What can be done with flux core?

[fine69]

Hi, all. It’s been a couple decades since I’ve touched a welder and I never did have a lot of experience other than making a gokart back in high school. I’m aware that mig is the choice for quarters, fenders, etc. but I got thinking, could a guy get away with welding floor pans, frame rails, etc. with 120V? I’m not sure I want to invest in welding but you can get a pretty good flux core kit for 2 or 300 bucks around here so I’d consider getting one to do something with my Duster if it doesn’t sell.

 

[R413]

It works but it doesn't do that great of a job.

Anyone who's been around welding doesn't like it.

 

[Photon440]

You can also do bodywork welding with 120 volt using solid wire and gas. I started with that.

 

[BigFlo]

^^^^
For the panels on our cars a 120v mig is fine. Frame rails should be ok - Just need to dial it in. Get a unit that can do both flux core or gas. I started with flux core but chipping away the flux after welding got old real quick. I changed to gas and it’s so much better.
I did floor&trunk pans, quarters and fenders with my 120v

 

[RemCharger]

A good 120 with .023 wire is what the body magician uses around here.

 

[R413]

Yes a 120 volt mig with argon gas does a great job on sheetmetal and frame rails for our cars.

 

[Manfred]

It can handle the job just fine, treat with OSPHO, wire brush away the splater, practice for a good dial in. I've been using a $90 Chinese MOLAO welder for 10 years. It has countless hours on and outside of replacing a switch and rebuilding the ground a few times it has out performed and outlasted a Hobart and a Lincoln. Now the welders are a bit of a crap shoot, some go forever, some die early ( I think HF carries the same machine under their brand). I've seen videos where they hang people over bridges with these on their backs welding up damage. Of course gas shielded is superior but is it really worth the extra $$? Argon is over $200 a bottle in my area. For a driver level car flux core answers the call.

 

[toolmanmike]

Hi, all. It’s been a couple decades since I’ve touched a welder and I never did have a lot of experience other than making a gokart back in high school. I’m aware that mig is the choice for quarters, fenders, etc. but I got thinking, could a guy get away with welding floor pans, frame rails, etc. with 120V? I’m not sure I want to invest in welding but you can get a pretty good flux core kit for 2 or 300 bucks around here so I’d consider getting one to do something with my Duster if it doesn’t sell.

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I sold wire welders for damn near 3 decades. I sold a few flux core units and they usually got traded in for a gas. A 130a 125v can do a lot. A 200a+ 220 volt can do the heavy stuff. No need to waste your money on the wrong one to start.

 

[Donakey]

Fluxcore FCAW is not the right wire for sheet metal. Its purpose is fast fill on thicker T joints for structural ,or fast fill on thicker buttwelds . You want GMAW solid wire. 035 solid wire with C25 shielding gas. Argon is for a differnt process. FCAW is spray transfer it must have a certain amount of voltage to make it weld correctly. On sheet metal the welds aren’t clean there is NO fusion because it’s leaving slag in the weld. Inorder for it to work right it’s got be hot. It will burn through the sheet metal once you get it set correctly. All this stuff is mega work. You may as well use the correct process and have quality welds.

I’m a professional welder. FCAW was created for the war effort in WW2 to build ships and tanks faster. It used for fast fill deposition. All welding costs big bucks, FCAW included. It won’t save you money. Those small machines you’re looking at won’t even get it hot enough to work right. Anybody who uses FCAW uses C25 for a quality welds.Gasless FCAW is considered not recommended for anything. You need a machine that has adjustable wire speed and voltage to get it right with solid GMAW wire. The kind of machine you’re describing for welding is like buying your money in a fire pit. Save and wait or find a used machine that’s of good quality, LINCOLN, MILLER, HOBART , PRAXAIR.

I use FCAW on icelugs for mining equipment or bucket repairs on segments over 2” thick. That’s all it’s good for.

Here is a picture of what you use FCAW for. This is what its intended purpose is.This little avenger 140 is the best out of all the small machines I tested . In the welding trade we call FCAW the icing. It just lays on top. I have watched that **** break and snap for no apparent reason. I won’t weld with it in certain situations especially if I want to count. SMAW go hot or home!

 

[Photon440]

Fluxcore FCAW is not the right wire for sheet metal. Its purpose is fast fill on thicker T joints for structural ,or fast fill on thicker buttwelds . You want GMAW solid wire. 035 solid wire with C25 shielding gas. Argon is for a differnt process. FCAW is spray transfer it must have a certain amount of voltage to make it weld correctly. On sheet metal the welds aren’t clean there is NO fusion because it’s leaving slag in the weld. Inorder for it to work right it’s got be hot. It will burn through the sheet metal once you get it set correctly. All this stuff is mega work. You may as well use the correct process and have quality welds.

For something like sheet metal, I'm happier with .023 wire. The .035 is fine for frame rails though. In my experience, 75% Argon/25% CO2 for shielding gas gives the best results for penetration, spatter control and arc stability.

