Spent 2 hours on a weld joint that should have taken 30 minutes

Had a job at a refinery in Baton Rouge last week and tried using a new flux core wire from Hobart. That stuff was supposed to be the same as what I've been using but it just kept birdnesting on me. What did I learn? Stick with the Lincoln NR-211 for pipe work and stop chasing deals on consumables. Any of you guys had a brand switch that backfired like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryk102d agoTop Commenter

The thing about brand switching nobody talks enough about is how different wires handle moisture. In my experience, that Hobart stuff might have been sitting on a shelf somewhere damp, even if the package looked sealed. I've seen Lincoln wire come out of the box perfect and a different brand from the same supplier rust up on me in two days. Your wire feed tension might have been fine, but if that wire picked up any moisture in the warehouse, it's gonna act squirrelly in the gun. That's a gamble you take buying cheaper spools - you never really know how they were stored before they hit your truck.

the_paul2d ago

Did you try adjusting your wire feed settings or just ran it the same as the NR-211? I mean, different brands can have slightly different burn characteristics that mess with your setup. A lot of times a birdnest is more about tension and contact tip fit than the wire itself.