Author Topic: flux core? (Read 35987 times)

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #30 on:** May 11, 2005, 06:30:47 AM »

Weeeeeeeeee.....keep going!

burnyota · « **Reply #31 on:** May 12, 2005, 07:04:10 AM »

Flux core is a great invention. You get deeper penetration than you would with mig, and does not require a gas bottle, cause the flux is in the wire. more slag, more amps and voltage, but deeper penetration and you can use it in windy settings(garage,driveway, etc). mig is harder to set up and learn compared to running flux core. From my school flux lab, we use about a 2in wire stickout and a drag technique with no oscillation of the gun. A drag technique will always give you deeper penetration. my

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #32 on:** May 12, 2005, 07:53:46 AM »

Quote from: burnyota on May 12, 2005, 07:04:10 AM

2in wire stickout . my

Thats hard core technical term right there!

rockhound · « **Reply #33 on:** May 12, 2005, 05:44:18 PM »

Show me the drag technique. No ocillation? Is that the same as spiraling? I've been teaching myself to weld out of necessity. So this is educational.
I have a HF special too. It's a Chicago Electric Dual Mig 131. I use the .030 flux core that came with it.
I start with about 1/4 wire showing at the tip and move slowly while making a small circular motion with the tip. With thte setting at max 2, about a 4 wire speed it seems to leave a nice bead and if I go slow enough, seems to get good penetration.
I just had to re-mount my steering box, and it took a couple times welding the frame inserts to eliminate the seam left after grinding smooth at the frame.

Weldo · « **Reply #34 on:** May 12, 2005, 06:25:58 PM »

Oscillation simply means side to side movement, usually prefered over a circular movement like you described. Whether you have to oscillate or "WEAVE" or not depends on the joint. On Tee joints (fillets) an oscillation may be helpful to wash the molten metal onto the vertical piece. An oscillation can also give you a wide, flat bead instead of a narrow, high bead.

Drag technique simply means tilting the gun in the direction of travel. That is, the wire coming out of the gun is pointed back to the weld you are currently making, as opposed to the "PUSH" technique where the wire is pointed ahead or away from the weld you are currently making. Dragging typically gives higher beads and deeper penetration. Pushing gives flatter beads and less penetration, making it good for sheet metal.

Longer wire stick outs are used with fluxcore to help pre heat the slag and increase its effectiveness, also it keeps the gun a little cleaner from the spatter. I don't think I'd use a 2 inch stick out on a small 110V machine, though. I might stick with 1/2" - 1" for those small machines.

rockhound · « **Reply #35 on:** May 12, 2005, 07:23:59 PM »

Very cool.

I need to practice different techniques. I didn't know.
I thought you were never supposed to push the weld, always holding at about 30 degrees and working away from the weld.
I didn't know about spiral movement on the tip till I saw the guy welding my spring hangers to the frame. He made some sweet beads. A little practice and I could also, on scrap, but trying to upside down or around tubing with a helmet, forget it. And a straight line for about 3 inches and I starts to miss the desired path. Plus the welder needs to cycle.
Welding is an art, and I dig it!

kyle_22r · « **Reply #36 on:** May 12, 2005, 07:29:11 PM »

yeah, i don't stick the wire out very far. i always point the gun towards the start of the weld, i learned this in my days of doing dual shield(both flux and gas, used for deep penetration on thick joints) at school.

when doing most kinds of joints, i use a weaving zig-zag technique. get a nice puddle going, move it slightly up and to the other side, and over and over again. i used this technique on a stick welder to run my root passes, then generally drag all the other passes with some slight side to side movement to flatten the bead out. some people may say its a bit weaker but i've never had a problem with slag inclusions -- when my test plates were bent, there were 0 discontinuities on my vertical plates

gonzo · « **Reply #37 on:** May 13, 2005, 04:52:19 AM »

Quote from: Weldo on May 12, 2005, 06:25:58 PM

Oscillation simply means side to side movement, usually prefered over a circular movement like you described. Whether you have to oscillate or "WEAVE" or not depends on the joint. On Tee joints (fillets) an oscillation may be helpful to wash the molten metal onto the vertical piece. An oscillation can also give you a wide, flat bead instead of a narrow, high bead.

Drag technique simply means tilting the gun in the direction of travel. That is, the wire coming out of the gun is pointed back to the weld you are currently making, as opposed to the "PUSH" technique where the wire is pointed ahead or away from the weld you are currently making. Dragging typically gives higher beads and deeper penetration. Pushing gives flatter beads and less penetration, making it good for sheet metal.

Longer wire stick outs are used with fluxcore to help pre heat the slag and increase its effectiveness, also it keeps the gun a little cleaner from the spatter. I don't think I'd use a 2 inch stick out on a small 110V machine, though. I might stick with 1/2" - 1" for those small machines.

Hey Weldo what do you use to clean your tip? I've been using a dipping jelly, anything better that you know of?

Weldo · « **Reply #38 on:** May 13, 2005, 12:15:26 PM »

Using that nozzle dip or anti spatter spray is good. It makes the spatter removal easier. To clean the nozzle and contact tip I use pliers. You may have seen those "MIG pliers" at harbor freight or something. They work good, but needle nose pliers will work just fine as well for cleaning out the spatter.

