Welding Wire Question

mikedashg

mikedashg

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Diego, CA
Any reason why I can't or shouldn't use .035 wire solid wire in my 115V Millermatic 135? Book says .030-.035 flux but .024-0.30 for gas.

miller_135_wire_spec09a3c.jpg
 
I had the same thought when I picked up my Lincoln 135T. It said the same thing, max of .030 solid, .035 flux. I went straight to .035 solid and went through almost an entire large spool with no noticeable problems, but I did notice it had some issues with feeding it now and then. I tossed some .030 in there and was amazed at the difference. It feeds smoother and much more consistently at all speeds. I'll probably be sticking with the .030 for mine from here on out.

If you do want to try running the thicker stuff, I'd suggest getting a small spool of each, .030 and .035, and burn through each of them on some different things. That way you'll have a feel for how your welder handles each of them before you spend the money on a larger spool.
 
I dont know if you can on those welders but you might look into seeing if you can put diff. rollers in to run that bigger wire. Just a thought.
 
nhrocker said:
I had the same thought when I picked up my Lincoln 135T. It said the same thing, max of .030 solid, .035 flux. I went straight to .035 solid and went through almost an entire large spool with no noticeable problems, but I did notice it had some issues with feeding it now and then. I tossed some .030 in there and was amazed at the difference. It feeds smoother and much more consistently at all speeds. I'll probably be sticking with the .030 for mine from here on out.

If you do want to try running the thicker stuff, I'd suggest getting a small spool of each, .030 and .035, and burn through each of them on some different things. That way you'll have a feel for how your welder handles each of them before you spend the money on a larger spool.
Click to expand...

Hmm, interesting. Well, I picked up the welder used, and it had a spool of .035 solid wire in and was setup for running solid wire. So the previous owner was doing it. It's a nice Miller, and it has a wire tension nob, so I didn't think I'd have any problems with it feeding. I'm just curious why the manual doesn't mention .035 solid if it'll run .035 flux. Glad I'm not the only one.

I have a spool of .035 flux wire if I run out of gas, but it would be one less thing to swap out if I have to switch wire sizes as well. It's enough of a pain to have to switch spools, polarity on the machine. I don't want to have to switch out the tip for an .030 tip on top of all that. I'm gonna be royally pissed if I run out of juice welding under the Jeep :D.
 
mikedashg said:
Hmm, interesting. Well, I picked up the welder used, and it had a spool of .035 solid wire in and was setup for running solid wire. So the previous owner was doing it. It's a nice Miller, and it has a wire tension nob, so I didn't think I'd have any problems with it feeding. I'm just curious why the manual doesn't mention .035 solid if it'll run .035 flux. Glad I'm not the only one.

I have a spool of .035 flux wire if I run out of gas, but it would be one less thing to swap out if I have to switch wire sizes as well. It's enough of a pain to have to switch spools, polarity on the machine. I don't want to have to switch out the tip for an .030 tip on top of all that. I'm gonna be royally pissed if I run out of juice welding under the Jeep :D.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my Lincoln had the tension adjustment and all that. Seems to me that the .035 solid was stiffer than the flux core and ran really snug in the liner, which is why it didn't want to feed as well if the lead wasn't in a nice straight line (which it seems almost impossible to keep straight when I'm under/in a Jeep welding...lol) It did work fine though, I just find .030 a little easier to work with, and allows for much cleaner and more efficient welds.

As for needing to switch tips when changing wire, you should remove it to start the new wire anyway. So tossing a different sized one in wouldn't take you any longer. I like to keep around spare .030 and .035 tips, just in case, even though I barely ever go through tips.

But it's a nice little welder. Should suit you fine for now. Just pay attention to your speed and settings. I've played around with some Millers before. Whenever I get around to buying a 220 unit I'll be saving up for a Miller.
 
.035 is really for 200+ machines (miller 212,250, 252,whatever). Or so ive been told. I have a Miller 180 mig and i run .030
 
.35 will work fine with no issues in that machine. I run .32 but weld a lot of thin stuff, even run .28 sometimesin my Miller, but don't worry about it, I can run .35 in my 110v snap-on with no issues, and it's a little welder
 
FordGuy said:
.35 will work fine with no issues in that machine. I run .32 but weld a lot of thin stuff, even run .28 sometimesin my Miller, but don't worry about it, I can run .35 in my 110v snap-on with no issues, and it's a little welder
Click to expand...

ORLY?

You're the first person to tell me that out of the 20 that said not to.
 
Goat said:
Why do you want to run 035 in your machine?
Click to expand...

Because I bought some, tore open the box (ripped it to to shreds trying to get the darn thing open), and loaded it into the machine. And it wasn't cheap. Then I read the manual. Stupid mistake. I have a feeling the shop will not let me return after I blew the box to bits and used some of it. I didn't actually use any of it, but it's missing some wraps because I put it through the machine. So it's pretty much new, but no box.

I'll probably throw it up on CL, eBay, or the 4 sale section.
 
mikedashg said:
Because I bought some, tore open the box (ripped it to to shreds trying to get the darn thing open), and loaded it into the machine. And it wasn't cheap. Then I read the manual. Stupid mistake. I have a feeling the shop will not let me return after I blew the box to bits and used some of it. I didn't actually use any of it, but it's missing some wraps because I put it through the machine. So it's pretty much new, but no box.

I'll probably throw it up on CL, eBay, or the 4 sale section.
Click to expand...
what pound spool is it and how much do you want for it???
 
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