okay well since this seems to be such an inspiring subject i wanted to start a new thread .. rather then clog up idioits build thread ..

seems we folks have some disagreement about good welding equipment and practices ..

so ..

i just have to say this .. and please do tell me why i'm wrong and do tell me more ..

because if you know it all you've only chosen to stop learning ..

i just read from another user that flux core welding is stronger and more reliable then sheilded gas solid mig welding .. which blows my mind .. because i have worked around alot of steel in my life and it seems people are needlessly dragging around heavy tanks for no reason ..

i worked in an oil reclament machine facility with lathes .. welders .. plasma cutting tables .. sheers .. giant brakes .. hydralic sheers .. oxy acct rigs .. we built giant metal lathe chip seperators that cleaned tool oil in factories like eaton and other automotive builders .. the machines were 20 to 60 foot tall and were each transported by several flatbed 18 wheelers ..

not small stuff .. so .. why were they welding this 3/8 sometimes 7/16 thick steel up with solid wire miller gas sheilded welders ?

i have since worked around and for several body shops .. and everyone uses a mig + bottle ..

i have welded alot of very strong welds just fine with a mig ..

it seems like the only people who love stick welding or flux work remote sites where dragging a bottle is impractical ..

me .. i like a miller mig sheilded gas welder .. they run smooth as butter ..

miller and lincoln are both top of the line and earn a tie (in my opinion) just choose preference .. third place goes to hobart .. which is owned (i think) by miller .. it just gets the premium parts changed out for cheaper ones and has less options ..

although i own and love my millermatic i wouldn't own a hobart just from what i saw another guy always having a load of trouble with his .. but maybe it was a lemon .. i see many people like their hobart ..

and hobart does make good wire (miller) so ..

these are my opinions >> their not gold plated and i won't get my feelings hurt if you disagree .. please do everyone get in and lets talk about it .. i don't know it all .. i just have strong opinions .. but am always open to learning something new and can be persuaded .. i've just always been around mig welders .. and that's all i see .. i got one i like alot and works .. what do you like .. what works for you >>

 

I have a couple lincolns. One old buzz box and a little mig. Doing stuff on the ranch i would use flux since it was easier than hauling around a bottle. In the shop i use the bottle. Makes for a cleaner weld

 

it makes no difference, the welder himself makes the difference.
the gas just makes for a cleaner weld.
i have seen hobbyists with $10,000 machines goober "welds" that look like a 2 year old did it. and you could break the weld by hand.
and i have seen pros make welds that look they were done by a machine with a $100 flux wire mig that are stronger than the metal they are holding together.

 

Where i find flux welders work better, is where the metal can't be cleaned so well. Maybe why some may think its stronger? Or of the metal is of poor quality. I use a flux welder for everything i can where splatter doesnt matter, because if the metal isnt perfectly clean it works much better. I have a TIG and MIG as well. So it's not becuase i'm lacking the proper one.

We had a forklift with a single piece triple mast that cracked at the bottom of the main cylinder. 2 people drained the oil from it, heated, welded it with stick - leaked, ground it, tried to mig it, still leaked. It went back into service, i got ahold of it, heated it still filled with oil, then flux wired it and its been 4 years plus still no leaks.

 

I have never used any wire-feed welder, only stick. A MIG is on my list before I do the body work on the 250 as I don't think I can stick weld sheet metal that thin without the occasional burn through. I have been told it's much easier to weld with a wire feed unit. One of my bodywork friends said to stay away from the flux wire and go with gas - much cleaner welds for sheetmetal. True?

 

I think the metal quality has a lot to do with it, definitely. I always use MIG when I can; it's easy and makes "nice" looking welds a lot easier. They don't tend to break, either.
I always clean my surfaces with a wire wheel or brush first if I can; getting crud off of it is step #1 in getting a good weld.
The way I figure it is that as long as your weld is stronger than the surrounding metal(which usually isn't too hard to do), it really doesn't matter how you did it. If you can get a good weld with flux? Go ahead. I much prefer MIG for everything because it produces a good weld easily.
BTW, I'm not a welder by trade or anything - I just picked up some basic skill learning off Youtube videos so I could fix things.

MIG is basically "Easy mode" for welding.
Shielding gas makes for much cleaner welds on *anything*,not just sheet metal.

My tip for welding thin stuff: Use the smallest diameter wire you can. It makes life a lot easier.

