I seem to get more penetration when using flux core vs. solid wire with gas at identical settings. Why is this? Also would it be better to use flux core for areas where structural integrity is crucial? thanks
Yes,that is correct. I'm sure there is a reason,but I must have missed that cl*** in Welding Theory. Hard Wire will work fine for structural work,IF the machine is big enough.We used to use it on hydraulic cylinders,no problems with strength.
what size welder? fluz core is a f'n mess! IF your not getting a good weld right away, you can always try to preheat. I've done it on cold days, you end up with a more consistent weld. But again, this all depends on the welder. Don't worry about gas (I'm ***uming argon?) as long as the tank has pressure and the valve is open your good. Worry about wire speed and amperage more. -Mike
Shouldn't make a difference really. Could be you're not using the correct settings with the solid wire.
innershield wire burns hotter this is what makes more penetration .MiG has gas cooling it this makes less penetration
more food for thought. Flux core wire has less metal per inch than solid wire. Same feed rate is less filler. Proportionally, you are using more heat.
Yes, but the funny thing is that when I set the polarity for solid wire as per the machines' recommendations (hobart handler 180), I get porous, bubbly craggy welds. When I change the polarity back to the flux core settings i get a much cleaner, more solid weld. I've double checked a bunch of times to verify the polarity and still wind up with the same results. I'm not getting bad welds with solid wire, they look much better than flux, it's just that the flux welds seem to reall "bite" into the metal more. Thanks again.
keep the solid core with gas for sheetmetal and break out the OLD ARC WELDER for structural stuff then there is no guessing on the structural integrity.
Use 80/20 gas for steel................A little off point, but I met a guy the other day that was building giant (2 inch thick) ripper teeth for giant bulldozers used in brush erradication. He was welding the teeth on the bottom of the blade. He was using flux core wire about the diameter of a "Big Chief" pencil lead.........further, he was running his wire feed through a big Lincoln (diesel) welder. The beads were like nothing I had ever seen before.
I meant they were holding 2 inch thick teeth on a dozer blade.........I wish I had had something to photo them with........yeah, they were great, and it was apparently not his first rodeo........they flowed from the tooth to the blade like ripples of water. I had never seen anyone run a relatively small wire feed through a big lincoln either. He had also cut the teeth out of a 4x8x2 slab of steel using, what he called, a doodle bug, jitterbug or something like that......it was a flame cutting pattern torch ........oxy acet.....just amazing
What you describe is much of what we do 8-10 hrs. a day where I work, lots of 1'' thru 4'' plate. "Fluxcore" is kind of a catchall phrase used for different types of wire. We use a dual shield wire with both a inner flux and a 75/25 shielding gas in 1/16- 3/32 dia. that leaves a slag on the weld the same as in stick welding. We also use a .052 innershield wire with a 90/10 shielding gas that welds clean. These are run through 400-450 amp Miller power sources with 30-e wire feeds. The torch you describe is commonly called a pantograph torch, and we have burned up to 6'' thick plate using propane and liquid oxy with ours.
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