Flux Core Welding Question
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 208
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Flux Core Welding Question
Hi All I switched from the flux core to gas last week and WOW what a differnce.
I Like the .23 it lays doun Nice beads and seem to be stronger than the flux core welds (tested with a 2# hammed just for fun)
Dave
I Like the .23 it lays doun Nice beads and seem to be stronger than the flux core welds (tested with a 2# hammed just for fun)
Dave
New User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 16
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From: Florida
Flux Core Welding Question
Just a not about flux core gassless welding. You need DC positive to use flux core wire, This will not premote good penatration. Gas shielded welding is the only way to go. You use DC negitive which will give good penatration and good results. .023 wire is good for most jobs. Adjust wire speed by sound, You should hear a smooth buzzing sound when adjusted correctly.
New User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13
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From: Central PA
Flux Core Welding Question
XChevyman,
I will agree with one part of your post...DCEP with gasless fluxcore will not promote good penetration. Fluxcore wire is designed to be run on DCEN. Solid wire with shielding gas is run DCEP. If the fluxcore wire is run properly, it will actually provide a better weld than the solid wire. Fluxcore runs hotter than solid, therefore providing better penetration. It is easier to make "pretty" welds with the solid wire, but those welds don't mean crap if they are going to fail. For a 110V welder, I will run nothing but fluxcore wire for any critical welds. These units just don't have the guts to run solid wire for anything heavy. I would sure hate to be following a vehicle down the road at 70MPH that has the frame modified and welded with .023 solid on a 110V mig. It's only a matter of time before something bad happens!
I will agree with one part of your post...DCEP with gasless fluxcore will not promote good penetration. Fluxcore wire is designed to be run on DCEN. Solid wire with shielding gas is run DCEP. If the fluxcore wire is run properly, it will actually provide a better weld than the solid wire. Fluxcore runs hotter than solid, therefore providing better penetration. It is easier to make "pretty" welds with the solid wire, but those welds don't mean crap if they are going to fail. For a 110V welder, I will run nothing but fluxcore wire for any critical welds. These units just don't have the guts to run solid wire for anything heavy. I would sure hate to be following a vehicle down the road at 70MPH that has the frame modified and welded with .023 solid on a 110V mig. It's only a matter of time before something bad happens!
New User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Florida
Flux Core Welding Question
I may not have much experience with flux core welding, but I have about 20 years welding with Mig and 75/25 shielding gas. Also I have been modifying cars and trucks (frames included) with .023 wire. It is not the wire size, but the technique. A 120 Volt welder will still have enough power to do the job in short bursts and multiple passes. The gasless wire has the same effect as AC arc welding except you do not use AC, but DC neg at the gun. I stand corrected on the polarity. The bottom line is that you will get a better weld with gas than without, 120V or 230V is no matter except for how long you can weld without burning up the welder (duty cycle). The power is made up in the windings in the transformer and a 120V will heat up faster. The wire is only a fill material and .030 or .035 will take too much power to burn and will put undo strain on a 120V welder causing shorter welding times between cool down.
Anyone wanting to learn how to weld should find a good book to read and just practice. There is nothing better than experience.
Good luck
Anyone wanting to learn how to weld should find a good book to read and just practice. There is nothing better than experience.
Good luck
Freshman User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: fulton
Flux Core Welding Question
Been at it for about thirty years, welder fabricator by trade. I run my little 110 with gas and solid wire, good for about 3/16 to 1/4 inch at best. Got it to do some stainless welding in some tight spots. Never tried flux core on it, seen no need. Now if it is anything like the verta core flux wire I run on my 400 amp mig machine. Then run co2 with it and I think you all will be impressed. It will be stronger than with out it, and make a better looking weld.
A weld is only as good as the welder. And if you need a strong weld 7018 still the one to beat
A weld is only as good as the welder. And if you need a strong weld 7018 still the one to beat
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,242
Likes: 3
From: Joliet, Illinois
Flux Core Welding Question
I was taught at a Ford truck dealership on a Millermatic 250 solid wire/gas and the welds were beautiful once I got the hang of it, and it seemed as if it could weld forever.
