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(04-07-2012, 08:14 PM)ETC57 Wrote: Bob,
I'm curious, what problems do you find with fluxcore I'm not disagreeing. I too have trouble with flux core but seeing as I have yet to afford a bottle of gas it's ether that or stick.
Jerry. 
After welding with a gas mig for 35 years i just don't like the looks of a fluxcore bead. I know it has a place in welding but maybe its just me i don't like it. Now gas fluxcore is a whole nuther story and i love it...Bob
Bob Wright
Metal Master Fab
Salem Ohio
Birthplace of the Silver and Deming drill bit.
5 Lathes, SBL Shaper, Lewis Mill, 7 drill presses, 5 welders...
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04-08-2012, 07:49 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-12-2012, 03:34 PM by DaveH.)
Hay Jerry!
I am not a "welder". In fact, I've only taken one welding test in my life.
I'm just a DIY guy like most of us here. I don't particularly like the look of a flux-core bead either but it has its uses. From what I have been told, it is used on structural steel that is holding buildings together so there is certainly nothing wrong with it.
As you know, it's not the easiest process to work with but it can get the job done in the right hands. But it's messy compared to using shielding gas. It just looks more like a stick weld... 
That said, I prefer to use solid wire and gas in the shop when possible. BUT - I keep my 110V mig machine loaded with flux core wire for when I venture outside. Shielding gas doesn't do much good if it is getting blown away in the wind, and you certainly won't get that pretty looking GMAW bead we're all looking for. Ask me how I know! 
This is a post by DanH Apologies Dan (DaveH)
Here is a link to some very good videos on mig welding.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/mig-...ideos.html
Seeing what the weld should look like will help a TON. An auto dark helmet is a big help also.
Using thicker material is easier for the beginner. All of my stands are build using 1/8" or .120 wall tubing. My tig stand is 1" x .120" square tubing which is plenty strong and easy material to work with.
I also like to use .024" wire as it's also easier to weld thinner material. If welding thicker than 1/4" I will switch to .030" wire.
You have a great welder there so just practice practice practice.
Dan
Willie
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(04-08-2012, 10:18 AM)DanH Wrote: Here is a link to some very good videos on mig welding.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/mig-...ideos.html
Seeing what the weld should look like will help a TON. An auto dark helmet is a big help also.
Using thicker material is easier for the beginner. All of my stands are build using 1/8" or .120 wall tubing. My tig stand is 1" x .120" square tubing which is plenty strong and easy material to work with.
I also like to use .024" wire as it's also easier to weld thinner material. If welding thicker than 1/4" I will switch to .030" wire.
You have a great welder there so just practice practice practice.
Dan
Hi Dan,
I've watched those videos that you've linked to but I'm going to watch them again and I also have this DVD that is very good at showing the puddle and what to look for.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/p...uct%20Page
So before I go wasting more wire I'm going to watch all of those videos again as a refresher.
I agree that using thicker material would make it easier because when I was practicing on 1/8" steel I got much better results. I may consider getting some .120" wall square tubing and use that for the welder cart.
Ed
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HI well welding is one of them trades that you can reed all the books see all the dvd's but it still cums dawn to practice rather than start to weld sumthing together get sum scrap plate and do sum welding in a strate line the one tip that i can give you is when all is set up propely ie wier feed and voltige is shud sawnd like a chip pan in the usa you wood call them french frise in a pan of cooking oil
krv3000, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Feb 2012.
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(04-11-2012, 05:49 PM)krv3000 Wrote: when all is set up properly IE wire feed and voltage it should sound like a chip pan in the USA you would call them french fries in a pan of cooking oil
We call it the sound of sizzling bacon.
I ran it seems like miles of straight, actually mostly crooked, beads last summer practicing and all I got out of it was a bunch of useless steel with mostly bad looking beads. But that was using flux core wire. I didn't get my tank of gas until late in the fall and did not have a lot of time to try the solid wire stuff.
