Technical Gasless welding

Hi.

Have any of you guys tryed welding with these mig/mag welders with no gasbottle??? Is it okay for a hobby garage or is it worthless??

Regards

Andreas from Denmark

 

If you just want to stick things together, you can go gasless. But if you actually want the welds to look decent/good, you need gas.

 

Agreed. I've fixed my clutch pedal shaft/bracket and did my exhaust with a flux core wire feed welder. The welds are butt-ugly, but solid.

 

Flux core in a Mig can work. It takes a bit of practice like anything else new. But going to that from a "stick" arc welder made it look easier that it probably would if you never welded before.

 

Flux core is a fine weld and pretty if you practice.
The polarity is opposite so it welds hotter and digs deeper than mig( with gas) so that makes a small flux core welder better for things heavier than sheet metal. It also makes sheet metal welding a challenge but it's doable. Flux core makes a lot of smoke & a lot of splatter.
Some of them can be easily upgraded to add gas.

 

Strictly speaking, it isn't 'gasless'. The core of flux in the wire burns and forms a gas
shield. It just doesn't do it as well and uniformly as a gas shielded wire core welding unit.

It's not for nothing the welding companies make the low priced units to be easily converted
to the full gas shield system.

Ray

 

Flux core, as noted is messy. Be sure to by several cans of anti-spatter aerosol and put a coat on everything in the vicinity that you want to keep clean.

 

Flux Core sucks for sheet metal.
Good for fences, gates, dumpsters, and trailers.

Don't be cheap, do it right.
Buy a bottle.

 

Have used a flux core welder for 15 years(the same one) and does everything I ask of it...

 

Flux-core is mostly for structural items tubing,angle,channel and plate and has to be run in the flat position.I welded 1/8 wire on heavy plate when I worked at Niagara Machine & Tool Works.Had a puddle the size of a quarter.I really hate this stuff because of the smoke factor,but if you want a hot weld on heavy steel its the way to go.Sheet metal, NO

 

If you're welding outside in the wind, flux-core is great.

 

flux core works fine but is messy--lots of spatter. I used it for ages for light structrual and patch panels and got really good with it then added a bottle when I started splitting a shop with a buddy who had a true mig machine. I couldn't beleive the difference it made. I just hadn't known any better.

 

You can tack and "spot in" sheet metal with more and more tacks between the one you already have put down to "stitch" it together with flux core. But if you try to fill in between tacks with a continuous bead, beware the burn thru. Most times it will end up looking like chicken shit on a tin roof.

 

If you are getting a welder to build a hot rod, I think that you would be much better off to save up enough to buy a mig machine.
-Pat

 

Nope, not true.
Flux core can be run out of position. I ran miles of it when I was in construction, mostly NR211 Innershield wire

 

I have used flux core and did not like it at all! There are some responses on this thread that seems to have a different experience, but I would not use it for anything. If you want to give it a try, get a unit that is upgradeable to gas. A lot of them have gas add-on kits so should not be hard to find.

 

Thats where it works the best...Some anti-spatter spray will help with clean up..

 

The outdoor issue is a good comment. Gas does not work well in any type of breeze, so if you are thinking about welding outside or where there is a lot of air movement, gas MIG can be a problem.

 

Your right, I did some vertical up with thinner stuff.The heavy was all flat and fillets.Not claiming know it all just what I did. Hoping to just help the post author out.

 

Sheet metal, maybe not. Floor pans, ok. Frame rails, yes. I like the way it welds. Did not like all the splatter.

 

Working for Babcock and Wilcox welding x-ray we welded with flux core wire. That company practically created most of the welding manufacturing processes. It is the only wire that can weld vertical up and still pass x-ray.
It does splatter some and the smaller machines are messy for sheetmetal. I'd invest in a gas machine if I was spending some money.

 

The best birthday gift I got was a Lincoln welder from.. Home Depot. Was under $400. I welded gas less for 5 yrs, mainly sheetmetal, No problems. I did weld 1/8th occasionally.

I bought a miller tig welder three years ago and love it but it hurts having to fill that argon bottle up all the time. With gas less you don't get that issue. Give this some thought

Just before I bought the tig, I bought a tank for the Lincoln welder so I could go with gas. It's nice , but I barely use the mig any more.

 

If you must use gasless, buy quality flux core wire. It makes a huge difference when it comes to splatter.

 

Lincoln Innershield NR-211!!!

 

kind of a trick question. I used to build elevators and we had a nice Hobart wire feed welder on the job from time to time. we never used gas because of wind. it was great for structural welding where it does not matter what it looks like when you are done. you could still make a nice weld, but you end up with spatter all over. I could see using one in automotive fabrication though gas is way better and there would be more cleanup

if you are thinking of buying a Chinese cheapo then I would say no.

 

1/8 wire puts some metal down don't it. once you get past 5/64 wire there's not much out of position welding. Now don't forget, welding questions here are auto related mostly and these guys won't be running 1/8 wire in the garage.

 

Flux core in an industrial machine laying down 8mm fillets, yes I love that. In a 110v buzz box, not so much. I think if your a good welder you can make Flux core work on sheetmetal, it wont look great and it will be frustrating. I wouldn't recommend Flux core in a 110 machine on sheetmetal for a beginner.

 

good thread guys....thanks....

 

Don't buy cheap imported wire PERIOD.

And don't buy those shitty little 2 pound spools.
Too expensive, and the small diameter makes the wire too hard to straighten.
Buy a 10 lb spool.

 

Still new to welding and I have an Eastwood 135 that I got for a good price. This is 1/4 metal that I used flux core to weld. I basically maxed out the machine voltage wise and preheated the metal with a propane torch, then I cut the metal in half to check penetration. Not too bad I would say. I do like this machine for home use.