BULK WIRE DELIVERY SYSTEM

A welding wire transfer system for use with at least a pair of endless welding wire containers (16; 18), at least one of said containers is an in-process supply container containing an in-process coil of wire (12 or 14) and at least one other of said containers is a staged supply container containing a staged coil of wire (14 or 12) 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 (40) extending normal to said vertical shaft and comprising a welding wire transfer guide (38), said guide having a curvilinear groove (52), one end of said curvilinear groove of said welding wire transfer guide positioned nearly tangent to an outer diameter of the in-process coil (12) of wire and an opposed end of said curvilinear groove positioned nearly tangent to an inner diameter of the staged coil (14) of wire, wherein the one end and the opposed end of the curvilinear groove are positioned nearly along a tangent line between the outer diameter of the in-process coil (12) of wire and the inner diameter of the staged coil of wire (14).