Flux-core wire welders?

love my lincoln weld-pak 100. yes you can do sheet metal. just takes a little practice like every thing else.

 

I had a Lincoln Hd 100 weld pack used it to restore my camaro all i have to say is that it was a pain in the culo.
When i bought my 51 chevy i also bought a new welder a Lincoln 140c love it! of course i am no welding expert but it was a major upgrade from what i had. I use a 75/25 mix, the machine can do both mig and flux which i used for my trans mount and engine mounts.

 

I use flux core in my Miller, because I have no money to offer gas.
I prefer MIG, but welding cleanly sheet metal is possible with flux core.
It just takes some learning. I have decent results, and I m far from being a welder, just a hobbyist.

 

There you go. I agree 100%!
I've had a Miller Cricket for fifteen years or more. Used it to replace the floor pans, trunk floor, rockers, etc on my '57 BelAir and a bunch of sheet metal repairs on other vehicles. If you take your time and LEARN HOW to use the flux core wire, you can do good work. One disadvantage to the flux wire is the size. Last I checked the smallest diameter available was .030. I like the .023 for body panels.
Yes, I did finally buy a MIG, but the Cricket still gets plenty of use.

 

I don t think there s smaller than 0.030

 

I welded professionally for years. I stick to my statement. If your going to be in the hobby I would suggest a mig, every time I tryed flux on a pan or something it went through. Ask any " professional body guy" and they will tell you mig all day long. Plus flux is a messy way to weld, you have to clean all the splatter up with it. If flux was good or better why do they still sell **** loads of migs.

 

Save more and buy a mig. You will not regret it down the road.

 

I bought a Lincoln weld pack 100 back in 1997, I was doing frame work on my 1949 Chevy and didn't have money for the Mig setup. I never had a big problem with splatter on flux core, it mostly came off if you s****ed it and knocked off the cap from the weld... get one of them hammer pick things they sell in the welding section.

I was never able to weld sheet metal with the flux, but I found the mig conversion for sale at home depot and converted mine and man oh man it was freakin awesome. I would suggest getting a flux core that can be upgraded later. Once you go mig, you won't want to go back, and get the bigger 125cfm bottle, those baby ones are a joke.

 

So, to answer your original question, ............. YES.

 

In graduation series......oxy/acc....bought my first machine.....flux core......served it pupose,but i was on a learning curve. Moved up to a good mig. Skills improved.Bought a tig......gonna try to be somebody.
Depends on what you want to accomplish for yourself,and intention for the machine. You can do A LOT of things with the basics,but skill comes into play. Frames,body pannels,bracketry,wrought iron gates?
A LOT of usefull info posted. Pic what suits your needs for now,then plan on upgrading.

 

This, before grinding , and after. Not the same part, but you got the idea.

 

I agree with this statement. here is my advice, Stop looking at that $89.99 flux core wire welder that harbor frieght is selling, It is a piece of ****!!....Save up a little more money and buy a good used (lincoln 100 or 140 with a gas bottle). they are great machines for welding light sheetmetal. I have also used the little blue clarke machine as well, that a buddy of mine had, I helped him put floorboards and a quarter panel on a 55 2dr with it in his garage. And it welds nicely. both machines use a Gas bottle. Bottoline is flux core wire is messy, Almost impossible to control warpage on sheetmetal, And just a all around bad idea. Someone said it has it's place in the welding industry, Not sure exactly what it is but it is not sheetmetal.....

rusty1,
Here is the best advice I can give you since there are so many diffren't opinions on this thread, Don't listen to me or anyone else on this forum, As some of us disagree, Some guys are never going to admit to being wrong. either they are too set in their ways or they just don't know any better. The best thing you can do is go talk to guys at your local welding shop(Real welders) who do it for a living everyday. Then after they tell you that welding sheetmetal without Gas is not the way to do it. You will know not to buy that cheap *** machine from harbor freight. On ther other side of this coin, For one of our test in cl*** we had to weld some pipe fittings with flux wire, the results were not too bad. But I could have done a better job with Stick.....On the other hand If you just can't help yourself and you want to try the flux core machine. you have 90 days to take it back to the store....LOL. Goodluck

 

Sounds like you already know the answer, Unless you think that "most" are wrong

 

I got one from a Hardware Store while living in the Islands, Brand New for $50.00 Bucks. No one wanted it. It did a good job once I learned how to use it. Did Sheet metal, and was real happy with it for what I paid for it. Still used the stick welder for heavy stuff, but was a great addition to my shop. Did all the repairs for on my 29 CCPk Up. Just takes practise. Iceman

 

I've used MIG,Tig, stick, Flux core, oxy-acet, and while they all have their good and bad points (mostly because of experience, or lack of) I am using a Flux core while working on my '53 'Binder and am very happy with the results!

