Astro MIG problems

[Dave C]

I have an Italian made Astro 130 MIG welder that normally has .023 wire mounted in it. Last night I tried to weld some 1/8" tube and switched to .030 wire and the darn thing just wouldn't feed the wire right. The wire drive seemed to slip no matter how tight I made the tension spring. I fiddled for an hour and never got the magic crackle sound of a nice weld.

Switched back to .023 and it worked fine, but the depth isn't what I wanted for the thicker material.

Why would the welder not want to handle heavier wire?

[Phil V]

The drive wheel on the wire feed should be reversible. There should be some type of quick disconnect clip holding the drive wheel on. Pull that off and there should be two grooves cut into the steel drive wheel. The sides should be clearly marked for .023 or .030 wire. It works for smaller wire one way and if you flip that wheel over then it will work for the thicker wire. At least thats how all the mig welders I've used were set up.

You also need to change the tip on the gun from an .023 tip to an .030 tip.

[All Dry]

I have an Italian made Astro 130 MIG welder that normally has .023 wire mounted in it. Last night I tried to weld some 1/8" tube and switched to .030 wire and the darn thing just wouldn't feed the wire right. The wire drive seemed to slip no matter how tight I made the tension spring. I fiddled for an hour and never got the magic crackle sound of a nice weld.

Switched back to .023 and it worked fine, but the depth isn't what I wanted for the thicker material.

Why would the welder not want to handle heavier wire?

Maybe there is a restriction ,kink or dirt in the liner or gun?Mike

[Ed in SC.]

Did you change the tip to a .030 tip?

[Dave C]

Yes, I put in a .030 tip. And this model only has one groove in the drive spindle for the wire. Maybe I'll try scuffing the groove for better friction or something. Very frustrating.