarity correct?old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:I just realized I never got the valve adapter. Guess I'll try to remember to stop by the LWS next week...GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:Originally Posted by mad welder 4If CO2 and solid wire are giving you better penetration than flux core, did you have polarity correct?
Reply:Originally Posted by mad welder 4If CO2 and solid wire are giving you better penetration than flux core, did you have polarity correct?
Reply:You know I think it really just gets down to plain and simple horse power!First picture, 120-volt Mig welder, pretty much maxed out. .030" L-56, with C-25.Second picture, .030” L-56, with C-25. 29-volts, 224-amps. Third picture. .068" NR-211. 21-volts, 274-amps. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Your first pic from the small machine is beveled, right? Horsepower makes a huge difference. But in my case, I used less horsepower and got greater penetration with CO2 than flux core. Not sure how to define "less horsepower" since I don't have any way to measure actual amps. The only way I have to tell is with flux core, when the machine was set for 3/16" stock and a bead run on 16 ga, it didn't burn through. With CO2 and accidentally set for 11 ga, I easily burned through 16 ga.Hopefully soon, I'm going to weld a butt joint (non beveled) on 1/8" stock, do an acid test and compare it to the same test I did with flux core. Non-beveled on purpose to see how far into the base metal the weld will go without "helping it out".
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1Your first pic from the small machine is beveled, right?
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPYou know I think it really just gets down to plain and simple horse power!First picture, 120-volt Mig welder, pretty much maxed out. .030" L-56, with C-25.Second picture, .030” L-56, with C-25. 29-volts, 224-amps. Third picture. .068" NR-211. 21-volts, 274-amps.
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1I often read that "flux core" gives better penetration and I'm assuming that means better penetration compared to solid wire and C-25. Most times no one mentions dual shield in that comparison so again, the assumption is that people are referring to standard self shielded wire like the Fabshield 21B or NR211 you mentioned. I haven't used C-25 so don't have that mental reference point to compare to but the penetration difference I got was dramatic.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPYes it was beveled.Here is what the root pass looked like.
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1How thick is the base metal you're welding on that small machine?
Reply:Originally Posted by JD1Your first pic from the small machine is beveled, right? Horsepower makes a huge difference. But in my case, I used less horsepower and got greater penetration with CO2 than flux core. Not sure how to define "less horsepower" since I don't have any way to measure actual amps. The only way I have to tell is with flux core, when the machine was set for 3/16" stock and a bead run on 16 ga, it didn't burn through. With CO2 and accidentally set for 11 ga, I easily burned through 16 ga.  Hopefully soon, I'm going to weld a butt joint (non beveled) on 1/8" stock, do an acid test and compare it to the same test I did with flux core. Non-beveled on purpose to see how far into the base metal the weld will go without "helping it out".
Reply:Originally Posted by Welder DaveThat's not a very definitive test on what has better penetration. Solid wire could easily have more penetration but it depends on several variables.