 

I liked the versatility of it. Even welding out in the driveway, I'd find that on most days there was enough of a breeze that it probably would have made using any kind of shielding gas pretty much impossible. And yeah, I did some really small patch panels in areas where most people wouldn't see... talking about near the framerails, under the car and stuff. I'd never used a wire feed ANYTHING in my life. It actually came out okay, ground it all smooth and it looked almost factory fresh when I was done. But yeah, this was a mixture of 16g and maybe 20g sheet metal I was doing, and I found that the lowest setting would have inadequate penetration, and the next highest setting would invariably burn through. So a lot of the work was just a bunch of little tacks in a row, since it was the only thing that seemed to work. Took forever, and yes cleanup is a major nuisance, but nothing a wire wheel won't take off.

I just don't think I could recommend it for really visible bodywork. The distortion even while doing these tiny little patches was just incredible. I'm guessing it would wreak havok on exterior sheetmetal if you didn't want it to look all wavy.

Other thing is, I couldnt get it to weld upside down for ****. I know this takes skill and all, but I had a trained welder have a go at it too, and it still looked like total ****, even if it was strong enough. And this is a Hobart Handler 140 with brand-name wire, too, not knockoff stuff from Harbor Freight or anything.

 

For welding rusty steel or galvanized steel (does anyone else still use pieces of galvanized steel for patch panels?) or outdoors in the wind flux core works well but it has drawbacks. Splatter, poor heat control etc etc...

 

...thanks again for all the comments.

 

i debated going that way but in the end went with a small Lincoln MIG
it can be switched over to use flux-core, which i have used when i ran out of gas (now keep a spare tank). as a someone who worked as a welder at one time i would still recommend you save up and go witt he better choice.
Someone once asked "how often do you end up saying "i wish i would have bought a cheaper tool?" how often do you wish you would have bought a better tool?" i know which choice i normally will regret.
as a frugal sort of guy (see my build) i would suggest you be cautious, but it can be done
having the option to do both types is nice

 

It looks like the one I bought a few years ago only mine was blue. I bought it just because it was cheap and I wasn't sure I wanted a wire welder. I used it for all kinds of stuff including the floorboards on a 78 Chevy pickup and the sheet metal on my seeder. It quit working one day, there is a little fuse inside that keeps blowing, so I went and bought a Lincoln. It only worked for a couple of years before it quit and that was with intermittent use.

I also have a big old Forny stick welder with the dial on the front. I haven't used it much since I bought a wire welder.

 

I had the same question these were the replies.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=784871

 

I have. I used a hf flux core welder. Takes a little finesse to use it. I mainly use it for small jobs and tack welds. Then I call up my friend with his quality Miller welder and he finishes the job with it.

 

Bottom line as much as it hurts. Save up the money and buy a quality welder if it gonna use it on cars. The HF is more for small hobbys.

 

"Someone once asked "how often do you end up saying "i wish i would have bought 'a cheaper tool?" how often do you wish you would have bought a better tool?'"

1959 Nomad's quote speaks volumes. I have a cheapie flux machine, and while it will do a marginal job, I much prefer my dad's good MIG. Save up and buy a good machine. I think a good welder can weld with a car battery and a hanger and make it lookgood/be good. Amatures like me need a machine that is easier to use.

 

I don't really agree with this. For an amateur, the HF unit is a good deal. It will more than pay for itself. It's fairly versitile for small projects. I had no problems with the one I had. You gain alot of experience because if you can master it, a MIG will be no problem. Plus you can resell it and regain most of your money when you move up to a better unit.

I resold mine for $75 and it still worked perfect. I then opted for a Hobart Handler 140 for sheet metal. With that welder and many others similar you have the option to MIG or use flux core.

 

I have that one. I bought it mainly for tacking until I can get a good welder that costs ten times as much. It does the job but getting it dialed in can be a bit of a PITA at first.

The wire feed is a little on the fussy side, so you need to pay close attention when you load it.

The chart on the underside of the cover should not be trusted, at least on mine. I find that I need to turn the juice up and the feed down from whatever it suggests to get penetration without giant boogers.

 

If you buy a Harbor Frieght model, do yourself a favor and toss the wire that comes with in the garbage. That stuff splattered and was tough to work with.
Have had positive experience with it ever since. Just go slow and keep the heat down.

 

i'm still using the same buzzbox i bought over ten years ago. i don't see any projects coming up that require a full-blown gas setup, nor do i see any spare money coming up to buy one. if i had a side job building for other guys, that would be a different story. the O/T car that replaced my '51 only needs two small holes patched and the buzzbox will do that perfectly. i imagine that some guys can call up and get anything they want delivered to their air conditioned four bay garage before the cook has lunch ready, but i'm not one of them.

 

Ugghhh, have you actually tried to use a stick on light gage sheet? Just wondering...

.