Bulk wire delivery system

A welding wire transfer system for use with at least a pair of endless welding wire containers, at least one of said containers is an in-process supply container containing an in-process coil of wire and at least one other of said containers is a staged supply container containing a staged coil of wire with a start end of said staged coil of wire butt-welded to a tail end of said in-process coil of wire, said welding wire transfer system comprising:

• a vertical shaft;
• and
• a horizontal shaft extending normal to said vertical shaft and comprising a welding wire transfer guide, said guide having a groove, one end of said groove of said welding wire transfer guide positioned nearly tangent to an outer diameter of the in-process coil of wire and an opposed end of said groove positioned nearly tangent to an inner diameter of the staged coil of wire, wherein the one end and the opposed end of the groove are positioned nearly along a tangent line between the outer diameter of the in-process coil of wire and the inner diameter of the staged coil of wire;
• and
• said welding wire transfer guide acting as a retention means for said staged coil of wire as it moves from said staged supply container to said in-process supply container.

A welding wire transfer system, comprising:

• an in-process supply container containing an in-process coil of wire;
• a staged supply container containing a staged coil of wire having a start end butt-welded to a tail end of the in-process coil of wire;
• a vertical shaft;
• and
• a horizontal shaft extending normal to the vertical shaft and comprising a welding wire transfer guide, the guide having a groove, one end of the groove of the welding wire transfer guide positioned nearly tangent to an outer diameter of the in-process coil of wire and an opposed end of the groove positioned nearly tangent to an inner diameter of the staged coil of wire, wherein the one end and the opposed end of the groove are positioned nearly along a tangent line between the outer diameter of the in-process coil of wire and the inner diameter of the staged coil of wire.