I have heard that the gasless fluxcore welders do not work very good versus gas welders on panel installation. Is that true because I don't want to spend alot on a welder for how little I need one. Thanks, Bill
Well gas welders from what i've used produce cleaner beads, therefore making it easier to work with, but i've got a cousin who's welding with a 110 fluxcore on his 27 T roadster and has done ALOT of sheetmetal work and it looks nice to me!.. so it can be done, yes, if I had to make a decision myself i'd say for sure the gas would be the way to go. I'm sure this has been discussed before in many previous posts. Try a search. Good Luck. -Anthony
My first wire welder was fluxcore....I hated it, returned it a few days after buying it and got a gas version....I bought my Clark welder in 1992, been using it ever since for everything and anything...
That difference in codt is directly relative to time you will spend cleaning up flux core welds. Gas=MUCH cleaner beads=less grinding (if at all) flux=MUCH hotter weld, extremely porous (both a Pain on sheetmetal) and for some reason, the welds actually seem harder to grind. Go Gas. you only think you won't be using it that much.
Hey! let's not be so harsh...they can hold doors open...act as a table leg...keep your boat from floating away...keep your dog from going through that hole in the fence (by setting it in front of the hole.)... On a serious note, they are pretty good if you're gonna build a pipe fence. but by that logic, flux core wire in a gas welder works. Vice versa...not so much.
You see, some of these guys don't care how much they spend. The single most important thing w/flux-core is the wire. Although I buy stuff from Harbor Freight, I learned to NOT buy their wire, or any other cut-rate wire. Buy your wire from a welding products distributor, get your adjustments right for you, and if you are a half-way good welder, you can do a pretty good job. It's not gas, but it does an ok job. Most of the complaints come from people who can't weld, or use the wire that came w/their flux-core. If you are only using it once in a while, and you ain't made out of money, you can get by w/o costing an arm and a leg. And remember, your feed, speed, and heat have to be just right. Good luck....Ole Pork
I found flux core was hotter hence more distortion, messier hence more grinding, hence more distortion and cheaper hence more people buy them before they trade up to a Gas Mig
Depends on how much time you have to work it out.I have done major body work like chopping tops ,grafting two different fender halfs together ,etc with a cheap *** 110 stick welder.If you can read metal temp through a welding helment and dont get in a hurry you can do it .If i was doing tin work for a living where time was money i would buy a mig.
The fluxcore is more work and the wire choice does make a huge difference. I'm doing my whole project with my little Lincoln Weld-pak 100 welder with flux core wire. I'm still working on my frame which I've done a lot of welding on Filled 130+ holes, welded in patches in crossmembers and welded crossemembers to the frame. I will also be boxing the entire frame. So far so good. Once the frame is done I'm going to be doing all the welding on the body with it. I could get the mig conversion for my welder but it wouldn't do me much good since I do all my welding outside in my driveway. Shielding gas doesn't work well when the winds blowing! The fluxcore wirefeed welder will get the job done. It just requires a little more work for the clean up.
The folks that down the flux core just don't know how to use it. A monkey can mig weld with gas, I see hundreds of them do it EVERY day. But on the same note the gas is easier on sheet metal.
I have a Lincoln SP -135 welder and love it!! if your gonna get flux core get a Lincoln and later on you can upgrade to gas if needed. plus mine came with the gauges also.
Spent many hours with both, I agree its all in the wire. I don't find the welds harder but agree it does get a little hotter. But when welding sheet metal it keeps you "honest" . By that I mean, you get a little more patient and stay away from running one to long because you know what to expect. Just don't forget to have the right polarity. Many of the same guys that think it welds like **** look at me funny when I asked if they reversed the polarity on the machine.