Now for home, I have a lincoln SP-170 T run off 220 set up with .045 innershield wire and it tells me the duty cycle is 30% @ 230V/60Hz.
I knew FCAW was messy with splatter, but did not want to deal with a bottle and did not want to worry about any small breezes as all my welding is done in the driveway.
The questions I have are.
How do you know when you have exceeded your duty cycle time on a mig welder?
Duty cycle?
And it's 30% of what? A minute? An hour? A day?
If I weld for too long, and exceed the 30%, what happens?
The 2 welding books, and the factory manual I have tell me nothing about this.
Now for home, I have a lincoln SP-170 T run off 220 set up with .045 innershield wire and it tells me the duty cycle is 30% @ 230V/60Hz.
I knew FCAW was messy with splatter, but did not want to deal with a bottle and did not want to worry about any small breezes as all my welding is done in the driveway.
The questions I have are.
How do you know when you have exceeded your duty cycle time on a mig welder?
Duty cycle?
And it's 30% of what? A minute? An hour? A day?
If I weld for too long, and exceed the 30%, what happens?
The 2 welding books, and the factory manual I have tell me nothing about this.
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: New Mexico
Flux Core Welding Question
It means the transformer will overheat if you weld more than 30% of the time at that heat setting. To protect the unit, usually there is an auto-resetting thermal breaker, and the box will turn off if it gets too hot.
In practice, it is telling you to rest 70% of the total time. For example, if you run a 3-minute bead, wait 7 minutes as a cool-down period, before you run the next bead.
Makes for a lot of coffee breaks and not much progress, eh?
In practice, it is telling you to rest 70% of the total time. For example, if you run a 3-minute bead, wait 7 minutes as a cool-down period, before you run the next bead.
Makes for a lot of coffee breaks and not much progress, eh?
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,157
Likes: 1
From: Central Kali
Flux Core Welding Question
Yes, the duty cycle refers to the ten minute cycle. I have a Hobart Betamig 200. I run at 100 amps and don't even worry about the duty cycle. I think mine is 60% at 200 amps.
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Posting Guru
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,242
Likes: 3
From: Joliet, Illinois
Flux Core Welding Question
"For example, if you run a 3-minute bead, wait 7 minutes as a cool-down period, before you run the next bead."
"Yes, the duty cycle refers to the ten minute cycle"
So at maximum amps, I can only go for 3 minutes out of 10.
I doubt I ever go near the maximum heat setting.
I have been known to run some rather long beads from time to time.
Thanks guys.
"Yes, the duty cycle refers to the ten minute cycle"
So at maximum amps, I can only go for 3 minutes out of 10.
I doubt I ever go near the maximum heat setting.
I have been known to run some rather long beads from time to time.
Thanks guys.
Tuned
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 483
Likes: 1
I have to go with Arbo and Hacksaw on this one. Roll cages should never be welded with 023 and a 120V machine. (actually any machine with 023) In fact the NHRA or whatever, the racing people, prohibit it. Sometimes its not that it couldnt be wire welded but if you allow it this is whats going to happen, everyone in the backyard with a 120V machine and an extension cord is going to try it. It just doesnt have the power to make good fusion. There are some inheritant differences in fluxcore that make it more suitable for thicker materials than solid wire and gas, some are quite complex and hard to go into here. A lot of people here are promoting welding machines that are too small for some of these projects and its a disaster waiting to happen. Even an amateur stands a chance with a machine with enough power and you can get lucky for a while with a small one too. You wont be able to sue the company making the machine because if you read the instructions it tells the limits and wire types. Some of these are generous too, after all if they told you to weld nothing thicker than a soup can with it would you buy it? We are going to read about it,, hitch fell off, frame broke, etc.
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