MIG Welder wire keeps backing up in machine

[MiddayGun]

I've got a Mig Welder I bought a few years back for a one off job, I now have another job, but its been sat for maybe 4 years in a garage without being used.

When I tried to fire it up the drive roller was slipping on the wire, the wire was sticking somewhere either in the gun or the feed cable thing.
I cut it off at the spool and pulled it all through, fed the wire through again and fitted a new tip to the torch.

Unfortunately the machine just won't spool it out, either the rollers slip, or it kinks the wire in the machine & I have to cut out that whole section of wire again. Even with the tip out it slow to feed and sometimes slipping, as soon as I screw the tip in then it won't go through at all.

I guess the cable or torch are corroded inside? I'm not sure what materials they use, are there any tricks to clean it or am I better just buying a new gun?

[aponting389]

A new gun is fairly cheap so could be worth trying that. If the wire on the reel has got slightly corroded it wont go through as well as it should, you could try and pull a few layers off to reveal the cleaner stuff underneath.

[normalbloke]

New torch liner needed. Does it feed if you take the tip off? Also check that the wire hasn’t got any corrosion on it.Wire is cheap. 4 years sat? I’d add new tip, new spool of wire and a liner, and then there’s (almost) no reason for it not to feed.

Edited by normalbloke on Thursday 6th February 10:42

[MiddayGun]

Cheers.

The wire has no obvious corrosion on it, and I've had to pull quite a lot off with the amount of times its kinked and I've lost the full 3m in the liner.
Tips is new, it goes through with out the tip, but kind of reluctantly as soon as the tip is on, no chance.

I'll pull some more spool out and try again, if not I'll just grab a new torch.

[SHutchinson]

The times this has happened to my setup it's been rusty wire and the need for a new liner. Luckily both are quite cheap to resolve. Personally, I'd just do both.

[paintman]

If all else is OK the tip is too small for the wire.

[chrisch77]

paintman said:

If all else is OK the tip is too small for the wire.

Agreed, check you are not trying to push 0.8mm wire through a 0.6mm tip, for instance.

[Bluevanman]

paintman said:

If all else is OK the tip is too small for the wire.

I was just about to say,OP are you using the right size tip for the wire ? 0.8mm wire with a 0.6mm tip for example

[MiddayGun]

All sorted.

The wire reel had some surface rust.
I've swapped out the reel for a new one, same torch & its all working well.

Cheers.