FluxCore Welding

So I let my family know that I would love a welder for my birthday, even outlined the types etc. Neglected to tell my dad no to fluxcore.

So yesterday my dad proudly shows up with a LE Weld Pak 125 HD. Fluxcore welder. It needs a 200 dollar kit to make it mig. The reason he picked flux? b/c it can weld thicker material. (he used to make steel gates/burgular bars as a side business.)

My goal for the welder is to build a locost. Maybe some sketchy art etc. but mostly the locost with 0.12" wall tubing. Will I be spending hours redoing welds and recutting tubing due to blowing through the wall with it?

Any advice? I can still return it and maybe get the Hobart 140.

I've looked for local schools but unless doing a certification program in welding there is no "learn to weld" class offered anywhere. :(.

Do you have to stick with 110?

Staying around 500$ is the goal. (less than is better)

I can wire up 220v but do not have any plugs in my garage at this time.

(My basement/shop to be has it's own panel with space to add 220v etc...)

I'm not seeing much on craiglist either.

I weld better with my 89 $ harbour freight flux core than dads good lincoln mig.

Id have no concerns about doing thin wall with ut after using it do do all the rust repair work on the elky.

FLuxcore is fine as long as you can adjust it down. I almost never set my welder up for MIG. It runs on 110 and I can do anything with it that I've ever needed to. I will say, however, it is nice to have the option to switch if I ever want/need to, but I have rarely run into a "need to" situation.

Thanks for the confirmations guys. I told dad it may be the wrong one and he looked like a kicked puppy. Very deflated.

If all else fails I guess I could pay half way to a new welder to convert the 125 to MIG.

I'd want gas for welding up a locost frame. Fluxcore will work fine, just a lot more spatter and flux cleanup. Trade in for the Hobart 140, its $100 more, has one more heat setting, and comes set up for gas already.

I have a miller 140 and use fluxcore off and on, mostly for thick stuff, and it's definitely messier. If I want it to look good, I use gas. It's got enough power for most of what I do, but if you're anal about how that stuff looks, like I am, TIG will be calling your name soon enough...

Around the start of the Wartburg project (2009) my gas bottle ran out so I swapped spools and dropped my welder back to flux core for a few jobs. I still haven't filled that bottle.

The entire Wartburg (except cage which was installed by someone else) and the current sandrail project have all been done in flux core. Including the sheet metal work on the Wartburg. Flux will do fine, a little messier but use some prep spray and it keeps the mess down.

Prep spray?

I have no interest in switching from flux core, so your experience is relevant to my life.

A good flux core weld is a good weld. Lincoln NR-211-MP is a good wire. Here are the specifications on the wire and a flux core welding guide from Lincoln. Good luck.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/global/Products/Consumable_Flux-CoredWires-Self-Shielded-Innershield-InnershieldNR-211-MP/c32400.pdf

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/global/Products/Consumable_Flux-CoredWires-Self-Shielded-Innershield-InnershieldNR-211-MP/c3200010.pdf

Do it all welder

This is what I got, you can get them on sale for $600. It does mig tig stick flux, whatever. Also has a spool gun if you want to do aluminum. For an extra hundred Id get it and have more options

I have the earlier version of your welder and use .035 fluxcore exclusively. I have built cages, welded sheet metal, done body repair, made brackets, you name it. It can be messy, a lot of that will come right off with a wire brush but it will leave some. If that's a concern get some scrap 20 gauge aluminum sheet and clamp it on your workpiece near the weld, the spatter will roll right off, it will look like a million bucks when done. I've even used beer cans to do this but they burn through pretty quick.

Do NOT use the cheap HF flux core wire. Stick with name brand; I buy the Lincoln 10 pound spools, the last one took me nearly 6 years to use up. I also use only Lincoln tips etc.

I built a Locost frame with a ~$140 HF flux welder 8-years ago or so. Never finished the car, but never heard any horror stories from the buyer either.