Ed
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well all the welding i have seen with flux core wire looks like pigen poo i can not figer out haw this stuf works the pont of the flux in eletrikel welding is to form a sheeld to stop the weld from burning if you look at a welding rod for stick welding the flux is on the out side of the rod when you strike the ark with the rod the flux burns this produses a oxigen free enviroment for the weld if by having the flux in the center of the rod was ok then all the rods you wood get for stick weliding wood be this way as standerd as the flux on this type of rod is fragile and needs to be kept dry ones they get wet then ther no good i put my rods in the oven to get a good weld. in flux core wier you need to start the the weld with out flux then sum haw the small a mawnt of flux that is in the wire is all thats needed for the sheeld look haw thick the flux coting is on a stick welding rod the to don't ad up. i use co2 for my mig its not as good as proper mig gas but get me botel refild for £5 i go thruw a botel say every 12 munths and as i only do a bit it all starts out like pigen poo but by the time the jobs dun its ok the good thing with mig is you can grind it back off and put sum more on and ones filld with a bit of bondo and panted it looks brill
krv3000, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Feb 2012.
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04-12-2012, 07:12 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-12-2012, 07:17 AM by Highpower.)
Hi Bob,
Think about how the welding current is supplied to each type of welding electrode. For stick welding, the center portion of the electrode (which is the filler material) is clamped into the "stinger". This leaves plenty of room on the outside of the rod for a good flux coating.
In MIG welding, the filler material (wire) has to pass through a set of hard rollers, a steel liner inside the gun "hose", and finally through a copper contact tip. The welding current has to be delivered to the outside of the filler wire. A flux coating on the outside of the wire would make that impossible, so they have to put the flux inside the wire.
If they scale up the whole system in order to fit more flux inside the mig wire, then you would need one gigantic welder to be able to push that size wire. 
CO2 is a proper MIG gas when it's required for better penetration. I'll take an "ugly" strong weld bead vs. a weak "good looking" weld bead any day of the week myself. 
Willie
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(04-06-2012, 11:08 PM)Highpower Wrote: Purge the gas line for 2 - 3 seconds before you start your first bead only. (No wire feed.)
So how does one purge without feeding wire? I really don't want to have to unload the wire from the gun every time I start up the welder just to purge the line. My welder doesn't allow for purging without feeding the wire.
Question #2. How do you know you're getting gas out the gun nozzle? When I briefly tried the gas shielded wire last fall, my welds looked like they were not getting gas because there was a lot of porosity. The gauges showed that I had gas pressure and I had the flow set for about 20cf per hour.
Thanks,
Ed
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I press the trigger a couple of times then cut the wire with side cutters, or if real lazy just let it burn off. While your getting smoke off the weld (assuming some oil residue) bring the nozzle close but sideways so the wire won't touch, pull the trigger and see if the gas flow moves the smoke. Try a weld with the gas turned off and compare. Your porosity could be due to poor wire. I picked up a 40 pound spool that was crap. Would weld fine then the next couple of inches of bead would boil with porosity. Checked the package, made in china, couldn't believe a reputable welding supplier would carry it. Questioned them on it and they said I was the first to complain. Next spool was domestic and fine.
Greg
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Greg
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(04-12-2012, 12:19 PM)EdAK Wrote: (04-06-2012, 11:08 PM)Highpower Wrote: Purge the gas line for 2 - 3 seconds before you start your first bead only. (No wire feed.)
My welder doesn't allow for purging without feeding the wire.
Thanks,
Ed
Sure it does Ed. Just flip down the spring loaded tension knob on your wire feed rollers, and let the upper roller pop up. Just as if you were going to load a new spool of wire. Leave the wire in the gun - just leave the top roller loose.
Open the valve on your tank, set the regulator, and turn on the welder. Now when you pull the trigger the gas should flow, but the wire won't feed because it's not being squeezed by the rollers. At this point you should be able to hear the gas flowing out the the gun nozzle.
If it sounds like the gas is flowing - turn off the machine, and then flip the tension knob back up to secure the upper roller and provide wire feed again. You are ready to weld!
Actually if my machine has been sitting a long time without being used, I will purge the gun for 5 -6 seconds just to make sure I blow out any air that has worked it's way into the hose. I also adjust the flow rate while I am purging the line and the gas is flowing. But that's just the way I roll. (lol)
Willie
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