Had the same problem here in Montreal, Canada on a spool that wasn't used
but loaded for 12 months.

"Mark Jones" wrote in message
...
Bob Engelhardt wrote:
JR North wrote:

Hmmmm...not sure of the clime where you hang, but up here in Soggy,
Gloomy Seattle ... I have never had a problem with steel mig wire
corroding.

NW of Boston. I have to run a dehumidifier in the shop in summer, but
not too bad. The MIG wire rusted because it was in there a looooooong
time. I can't say exactly, but my first 2 lb spool lasted 2 *years*. I
often have projects that only take a few seconds of arc time.

Bob


Could the nearby sal****er (or salt used to treat icy roads) be getting
at your
spools somehow? That would really hasten the corrosion.

For rust to occur it requires both oxygen and water vapor to be present.
Without both rusting is impossible. Another idea might be to spray a light
oil
onto the spool, and remove it before the feed mechanism. Better than oil
might
be a spray wax, such as is used on motorcycle chains. Removal would be
harder
however.