I've read many times on this forum where AX recommends the aforementioned 0.025 ESAB Spoolarc Easy Grind wire for welding sheet metal. Maybe he will chime in here.

My issue for me is that I have a Miller 211. As far as I can tell this welder only accommodates filler wire in 0.023" and 0.030" diameters. Not 0.025". Has anyone found a workaround for this. Or does the magic ESAB wire only work for ESAB welders? If this issue has been addressed before I apologize.

I am studying past threads on lower door repair which is why the question comes up.

 

I use regular welding wire and the edge of a cutoff wheel to take the welds down quick with minimum heat. Not sure any special wire would be worth the extra expense for me.

 

I have seen discussions about various specialized wire that is easy to grind, etc. ...I'm with Dave, I use whatever wire I can get my hands on and it all works well. That said, I will use thinner wire for lighter gauge steel. As for your Miller welder not accommodating 025 wire, that is only a function of the slots in the feed wheel. Use the 023 wheel slot and tighten accordingly.

 

I bought some of the ESAB Spoolarc Easy Grind wire and didn't find it any different from the previous wire I was using, it certainly doesn't grind any easier..

 

Same here.....I went back to using the Hobart mild steel wire. Grinds pretty easy.

 

I have found that grinding wheels make more of a difference in how welds grind than anything. When I worked for Aeroquip years ago they would only buy Norton wheels for the angle grinders. We never wore one out. They would glaze over and cut very slowly generating a lot more heat on the weld area. I have used quite a number of different brands of wire over the years and never noticed any difference in ease of grinding. The ESAB easy grind wire may be more ductile though, which I think would be a good thing in body work. The difference in diameter between the .023 and .025 is less than the thickness of a sheet of notebook paper, so you shouldn't have any problems running it in your .023 setup.
Mark

 

I bought a spool of the 0.025 ESAB Easy Grind years ago. Tried to push it through a 0.023" tip - no go. Used it for a while with a 0.030" tip and though it did weld, it did not seem right. Like there was a loss of precision. So eventually I switched back. I'll just continue to carry on. Thanks guys.

 

Miller website advertises that the 211 is set up for 024 at the low end...sounds like the drive wheel is not a problem. If the only issue is the tip then run a tip file through the 023 tip and open it up a bit.

 

True, the drive wheel was not the problem, because I had to set that up for 0.023 to push the 0.025 ESAB wire through the 0.030 tip. I've not heard of a tip file before, I'll have to look that up. I did think of using a small drill bit to open up the tip but that seemed like jeweler's work! I passed.

 

Not so much gas welding going on these days but anybody who has done much of it is well-aware of these...Lincoln Electric Oxygen-Acetylene Torch Tip Cleaner Kit-KH575 - The Home Depot
If you find one that is the exact size then just step up to the next larger and work it through the tip.

 

You should be able to pick up some .025 tips for your welder..