We did use a lot of flux core (.045) on the railroad for some projects, but it was also shielded with CO2. It had a very smooth bead when the flux was knocked off, similar to 7024 stick.

 

[sam dupont]

I had a Handler 135. It worked fine up to 1/8th, thicker if the metal was preheated. I have been welding since I was 14. I tried a friend's Flux core and could not get a good weld.
Bought my 135 at a rummage sale for $125. Worked great for years and then I loaned it out. My neighbor didn't know about duty cycles and burned it up. I replaced it with a Handler 140 and it works fine too.

Bought the 140 off eBay. The seller said no shipping, so I emailed and asked it I could have it picked up. Like new 140, still on first roll of wire, cart, bottle, and accessories for $237. Had Speedee Delivery pick it up and deliver 700 miles for $30. Good deal all around, for me, the seller was mad at himself for limiting his buyers and selling cheap.

Speedee will deliver to the North Dakota border if you find a welder in the midwest

 

[toolmanmike]

If you can keep up with his talking speed, this guy does some nice testing.

 

[icetech]

Hi, all. It’s been a couple decades since I’ve touched a welder and I never did have a lot of experience other than making a gokart back in high school. I’m aware that mig is the choice for quarters, fenders, etc. but I got thinking, could a guy get away with welding floor pans, frame rails, etc. with 120V? I’m not sure I want to invest in welding but you can get a pretty good flux core kit for 2 or 300 bucks around here so I’d consider getting one to do something with my Duster if it doesn’t sell.

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Please don't go Flux... i tried and it's hell on earth, near imposible to not blow through and just runs insanely hot even on low settings... This is about the best deal in welding, i LOVE mine more than any welder i have had, the new technologies make it soo much nicer.. You will need a gas bottle but... it's worth the investment. I bought flux, returned it to harbor freight and ate like $60 restock..pricks.

Welder

Also, i really recommend .023 wire, it's just easier on thin metal. Basically.. with these new small welders, tell it what gas you use (75/25) and thickness of wire, then thickness of metal and it's almost perfect everytime

 

[icetech]

If you can keep up with his talking speed, this guy does some nice testing.

I watched that guys videos before i bought mine.. he gives great info.. i hadn't seen that video. gonna check it out.

 

[icetech]

Yeah, even in that video he says the flux is way too hot for sheet.. a good welder is for a lifetime.. get a decent one

 

[Manfred]

Stitch the buttweld with 1/2" gaps , aluminum heat sinks glued to a rare earth magnet . Back and forth,back and forth , keep it cool. Then heavy with the seam sealer on internal repairs just like Chrysler did on the assembly line. Steel quality matters as well. I make lots of own panels and love VW Bus roofs for donor panels ( Krupps steel, the best!). BTW everything mentioned above will NOT work on thin *** modern car repairs, anything after 1985 or so. A professional set up is best and if you are in for a top notch restoration its money well spent. Then there is the rest of us trying to put something cool on the road with the few bucks left over after life eats the paycheck.

 

[JC Boatguy]

OK, lots of good advice here as usual. But let's clear up a popular misconception...flux core was designed for STRUCTURAL welds, it has far greater penetration, no wonder it sucks for sheet metal! Gas shield is great, it also has limits, like in the wind! Lol

 

[Photon440]

OK, lots of good advice here as usual. But let's clear up a popular misconception...flux core was designed for STRUCTURAL welds, it has far greater penetration, no wonder it sucks for sheet metal! Gas shield is great, it also has limits, like in the wind! Lol

The wind is quite a consideration. Even a 5mph breeze can wreck a weld.

 

[sam dupont]

I welded at a factory in 100 degree plus temperatures in humid Sioux Falls SD. I had a big fan and if I positioned myself just right, it would not blow away my purge.

Had to wear leathers as the 5% oxygen in the gas made the welds so hot, they would burn right through clothes. Like a sun burn, you could see where buttons blocked the rays. Every time a stream of sweat would run down my back, I told myself it felt good. After a while, it did.

 

[Jam72]

Hi, all. It’s been a couple decades since I’ve touched a welder and I never did have a lot of experience other than making a gokart back in high school. I’m aware that mig is the choice for quarters, fenders, etc. but I got thinking, could a guy get away with welding floor pans, frame rails, etc. with 120V? I’m not sure I want to invest in welding but you can get a pretty good flux core kit for 2 or 300 bucks around here so I’d consider getting one to do something with my Duster if it doesn’t sell.

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I have a 220V Mig at my home shop and of course it does a good job on sheet metal or what have you. However my 72 Charger project is at my summer shop 500 KM west. I had some console brackets- to - hump welding required so I had considered taking my MIG c/w gas bottle west, however I ran across a flux core unit for only $199 so I bought it rather than transport the MIG with gas bottle etc. It does work and simpler to set up with the gas etc. Welds are not as pretty but not visible once the carpet is installed. My MIG 220V setup cost 4-5 times that of the fluxcore one. Your decision but for your purpose the flux core may make sense.