best flux core wire to use

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DusterDaddy

DusterDaddy

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Being new to welding, can anyone suggest which flux core wire to use to butt weld sheet metal in my project? I read in HOT ROD magazine that low carbon wire is easier to grind.

I have an inexpensive Harbor Freight Chicago Electric Flux core welder.

Thanks for the help.
 
Not for sure on the best. Flux core wire is good to use in outside conditions but usually leaves a lot of splatter. You will want to use thin wire like .023 and make sure the welder is adjusted properly for the thickness of your metal or you will be burning holes through it really fast. If your welder is capable of using the argon gas setup with regular steel mig wire it makes for a lot cleaner weld. But argon gas is usually better for indoor use as the wind will blow the gas out before you can use it.
 
737jetdr said:
Not for sure on the best. Flux core wire is good to use in outside conditions but usually leaves a lot of splatter. You will want to use thin wire like .023 and make sure the welder is adjusted properly for the thickness of your metal or you will be burning holes through it really fast. If your welder is capable of using the argon gas setup with regular steel mig wire it makes for a lot cleaner weld. But argon gas is usually better for indoor use as the wind will blow the gas out before you can use it.
Click to expand...
No this is little welder is flux core wire only. No capability to use gas
 
demondreamer said:
Being new to welding, can anyone suggest which flux core mig wire to use to butt weld sheet metal in my project? I read in HOT ROD magazine that low carbon wire is easier to grind.

I have an inexpensive Harbor Freight Chicago Electric Flux core welder.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
there is no such thing
 
You never butt weld sheet metal with a mig welder. Mig weld a piece like that and give it two bends and it will break. Butt welds are for tig welding.

You can bend a tig weld all day and it won't break. Mig welds are brittle and should only be used on a overlap or on heavy steel.

Mig weld? If you can bend it you will break it. But not tig welds they are strong and are not brittle one reason the are used on moly steel cages. Moly steel is more ridgid and mig welds will not hold up do to less flex and more weld movement
 
Oh I get, MIG has the Argon gas, Flux Core is Flux Core

There is no such thing as flux core mig wire......right?

I better edit the title of this thread.

So I want to know what is the best flux core wire to use?
 
Butt welds break when they are mig welded. They will also crack. Butt weld two pieces together with a mig that you can bend and see how easy it breaks. Then try it with a tig weld.

Flux wire is for using in a wind storm in emergencies. Otherwise what would be the reason for having all that acid inside and out that is going to promote oxidation that leads to rust under your body work and paint. It is a no brainer. It is used as a quick repair of machinery or anything metal that breaks in the field. Not for body work unless you are going to sand blast both sides of your welds. Flux Starts rust.
 
I have the same HF $90 welder. Don't be dissuaded. Many here will say only buy a >$500 Lincoln welder, but my Dart cost $1000. That HF welder will weld fairly thick steel. I fixed cracks in the ~1/4" thick AC compressor bracket on my Dart. My greatest success was welding a steel strap to fix a cracked LCA pivot on my 84 M-B that salvaged the car. My son has been driving it for 2 years since. I butt-welded a floor pan into my Dart, but I would lap-weld it if I repeated that job. I am not too worried about the welds cracking, but it was very tedious to cut the sheets to sit flush and I had many burn-thrus. A lap-weld is easier to form and stronger. One guy here said he runs his HF welder from a 20A dimmer switch for sheet-metal and it works great at avoiding burn-thrus. I bought one to try next time. For outside sheet metal repairs, I would think butt-weld is best so you don't need a lot of body filler. I'll be getting to that soon on my Dart. I am still on my original flux wire spool from HF.

My greatest difficulty is seeing well as I weld. I don't know if it is too much out-gassing or the auto-adjust helmet from HF is too dark. Maybe both. I often end up laying a bead in the wrong spot.
 
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