 

Mig is easier as was stated earlier. Also it's cleaner since you tend to not get the "splatter" from the flux. Ask your welding shop for wire for body uses. A little easier to grind down and make it smooth with the rest of the body

 

im no professional but each type has its uses.
different environments for different equipment.
i wont be dragging my Lincoln 275 precision tig through the mud..lol
i MIG for the most part.
sheet metal, light steel etc.
when it comes to chassis work, i prefer to TIG it.
TIG is by far superior to all other welding for structural stuff IMO
and remember, TIG is nothing more than precision stick welding.

i started out with a 110 flux core, welding 1/8" tubing together.
a person can get it to look good, but ever since i bought my 180 HD, i use it for pretty much anything. and it will burn through 3/8 without an issue.

i mostly use my TIG for stainless and things i want to be the strongest i can.

 

Not sure why folks are getting so hung up on this. Flux core and mig are mostly just two different ways to achieve the same thing. Prep, proper wire, and the skill of the welder count for far more than any difference.

If you want to run wire, flux core is generally better in an outside uncontrolled environment because you don't have to worry about your shielding gas blowing away.

It tends to burn a bit hotter because the slag cover acts as something of an insulator holding in heat. Possible advantage when pushing a welder to its limits with material on the edge of too big.

It's "dirtier" because of the slag cover requiring more care between passes and if working with sheet metal (not really recommended if yo can avoid it) the act of removing it can bugger up the appearance of said sheet metal.

Structurally you've either made a good weld or you haven't, and the two processes don't really matter that much in and of themselves. Inert gas forces out oxygen so you don't get pinholes, or flux covers the puddle and keeps out oxygen so you don't get pinholes. Flip a coin.

In my shop mig all the way because I don't have to deal with the flux and a chipping hammer. Outside, mig if I can get away with it, flux core if I can't, and if access is an issue stick might win the day.

Just like any tool they all have their place.

 

120v flux core welder did 5 years ago in the backyard took me two hours aside did two, root and cap never moved and it has gone though hell. Yes 120v welder. Prep and skill and time.

 

Welding is my trade and has been for the last 14 years.

We have a full line metal fabrication shop and also offer on-site work.

In the shop, we use gas shielded pulsed MIG almost exclusively.

We have a 200 amp Miller Dynasty TIG for thinner aluminum or stainless.

We have a Miller Trailblazer 302 for on-site work. We use SMAW almost exclusively with it, simply for the faster set-up and simplicity of it.

Flux-cored MIG is a distant blot on the horizon. However, like has been said, what matters is the quality of the machine and the skill level with which it is used, not so much the process.

 

Different processes give different results, so the best method changes with the situation. I prefer stick welding in most situations, I used to be certified to run 7018 and 11018 in all positions. When doing heavy structural, I use stick, mostly because it digs out material and intermixes the base and filler. The slag holds the heat in slowing the cooling and giving a tempering effect.
MIG doesn't dig as deep in most cases except for pulse MIG, although Miller machines have an effective setting for dig.
Flux core is for hobbyists, but dual shield is where it's at. Flux core wire with C25 or pure CO2 on top of it gives all the benefits of stick and MIG with minimal disadvantages, like it really shouldn't be run overhead. I have a Hobart Beat MIG 250 set up for this process.
I also was certified to run TIG on alloys and aluminum, it has it's place mostly in clean highly visible welds. I have a Dynasty 200 that I use for TIG and stick, I've built trailers handrails and ductwork with it.

 

i never tried tig. i use the spool gun on the lincoln 215 powermig for aluminum and stainless, or aluminum rod with the miller 250 bobcat on thick aluminum.
i also have a miller bluestar ac/dc reverse polarity also.
i use the mig indoors, and one of the stick machines outdoors.

 

TIG is great for thin/rusted away metals, you can gradually add filler and heat as needed to build the metal out. I don't have any pictures of things done "the right way" but i have an old pic of my dad's 70 cougar that had the hood hinge bolts ripped/rusted out, i repaired them running at like 30amps, before i had a gas lense, with a 3/16" tungsten and 3/16" rod. Before i knew any better. With a thin rod and tungsten you could repair a soda can if you wanted to.

 

A 120v flux core welder is great for portability and is fine around 3/16" steel. If you just need to quicklley weld something, cant get something near a 220v outlet, or don't feel like setting anything up you can just grab it and go. The welds arent awful with them