System and method of providing endless welding wire

A system for feeding a welding wire to a welding station from a first and second container of wire with each container including a top, inwardly facing surface and a coil of wire with a feed end and a trailing end where the trailing end of the first container is connected to the feed end of said second container to provide an endless welding wire, said system comprising:

• a wire guide grommet with an entrant end, means for passing said wire from said feed end to said trailing end through said grommet;
• means for moving said grommet across said containers in a given path according to the vertical orientation of said wire with respect to said entrant end of said grommet;
• and, means for supporting and then releasing said trailing end of the wire of said first containers during changeover from the first coil to the second coil.

A system for providing an endless welding wire to a welding station from a first and second container each having a top opening with a top, inwardly facing surface, a coil of welding wire with a feed end and a trailing, transfer end where said trailing end of said first coil is connected to the feed end of said second coil, and said coils each have a generally parallel center axis extending in a given vertical direction, said system comprising:

• a grommet with a vertical wire receiving opening above said containers and a device to prevent wire tangles during changeover from said wire of said first coil to said wire of said second coil and a hood mounted over said containers.