flux core?

[kyle_22r]

well, today i bought a 90A 115v flux core welder to mess with from harbor freight.  it actually doesn't work that bad, but has .030 wire, kinda likes to pop around at first.  would i be better off getting a good spool of some NR211 innershield in .035 diameter?  would that still be suficient for buzzing on smaller stuff, or should i stick with the .030?

it's kind of wierd getting used to using a gun with controls other than amperage(im a certified stick welder, well, until my cert lapses in a couple months ). the more wire speed the hotter the weld, right?

i just had to buy one of these things after i could never find anybody to say anything but hearsay about them.  if it doesn't melt down after a few more welds it'll be a nice addition to my tools, at least until i can get 220 ran to my garage(detached) and buy a real 220v buzzbox

[Hyena]

the higher the heat the faster wire speed you should have.  but it all depends on the heat and how fast you move the gun.

[TacoRunner]

If you bought a 90 A 110V wire feed welder  and you say that its a flux core welder, are you sure that you can use gas with that thing. Personally I'd stay with the .30 wire cause you dont have enough amps for anything bigger.  You can use .35 but with that low amperage it may not do you any good.

[kyle_22r]

uh, flux core = no gas needed.  for a smaller welder, flux core will get you more bang for your buck as it penetrates better than straight mig.  i did some dual shield back in school(flux + gas) but i don't think i'd ever weld anything of my own that needed THAT much penetration

[84runner]

well, today i bought a 90A 115v flux core welder to mess with from harbor freight.  it actually doesn't work that bad, but has .030 wire, kinda likes to pop around at first.  would i be better off getting a good spool of some NR211 innershield in .035 diameter?  would that still be suficient for buzzing on smaller stuff, or should i stick with the .030?

it's kind of wierd getting used to using a gun with controls other than amperage(im a certified stick welder, well, until my cert lapses in a couple months ). the more wire speed the hotter the weld, right?

i just had to buy one of these things after i could never find anybody to say anything but hearsay about them.  if it doesn't melt down after a few more welds it'll be a nice addition to my tools, at least until i can get 220 ran to my garage(detached) and buy a real 220v buzzbox

The wire you have now is as big as you want to go with that size welder. Any bigger you will not burn hot enought there for you will not get enough penetration. You don't regulate the temp buy your wire speed. That is done by your amprage, the wire speed regulates how well the welder will perform at that speed. If your sticking your wire in you tip and can't get a bead started than you either need to turn you amprage down or your wire speed up, but actually bolth depending on how thick you material is.  The most import thing is to have the right temprature for the material you are tring to weld. (by adjusting amprage). Then you must adjust your wire speed so that the welder will perform at that temp.

[CTENG in KS]

And damn it don't forget a review and pictures of welds...everyone always asks about the cheapy welder, lets see some results Mr. Guinea Pig! 

Oh and    to you for going where no man has gone before and giving this thing a try!   

[kyle_22r]

that was the idea here! i'm gonna go get a can of splatter spray today, and redo the booger welds on a rollbar i bought for my truck.  i'll let you guys know how it performs

[CTENG in KS]

Hook us up, how thick is the bar???   If you could, try it out on sone 1/8 and 1/4 inch, single pass and slice them open.  That would def. give us a nice view of the welders penetration, etc.  I need something to get me by on small stuff until I get into a place where I can have 220V hook up.  Maybe this would work for the time being.   

[kyle_22r]

the stuff i've been messing with mostly seems to be 1/8" angle steel(its what i've got on hand).  seems to be running a decent bead, just taking a little finess with this thing.   i'll mess with it some more, i've got the day off

[CTENG in KS]

 
Awesome...are you butt welding or are you chamfering the pieces first...try dirty steel, and well prepped steel...see how it responds. 

Go Kyle, go!   

[kyle_22r]

well, i started on the rollbar, this thing's a masterpiece of booty-fab.  i think it was from a fullsize truck and was cut in the middle, then the legs were shortened and cut and bent to fit a toyota.  booger welds abound!  but there's more...i found of all things, BONDO!  it appears the "fabricator" who put this thing together couldn't bridge a gap with his welder so he just filled it with bondo it's about a 1/2" gap where one of the supports meets the main hoop.

and my welder's taking it like a champ!  ran smooth beads where i ground down some boogers on one side, and with short bursts its filling up the gap nicely.  after it's filled, i'm going to grind it flush and run a few nice hot beads over it, structurally joining it.

[CTENG in KS]

Sweet, that's what I like to hear!   

[kyle_22r]

well, i'm deciding that i'm gonna junk that roll bar.  not the welder's fault, but i took a look at it and it's just so incredibly crooked(the 2 supports aren't on the same angle and 1 is longer than the other ), not to mention i found EVEN MORE bondo.  looks like i'll have to find another project to use the little box again

the only problem i've noticed so far is that the roller, while being steel, isn't knurled in the channel that the wire goes in so it tends to slip if the gun lead is too twisted up or at a bunch of wierd bends.  however for the most part it's working great and laying down a nice weld

[Uncle Jesse]

is there an adjustment for the roller tension?  It may be that it just needs a little more.  I boulght a flux lincoln 90 amp 115 volt welder from Home depot over two years ago.  It's still going strong and I'm on my second 10lbs roll of wire.  Definitly practice with wire speed and hand speed.  I find most of my crappy welds come from me moving the gun too fast.

