On Wed, 9 Aug 2017 16:10:03 -0500, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 8/9/2017 3:06 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 9 Aug 2017 14:02:47 -0500, Terry Coombs
wrote:

I have one that's not feeding well , and wonder if it can - and
should - be cleaned . I have a new one on hand , but it's sized for
.035-.045 wire , and I usually use .025 solid . I have .035 flux core
loaded right now , but that was for an outside job that was blowing my
shield gas away and I'd much prefer to go back to solid - I also have
some .030 on hand but haven't yet tried it .

--

Snag
They can be cleaned..assuming its actually dirty enough to be an
issue. Most often..they have a kink in the liner somewhere.

Clean em by spoozing kerosene through the liner with compressed air,
after giving them a bit of a soak in a coffee can filled with kerosene
(or diesel etc etc)


No kinks , I have it out of the lead . I was thinking maybe a
kerosene soak as you suggested . Per your post above , it's not rusty in
the liner/lead/gun , it's the roll of wire inside the machine that has
some surface rust . It doesn't help that this machine lives on the lower
level of the cart I modified to carry the TIG setup . And sometimes when
it rains really really heavy a little water comes in under the door .

--

Snag
Even slightly rusty wire isn't so good for welding stuff that matters
strength wise. It's OK for building up wear surfaces though, like the
worn bottom of the hoe on my backhoe. I know this because I used the
rusty roll of wire that came with my used SP-125 Plus welder to do
just that. A whole spool of fluxcore costs at least twice as much as a
plastic liner though. So maybe you should buy a liner made for
aluminum and use it with the rusty fluxcore. Then flush it with clean
water and use it for aluminum wire.
Eric