I have a flux core welder that I got brand new in the box for free. I am under the imptression that for anything automotive, these things essentially blow. Am I correct or can these be used for filling holes in sheet metal? Simple tacking? Boat anchor?
With the money you saved on the initial purchase price,you can afford to spring for a gas conversion kit and bottle.Then you can weld sheetmetal.
flux core will work. i used it for a long time. but it splatters real bad and blows holes in sheet metal quicker. but it will work. gas is a much cleaner and smoother weld.
Thanks guys, Garth, it's a Campbell Hausfeld Flux Core 85 Electric Wire Feed Welder Model: WF201000AV. I was just looking over at the CH website and the MIG kit is like 65.00. That and a bottle and I'd be good, I guess. I just havn't heard too much good press about these machines. What's a bottle and gas run nowadays anyways?
Um... my smallish bottle was 125 for tank and gas. i think thats in washington. Hope that helps.. and by all means get the mig kit you will be much happier in the long run. Garth
I have the same welder, I can get a bottle for $75. I used it for some 1" square tubimg amd it worked good. I was told to use the gas for sheetmetal
I built my whole car with flux core. You can get a good, solid weld with it, but don't expect'em to be pretty! Also... Stay away from generic wire, it doesn't work for shit. just use the brand name stuff; it costs a few bucks more, but it's well worth it for the headaches you'll avoid!
I used a flux core welder to weld shut some holes (1/4" - 1/2" dia) and weld closed some cracks in my tailgate. Aside from the messy splatter, it worked fine. I'll also add that this was my first time welding sheet metal. It works great for heavier stuff, but again you get splatter. The splatter easily grinds off, so it's not too big of a deal. When I run out of flux core wire I'll be switching over to MIG, but it's good enough for the meantime. Ed
[ QUOTE ] I built my whole car with flux core. You can get a good, solid weld with it, but don't expect'em to be pretty! Also... Stay away from generic wire, it doesn't work for shit. just use the brand name stuff; it costs a few bucks more, but it's well worth it for the headaches you'll avoid! [/ QUOTE ]what he said!
We used to X-ray weld with flux cored wire in the pressure vessel industy. It's just a matter of having as said before. Good wire, clean metal and a machine that maintains a consistant arc. Now we welded on 1/2" to 6" metal not sheetmetal. All in all though, gas shielded mig is much easier and cleaner. You can weld heavy stuff like a frame with flux. Just follow the above recomendations and have a welder that can handle the heat.
The flux definitely welds thicker stuff better. I welded some 1/4 with my lincoln on flux. The best way I found is to heat the two pieces with a torch and then lay the bead to it. That insures good penetration. There was a big difference between pre heating and not... I also converted my system over to Gas. You DEFINITELY give up the capabilities of welding thick stuff, but it is great for welding sheet metal. I used Co2 by the way....Seemed to work good for me. I liked it. JT.
What everyone else said. Remember when you switch from flux core to solid wire you have to reverse the polarity. For a backup bottle I took an old Co2 fire extinguisher, had it tested & a valve installed. It was cheap.
Good stuff. The kit actually comes with replacement wand and liner, I am wondering if I can switch back and forth depending on the job at hand. Right now, I just want to finish the shave job on the sheet metal. Tommorow on the other hand, I may want to do something else. I am going to call CH's technical support and see what they say.
I have a small Licolin that is convertable from flux to gas.I have used flux the whole time it is messy but solid.I patched my doors put the bottom in my bed everything.
I tacked my whole first car together with flux core and struggled with the body work with it. I'd recommend you have someone with experience finish the job on a frame for you, as I did. I've since moved up to a bigger machine with a bottle and the welds are much more consistant and cleaner. A lot of the smaller welders don't have the adjustablity to tune them in to sheetmetal welding , causing alot of frustration for the beginning welder. My advice, tack with it and try to find a friend who can teach you the finer points and help you finish the job. Good luck, dirty dug
I love mine, no gas. My first welder, and first time welding, so I don't know any better. I don't have any problem welding sheet metal with it. capped the doors on the coupe roadster conversion I am doing, and it came out nice. No holes !!! a first....To
the only thing to remember when welding with flux core wire is that you SHOULD Drag the wire, (like stick welding) to ensure that your flux does not contaminate the weld.. I have a lincoln with gas.. I ONLY use flux core wire when I gotta do a job where I dont care what the weld looks like in the end... which isnt often
I built my rig using flux wire with a CH welder too. My first attempts at welding were horrible. Looked like deformed bb's lying in dried up Coke. Wouldn't hold squat. After a while I figured out what I was doing wrong and got a feel for how much heat was needed for the metal thickness I was dealing with at the time. Make sure you use good fresh wire. Thicker wire and tips for thicker metal. Thinner (.023) for sheet metal. I filled in my roof, replaced the door bottoms, installed the MII IFS and reversed the shock mounts on the Dana rear with that rascal. Just make sure you have a selection of wire brushes handy and maybe a sanding disk for your angle grinder handy.
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