[kyle_22r]

yeah, there's an adjustment.  more tension makes it less likely to slip of course.  i'm liking this flux core thing -- it's a little more convenient than stick and doesn't have all the hassle with regulators and gas like mig.  sure, stick is nice for running real hot stuff(when i get a 220v welder, i'll get a stick inverter) and out of position, but for the little things i'm doing with this welder, it sure can't be beat in terms of price.  i paid $119 for the welder, comes with a spool of .030 wire.  the replacement tips are like $4.99 for 10, i haven't even burned out my first one yet

[Hyena]

I have a lincoln sp-100 and it is a pretty good little welder.  But i want to move up to a bigger welder for roll cages and such.  I got mine for sale right now.

[CTENG in KS]

well, i'm deciding that i'm gonna junk that roll bar.  not the welder's fault, but i took a look at it and it's just so incredibly crooked(the 2 supports aren't on the same angle and 1 is longer than the other ), not to mention i found EVEN MORE bondo.  looks like i'll have to find another project to use the little box again

the only problem i've noticed so far is that the roller, while being steel, isn't knurled in the channel that the wire goes in so it tends to slip if the gun lead is too twisted up or at a bunch of wierd bends.  however for the most part it's working great and laying down a nice weld

If you are throwing in the towel on the roll bar, use it as practice/examples.  Weld some of it and cut it and show us some pictures!!!  This thread is very refreshing...it is nice to know I can get something to take care of the small stuff for now and it won't cost me my left nut.   

[Makman]

Definitely keep the left nut.  Sounds like the little 90 Amp MIG does the job.  I don't have much experience with the little welders but something to keep in mind on the wire feed roller tension is that the flux core wire is essentially hollow...at least not solid through like hard wire anyway.  Too much tension can begin to crush/deform the wire, raise a burr, and gradually sluff metal filings into your gun liner.  This isn't catastrophic but it'll add up over time.  If it's made like a Tweco then the liner is essentially a tightly wrapped spring that flexes well but always remains open for the wire to pass through it unless you kink it or wind it up so that the resistance against the wire is simply to great for the wheels to push it.  You'll get more consistent welding behavior and better longevity from the gun if you minimize the curvature on the lead while welding.  It's like making sure you don't have any kinks in the garden hose when you're washing your truck.  It just works better.

[CTENG in KS]

Kool,  always appreciate good advice.  Will habg on to the nut for something real important!   

[CTENG in KS]

TTT...update please!!!! Did it break yet???  Inquiring minds want to know how you are liking your welder!   

[kyle_22r]

i've been lazy lately i'll get you guys an update before too long

[CTENG in KS]

Hurry Hurry Hurry   

[gonzo]

the only problem i've noticed so far is that the roller, while being steel, isn't knurled in the channel that the wire goes in so it tends to slip if the gun lead is too twisted up or at a bunch of wierd bends.  however for the most part it's working great and laying down a nice weld


Does the roller have two grooves in it?  One should be smooth and one should be knurled, at least the Lincoln 100 is that way.  It just requires an allen wrench to flip it over.

[crazywb]

Ive been wielding for a while and have had experience with harpor freights wielders. The only 110 wielder that i would recommend would be a Lincoln. As for the flux core the only use for that stuff is if your out side  and it's windy. Gas wielding is far superior to straight flux core and way easier to weld.  If that little roller adjustment is to tight with flux core it will peel the flux coating on the wire entering the liner and eventually plug up the liner.  The start of a liner going bad is when the lead is bent and the wire is burning into the tip or the wire is not at a staple feed.  Biggest thing to remember is to plug into a strong 110 source AKA washer outlet. Never use a dinky cord or the machine will weld like crap.    CJ

[kyle_22r]

huh, it's flux CORE not outershield.  the flux is inside the wire.  i do all my welding outside, there's too much junk in the garage and my mom wouldn't want it smelling like smoke

and flux core gets better penetration than mig with gas.

[CTENG in KS]

Ive been wielding for a while and have had experience with harpor freights wielders. The only 110 wielder that i would recommend would be a Lincoln. As for the flux core the only use for that stuff is if your out side  and it's windy. Gas wielding is far superior to straight flux core and way easier to weld.  If that little roller adjustment is to tight with flux core it will peel the flux coating on the wire entering the liner and eventually plug up the liner.  The start of a liner going bad is when the lead is bent and the wire is burning into the tip or the wire is not at a staple feed.  Biggest thing to remember is to plug into a strong 110 source AKA washer outlet. Never use a dinky cord or the machine will weld like crap.    CJ

Thanks, the advice is always appreciated.  Welder quality has been debated a bazillion times...kyle was man enough to spend the money and give us a little review of the HF welder and for that...
I don't think anyone expects this thing to last forever and have the quality of parts the lincoln will, but some of us are looking for a temp solution until we can get setup in a good place with 220V access, or just looking for something to hit the little things and the sheetmetal.

[CTENG in KS]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!

[guywithuglyyota]

I have been comparing both Flux cored and solid wire on my Lincoln pro mig 135 110v welder and I enjoy the flux cored more so than using gas. I am still learning but I think that its much harder to tweak the welder to penetrate properly with gas. Although you do get more slag with the flux core. This welding thing is addicting! You search all over the garage for things to weld!!!

Hows the new toy holding up for you?

[kyle_22r]

well, i've been lazy lately so no pics but i did swap in a spool of .030 lincoln NR211 innershield wire and now it welds even nicer, less splatter and a more stable arc.  i'm not going to have too much trouble putting an IFS box on with this thing

[guywithuglyyota]

Thats the wire im using as well. Makes a nice weld!