Great product, Weld Aid

Well, after attempting to MIG weld something and realizing that there was a fine coating on my spool of copper coated .032 mig wire and that the rust would foul my liner and not let me weld, I gave it a rest. This morning I went to the local welding supplier and bought something that I earlier saw at school. It is called Weld Aid.It takes 2 parts. The first is a bag containing 6 foam sleeves and retainers and the second is a can of lube or solvent. I installed 2 sleeves onto the wire between the spool and the feeder after soaking them with the solvent/lube. The foam sleeves are slit half way through and just slip over the wire and there are steel retaining sleeves that fit over the foam to keep them in place. VOILA, like magic there was no problem doing my project In fact the lube reduced friction so much that the wire speed had to be reduced by 30%-40%
I just thought that I should share this with everyone. Here is a link to the products. No affiliation.

http://www.weldaid.com/lubematic.htm

I heard about that stuff, thought it might be worth a try, especially since I don't use my MIG daily and the spool can get a bit dirty.

What does a kit like that go for?

Good point HM, I have been using the weld aid maroon felt wipes for 10 years or more and they really do collect the dirt. People think mig wire is clean if new, let me tell you its filthy down inside the coil. I wind my own wire from big rolls to small spools for my spoolgun and the wire is really dirty...Bob

Be careful and change those things often. People just leave them on there forever and then they let loose a chunk of goo and it plugs up the liner. That is the main problem with them.

Mits Tech,
IIRC, about $20. total including 6 liners.
aamm,
I never knew that. My wire had light rust. Not the first time and I've thrown out several spools because of that.
Macona,
Thanks for the warning. I will keep tabs on that
Aloha

Looks like some nasty stuff...both for you and for your welds. It appears to be a silicone based lubricant in a Methylene Chloride carrier.

Assuming the methylene chloride evaporates by the time your wire hits the puddle, the lubricant will cause weld contamination.

Fight weld impurities, dont lubricate your rod!

nK