flux core welders? pros & cons

tragicmagicman · Samba Member Joined: December 13, 2006 Posts: 16

hi, guys i just aquired a flux core wire welder, i have no welding exp. can i learn with this welder, and if so can i do cut & turns on beams, and bumpers, cages, & such? HELP Question

blitzschnell racing · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:33 pm Post subject:

Sure, even acheap one will weld. Flux core welds alittle different but is fine. alot of the big race guys carry flux core on the chase trucks. I went down to the local high school and took a adult education class on welding and learned the basics, you can do the same by yourself.....

missinlugnut · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject:

I first learned to weld with a flux core machine--too easy! Make sure you get ALOT of scap metal, slap it on the bech or vise and burn--burn--burn! Practice makes perfect. My earliest probles were looking to set a pretty bead. Looked real good till someone jumped on my rear cage and the lower extesnsions broke off---gotta have penetration!!!! Best of luck!

baja5 · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:39 pm Post subject:

I definately wouldn't trust a cage welded up with flux core.Maybe some tabs and such welded on but nothing safety related.
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KrAzY-BaJa · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:43 pm Post subject:

take your time learning it!
and i would say DONT try to weld a beam or a cage up till you take a class.
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carrera1984 · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:56 pm Post subject:

I find it nice when you have issue where the metal is a a little dirty. The flux cored will just burn right through it. Once you get good with the flux core you will be a pro with a shielding gas setup. I do think at the minimum you should do is get a book/video(youtube maybe?) or have a friend that is fluent with welding show you how.
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57baja · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:08 pm Post subject:

Here's my take on the whole thing. I bought a 120VAC flux core welder over 15 years ago and built my whole car with it. The car is fully caged - front to rear, with coilover suspension and the whole works. I didn't know how to weld one bit when I bought it, except a guy from work spent about ten minutes with me one day to show me a couple of things. I worked very hard at it, and learned what I could out of the manual that came with it. To date (knock on wood) I have NEVER broken a weld that I did on my car. I take that back.... One weld on the frame horn that was welded by VW and that I reinforced cracked.

You can tell from our videos that I'm not easy on my car, either.

I have put over 40 lbs of welding wire through my machine since I bought it, and it is still going strong. Yeah, it would be nice to have a better one, and if you have the means - GO FOR IT! However, you can get the job done, and done well with a cheap ass machine. If you're going to race your car, I'd invest in the best, but otherwise it will be fine.

They make a lot of slag though, which is kind of ugly, but there are ways to make it nice looking, too.
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vwsamba · Samba Member Joined: March 27, 2007 Posts: 21

i find the lincoln and only lincoln flux core welder to be excellent.under the slag which you chip off the welds look better than a gas mig and more like a tig.i'm sure thay are not as strong though.i was at the 24hrs of lemons race last month welding a cage at 1 in the morning and my welds looked better than the other pro guy with his tig.....

pros:simple.easy to carry around.no gas to run out of at the wrong time.

cons:welds need more cleanup.

corradolvr · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 1:49 am Post subject:

I've heard lots of people argue that flux core welds are stronger, just not as pretty
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missinlugnut · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:43 am Post subject:

I've heard the same about flux core, but I think it was only stronger when you use flux and CO2. I can't state that for a fact, just what I have heard.

birddog1148 · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:16 am Post subject:

I have heared flux welds were not as strong in an impact.
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4play · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:27 am Post subject:

Whith practis flux core is just as good as shilded(gas) just need practis
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riNR · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:04 am Post subject:

I'm no welding guru, but if you look on my build thread everything that I did was welded with a 120V flux core mig. I think the thing you have to watch is getting the penetration and not just laying snot welds on top of everything
If you ask me this picture shows that it can be done right. My welds look a lot better than the crap welds that are on the original gusset on the tubes with the black paint over them, and those were supposedly porfessionally done with a gas sheilded mig:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Rommel · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:15 am Post subject:

Just keep an angle grinder around in case you mess up, grind it off and weld it again. The overall thickness of what you can weld depends on the amp rating on the welder itself. My 135 amp Lincoln welds 1/4 inch on my Jeeps, manual says it could do 5/16 but I've never needed that.

caromin · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:48 am Post subject:

All things being equal (quality of welding machine) and in the right hands, Fluxed-Core Arc-Welding (FCAW) can be very close to as effective as Gas Metal-Arc Welding (GMAW). GMAW's advantage is in the purity of the welds, When properly done, the difference in FCAW's strength and GMAW's is negledgable (sp?). With the right skillz, your only real limitation is going to be the quality of your welding unit and the wire. It boils down to talent and the machine you do it with.

My situation is the opposite, decent GMAW setup and not enough talent to go with it. Much of the work I see on here puts me to shame.
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TIMMA · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject:

Flux core burns hotter than MIG, therefore giving deeper penetration. My 110v Lincoln can do both, but the user manual says to use the flux core wire for thicker material. Flux core is more difficult to use with thin sheet metal since it has a tendency to blow through. It also tends to spatter a bit more and you have to chip off or sometimes just brush off the slag. They sell a spray can that you use ahead of time on the base metal that reduces spatter a bit if you need a neat appearance.

If you are welding outside and it is a little windy, the flux core will be better. I don't know how many times a gust of wind comes through as soon as I pull the trigger on my MIG and then get a porous weld that has to be ground down and redone.

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