If you want to try out a Hobart 140 you can stop by and weld on stuff in my garage.

I had to use a Hobart Handler once. It had nothing on my Italian HF MIG. I actually preferred the HF. I would keep what dad gave you and add the gas kit. 'Cause, you know, kicked puppy and all.

So I CAN build a locost with a flux core!

The wife is going to be pissed.

Dusterbd13 wrote: Prep spray? I have no interest in switching from flux core, so your experience is relevant to my life.

I use THIS -- it's from Eastwood, but there are others out there. It really helps to reduce the spatter residue.

Dr. Hess wrote: I had to use a Hobart Handler once. It had nothing on my Italian HF MIG. I actually preferred the HF. I would keep what dad gave you and add the gas kit. 'Cause, you know, kicked puppy and all.

Have to defend the Hobart here. Have you seen the truck build thread? It was all with a 140 Handler. I don't have a ton of experience, but I have used two Lincoln machines and didn't notice a major difference.

After doing some flux core and now MIG, I would never use flux core unless welding outside in the wind. In fact we used to bring two welders to Lemons for this reason; we'd set one up for each depending on what we were doing.

I will admit that the Handler I used was under very bad conditions. MIG wire/gas, outside in a South Dakota wind, at the end of a long extension cord on dirty, thin, shattered (literally) exhaust tubing. The "always on" thing I found kinda irritating. It was the ugliest welding I have ever done, and that is saying something. It did hold together and get me home.

DustoffDave wrote:

Dusterbd13 wrote: Prep spray? I have no interest in switching from flux core, so your experience is relevant to my life.

I use THIS -- it's from Eastwood, but there are others out there. It really helps to reduce the spatter residue.

Yep, that stuff. I used a different brand that's carried at my local hardware but I've used a few different ones and they all work the same. They help out in the clean department.

Dr. Hess wrote: I will admit that the Handler I used was under very bad conditions. MIG wire/gas, outside in a South Dakota wind, at the end of a long extension cord on dirty, thin, shattered (literally) exhaust tubing. The "always on" thing I found kinda irritating. It was the ugliest welding I have ever done, and that is saying something. It did hold together and get me home.

Mine is not always on. FYI.

You or the OP are welcome to come weld on stuff with mine. I'm on spool four and who knows how many bottles. A Lemons teammate ran over the regulator, and I've knocked it over a few times. All I have needed to do so far is to clean the slag and to clean the contacts in the gun. I defend the poor little guy.

OK, and you're welcome to try out my HF MIG. I don't know how the new Chinese ones compare, but I'm satisfied with it. I've tuned it a bit from stock: Added a cooling fan, replaced the wire liner with PTFE tubing, replaced the ground clamp with a bigger HF sourced clamp. I've done maybe 3-4 10 lb spools of 308 wire, several smaller 308 spools and 4 smaller spools of flux wire. I run straight Argon. I bought it in about 1993 or 1994, so I think I've got my money out of it.

A good friend has a Hobart, I can stick stuff together with it but just can't seem to make 'pretty' welds with it. OTOH I can do 'lapped nickels' beautifully with my Lincoln. I guess it's all in what you get used to.

Neither his nor mine are 'always on' but I had the unfortunate occasion to use a Craftsman that was always live. I did not know it at the time so stupid me stuck the helmet on, reached to weld the exhaust under the car, the 1/4" or so of wire sticking out nicked one of the fuel lines under the car and the resulting huge blue spark scared the living shi! out of me.

icaneat50eggs wrote: Do it all welder This is what I got, you can get them on sale for $600. It does mig tig stick flux, whatever. Also has a spool gun if you want to do aluminum. For an extra hundred Id get it and have more options

That link didn't work, I take it you're talking about this one?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200631881_200631881

That is a screaming deal for an inverter anything, let alone with that many accessories and a $100 tig kit. It almost sounds too good.