I'm glad to read all of these comments, as I should look into getting a better machine myself. My Mexican Miller 110 volt welder has 2 settings. Low which caused the damned thing to stick, and high, which is too hot for thin stuff. Not to mention it takes forever to cool off to continue working.
i have a lincoln weld pak 100 and it was ok for what i needed it for. went and converted it to mig and it is 100 times better. ive been welding for qhite a while and will say that you do need some skills to use flux core on sheetmetal. but the mig conversion cost me an extra $100 and it saved me in time and grinding materials plus what needed to be mudded over. the fluxcore works great if you are welding in the wind. other than that a mig is 100 times more efficient. fordman75, i'd do some test welds and test them out before you box your frame. if you are welding anything to the boxing (spring perches etc) the stress on them will make the welds fail. the amount of heat created and the rapid cooling that fluxcare creates will not be as strong as mig welded. i would rather use a cheap stick welder.
i gotta agree w/ fordman75, i built my whole car on the patio in my backyard out of a lawnmower shed. flux core was the only way for me to go because i was out there welding in 25 mph winds. overall i was happy w/ the results. but welding in a garage w/ gas IS much nicer or should i say cleaner. i also noticed besides the quality of the wire, it also made a difference if i changed the tip regularly.
Look into used welders. I was gonna buy a flux welder when I saw a used Lincoln 175 with cart, bottle, gloves, hood, etc. for $300 locally. Dave
Give that man a cigar!! While I am by NO means a professional welder I like using the flux core in my Lincoln. I have a friend who welds for a living (Gas pipeline stuff) and while he feels that gas shielding is THE way to go he has not dismissed the idea that flux core, used properly is just fine for many things that we do with cars. How about some sort of common ground, not everyone has the $$$ for a Miller or other MIG setup.
Not trying to start anything or steal your thread ,but some people have gotten spoiled to the technology of welders ,plasma cutters ,and other tools.My late father and few other old timers i have had the honor of watching work made due with stick and torch welding with coat hangers and brazing rods and never fussed about it cuz thats all they had.It seems that alot of people now days try to make hotrod building a welding contest. Its not hard to use these old methods of welding if you practice.I can Tig on carbon ,aluminum ,you name it ,but its not neccasary for the average guy to build a car in his backyard to have a high dollar machine to get the job done.Yes, a Mig will be alot easier with less clean up ,but i have seen lots of people warp the **** out of panels with one...
I was on a welder hunt a couple weeks ago and found a basically brand new Lincoln 135-Pro on ebay for 380$. Even if that's out of your price range I feel like I could do more than I have with the 135. So far I've built motor mounts and welded some patches in my frame and I feel good about the quality of the welds. I've done all this with flux core, even though the machine will run gas. I don't have any experience with gas, but the flux welds are a little messy. They required clean up with a flap disc. Maybe gas makes cleaner welds. But I would guess the flux welds are inferior in aesthetic appearance only.
check out home depot for cheap lincoln MIGs Its were I got mine. I would say just save up for a MIG and you could use it for other stuff too.
If you know how to use it, it has plenty of uses. People always ***** about it, but I love it. For farm use and repair work I use it exclusively. Flux core would never touch my body panels though. First is the heat is too much to contend with for me. I like to weld body panels without warping. I can't fathom using flux core without warping, or porosity. I've also heard some claims that flux core welds won't hold paint. I can't comment any personal experience on this as the stuff I flux core at home doesn't get paint, and the stuff I've flux cored on the job goes in the ground so the paint doesn't last long at all. And some guys who make comments like this don't figure in the extra time it would take to weld body panels and grind with flux core as a cost. They also don't realize flux core wire is more expensive than gas shielded wire. So when you go to a store shopping for a welder and/or wire, compare your prices for flux core and a gas shielded setup. Well I think we are all here because of the sacrifices the old timers made, but are you honestly telling me someone should go buy torch setup and spend the extra time while not saving money over a wire feed welder? You gonna torch your body panels with a torch? And a frame?
I have the same machine, and I also love it! I've shaved all of my body trim holes (about 100), one pieced my hood, and shaved all 4 of my handles while also installing my bear claw latches and poppers. All of it done with the flux core. I am going to convert it to gas soon thou. Its not that the flux doesn't have plenty of strength, cause it does. I've built crossmembers and made brackets for center suppor bearings with it. The deciding factor for me is the clean up time, and all of the grinding discs and flap wheels that I have gone thru over the years would have easily payed for the upgrade I'm gunna do!!! Mike
You may want to look into a "Henrob". It's oxy / acet and is fairly versatile. Does not work in windy enviroment. Very thin metal friendly yet can do some stout work. Often see demos at car shows / swap meets. Another option...
The Jalopy Journal