Makman · « **Reply #39 on:** May 13, 2005, 12:43:16 PM »

Note that vertical welds are typically supposed to be run uphill if they are to have any significant structural value. It's harder to do but prevents a cold-lap condition possible when running downhill. When welding around a tube, it's hard not to weld in a little of every position on the way around so you just do what you have to do.

gonzo · « **Reply #40 on:** May 13, 2005, 01:50:17 PM »

Quote from: Weldo on May 13, 2005, 12:15:26 PM

Using that nozzle dip or anti spatter spray is good. It makes the spatter removal easier. To clean the nozzle and contact tip I use pliers. You may have seen those "MIG pliers" at harbor freight or something. They work good, but needle nose pliers will work just fine as well for cleaning out the spatter.

Awesome Thanx Weldo

guywithuglyyota · « **Reply #41 on:** May 13, 2005, 04:46:04 PM »

Whats the best method for welding upside down with flux-core? Im assuming you turn up the wire speed slightly?

Im currently using .30 flux core from lincoln

kyle_22r · « **Reply #42 on:** May 13, 2005, 05:43:33 PM »

haven't tried overhead with my flux yet. i'll have to give it a whirl soon

who in their right mind runs a structural vertical weld downhill???

guywithuglyyota · « **Reply #43 on:** May 13, 2005, 06:10:56 PM »

I try to never run while im welding, hard to keep a good bead.

bad joke sorry

Weldo · « **Reply #44 on:** May 13, 2005, 07:02:07 PM »

Quote from: kyle_22r on May 13, 2005, 05:43:33 PM

haven't tried overhead with my flux yet. i'll have to give it a whirl soon

For overhead, set the machine similar to what you might do for flat, maybe turn the wire speed down a hair.

Quote from: kyle_22r on May 13, 2005, 05:43:33 PM

who in their right mind runs a structural vertical weld downhill???

There are certain codes that require downhill welding. Mostly all plate is welded uphill, but there is some codes that call for downhill MIG, especially for root passes, on pipe. Also, the API 1104 pipe welding code requires E6010 root and filler, all downhill. Conversely, the ASME Section IX code for pipe welding requires all uphill.

burnyota · « **Reply #45 on:** May 14, 2005, 07:22:58 AM »

wow!

I think that we have enough info on this subject to start a research paper...buts thats way cool to all share our knowledge...same here as far as bend tests go - all have passed in mig,arc,and flux..the best are the side bends in arc...here is a pic from 1st semester arc

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #46 on:** May 20, 2005, 11:36:59 AM »

TTT
Hey Kyle_22r
How are you feeling about the duty cycle on that little guy. It says 10% at 80 amps...is it REAL slow going or will it lay a few beads before it needs a rest?

kyle_22r · « **Reply #47 on:** May 20, 2005, 05:07:18 PM »

you know, i havent pushed it to the point to where it shuts down on me(supposedly its thermally protected). i can run a couple 3"-4" beads, let it cool a little bit while i wire wheel the slag off and prep for my next weld etc and it's ready to go when i need it. of course i wouldn't mind having something a little more powerful with a better duty cycle, but you wont find a better wirefeed for $120

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #48 on:** May 20, 2005, 06:28:52 PM »

That's pretty kool...I gotta make some kind of a decision on a welder one of these days.

kyle_22r · « **Reply #49 on:** May 20, 2005, 09:15:16 PM »

the real test is going to be when i install crossover steering within the next month or two

burnyota · « **Reply #50 on:** May 29, 2005, 05:06:36 PM »

Yo! how is your welding comming along??

kyle_22r · « **Reply #51 on:** May 29, 2005, 08:42:29 PM »

not too bad. i pulled it out after work yesterday to help my little brother with his skateboarding box(he was putting a piece of angle on the side to grind on so he wanted me to weld 2 pieces so it'd be long enough with no seams). this was like 1/8" stuff the welder handled it like a champ! it actually got a little hot on the first pass i made and burned through it!

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #52 on:** Jun 16, 2005, 02:33:20 PM »

Still going well...? I threw in my $115 bucks, I gotta see how these work. Got some small non-structural progets to test it with. Just can't see spending too much when I know in a year or so I will have a place for a 220V unit.

We will see.

toybuilt · « **Reply #53 on:** Jun 16, 2005, 03:24:07 PM »

eddyb · « **Reply #54 on:** Jun 16, 2005, 07:14:07 PM »

We have both in the garage, stick and MIG and use both according to what we are doing. For the record we use 7018 rods in the AC buzzbox and .30 wire in the MIG(with gas of course). I've been doing alot of welding at work recently, welding heavy duty mesh to steel studs to keep people from breaking through the walls. I've been getting the best results from the highest amperage and the speed set at a little under 2. The metal is very dirty and galvanized.

CTENG in KS · « **Reply #55 on:** Jun 17, 2005, 07:29:54 AM »

Hope you are wearing a mask...galvanized puts off sum yukky fumes.

eddyb · « **Reply #56 on:** Jun 17, 2005, 04:03:53 PM »

puts hair on your chest

gonzo · « **Reply #57 on:** Jun 18, 2005, 06:44:47 AM »

Quote from: eddyb on Jun 17, 2005, 04:03:53 PM

puts hair on your chest

and your tongue......best to stay clear of the fumes......it is difficult some times.

Hyena · « **Reply #58 on:** Jun 18, 2005, 11:31:39 AM »

might kill you too.

eddyb · « **Reply #59 on:** Jun 19, 2005, 08:18:11 AM »

I keep well away from it. It is some foul stuff.

kyle_22r [OP]

kyle_22r [OP]

kyle_22r [OP]

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