A recently closed thread showing some poor penetration frame welds done with a 110v, 140 amp wire feed welder got me briefly searching for just what one can do with one since I have basically the same thing (I also have 220v TIG). According to Lincoln, welding with their "Innershield" wire as opposed to bottle allows welding of substantially thicker material, even up to 5/16" for a 110v. I have never used flux core wire, can you really weld frame tabs and what not with it at 110v? http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/global/Products/K2471-1/e723.pdf
you would make more pass, chipping in between, better on rusted metal, and weld in wind outside,,not to good for thin metal
Frame tabs for brakets and stuff would be okay. But for structural welds I would use a 220 set up, And stick weld it
Yep, what he said above. Anything 1/4" or thicker needs multiple passes. Be sure and clean well between passes as well. I would still be worried about anything really structural with a 110V though.
Polarity is switched to run flux core and that gets you a deeper penetration and hotter weld. That equals the capacity to weld thicker material. Its not needed but running flux core wire with the gas makes it even better !! You'll probably pop the duty cycle on your 110 welder
Yep, that's what I'm thinking, and I can stick weld with my 220v TIG machine as long as I'm gonna be chippin' flux.
Lincoln Red Box Stick box for any frame work. It take a lot of time to get the beads pretty (experience) but noting will rip that frame apart with the ole' red box on the job. I use my mig with flux wire for light 1/8 inch and thinner. Just wouldn't trust 110 to burn deep enough for frame work.
if you set up the welder right you wont need to chip flux, it'll curl up and just tap it and it should fall off, leaving a nice shiney weld.. use a co2 sheild gas and it should dig in deep..but with a 110 unit its alittle light and wire diameter will be kinda small for frames...but flux core is great- smokey as hell, but a great weld
I love this debate. I've constructed multiple chassis using a 135 amp Miller using solid wire. I'm happy to saw any of my work in half and compare notes with the doubters. You simply need to dial the machine in for the material, prep the joints, clean the surface and know WTF you are doing. I am running a 220v Miller 212 these days, but I still routinely use .023 wire on 1/4 material to limit weld build up and get the finish I want. The 220v machine is more capable, but it isn't running any hotter than my old Miller 135 on the same materials. It just has reserve capacity for larger stuff. This is the best answer yet... I got the same advice from a 40 year heavy steel fabricator that manufactures oil field equipment. Gas with flux core is pretty slick and widely used by industrial welders.
Caterpillar uses dual shield ( flux core mig with shielding gas ) on everything they make. Granted they are big welders, but 110 welders can do pretty heavy stuff if you dial it in right. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I have that 135 amp Miller mig. Mine's actually 220v, and I also have a 125 amp 110v that looks the same. Think I'll try the dual shield but I don't get the polarity switch part when running the flux wire, please explain.
I have built many rock crawlers with a 140 Lincoln 110v with flux core. I have never had a failure due to a bad weld. One of the cages I did was for my cousin and it has been flipped more time than I can count because he lets the Budweiser do the drivin for him. Ad he try's to brake shit just so he can drink more beer wile everybody else fixes his junk. I now have a 180 Lincoln on flux, only because the 140 gave up the ghost finally after 10 years of a hard life. The 140 also built my deck over trailer that I haul 10k on regularly, I don't think twice about it. Some of the thicker stuff was done with the buzz, but most was with the flux.
I have tried that one and I couldn't get it to work, it pop and spit everywhere. Maybe I had the polarity wrong?
we weld alot of structural oil field stuff here at the shop, .045 flux core and gas. it looks great when done.
When I use flux core wire with my 110 hobart I drop my wire size down, I run .030 with gas and .028 with flux core. On anything thicker than 1/8" I stack my welds. It works fine, but I have been stacking welds for a long time. If you look at a structural drawing you will find that about anything thicker than 3/16 the welds are stacked. You seldom see a drawing that calls for a weld bigger then 3/16 so any metal thicker than that would require a stacked weld.
I ran out of solid wire and still had gas left. I reversed my machine and fed a roll of flux through. It was still messy as always, but it would penetrate awesome!
I weld up anything smaller than 1/4" with my Lincoln 110v 035 inner shield wire. Slow the feed down and watch your puddle it works great! I've built many trailers including the one I haul my 27' cabin cruiser on with no issues. Also using it to build the frame for 55 chevy pick up. Make sure you have a stable 20A power supply and you will love the little machines. Cheers! Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Duh, so there it is right under the cover, how to switch polarity. Even a picture for dummies like me. Any selection criteria for flux core wire other than size? Like say for frame work.
On my truck in my avatar, I did use the Innershield on my Lincoln 140/110 for some of the boxing plates, all of the frame tabs, the inside area of the motor mounts, and the welds came out good and looked to penetrate well........The bulk of the structural welds, the main boxing plates and all the suspension mounts, etc. I used the AC/DC tombstone with some small diameter 7018 rods set on DC.... Tom
E-7018, 7014 will do in a pinch as well as 6011. We used to call E-6011 farmer rod because it was the old standby for about anything and everything.
I'd have to think that the biggest issue with flux core and 110 welders is the number of guys who have never welded in their lives who run down and buy a 110 mig and go home and actually try to build something with it without a lot of hours of practice on stuff that doesn't count. We used to see the same thing with 225 Lincolns back in the 70's when guys would run out and buy them and then go home and plug them into the dryer outlet and start welding on a car frame without ever having any welding training. One of my buddies has a Miller Side Kick 110 welder that he welded everything he did with for a lot of years and even welded the frame on my 48 when it cracked because it kept banging on the axle (yes I need a C notch). I've never seen him have trouble with a weld he did with that welder. It's the skill of the guy using the equipment more than the equipment.
Finally got around to testing flux core in my 110v mig yesterday. Got some pretty good penetration on some 1/8" test pieces with it cranked up all the way (Miller SP125). Lots of splatter. Guess I'll try hooking up the gas too and see what that does.
There's lots of smoke and splatter . Most of the splatter knocks off pretty easy with and old wood chisel . If its a big problem or any spatter is unacceptable - they make an anti spatter spray for the work piece and an anti spatter nozzle dip for the gun. Good luck and post some pics , you know for the guys who like to look at them
Thanks Vic. Well I tried the gas today, only 4psi. The beads did look a bit better but I started having wire feed problems. I had been running .023 solid, the flux is .030. Time for a new liner I think. What do you recommend, they come in several varieties? I will post some pics when I get it sorted.
Your wire will probably either be designed to run with gas or without. I doubt its made for both. At least in industry it's that way. In this part of the world true gas less wire is referred to as innershield, and stuff that's needs gas as well is called fluxcored. The manufacturers recommendation on whether to use gas or not should be on there website if its a reputable brand wire.
I can swap back and forth between 023 solid and 035 flux core simply by flipping my drive rollers and changing the contractor tip. Blow your liner out with some low pressure 25 psi air . You'll need generally lighter roller tension with FC to avoid deforming the hollow wire
I built my frame with a stick, but my exhaust and all bodywork was done with flux-wire. The trick is to use short stabs and build a "row of dimes". Works fine for me, and proved a lot of doubters wrong.
Esab, Harris, and others make a wire called dual shield the is designed to run with shielding gas but also has a flux component in it that causes a layer of slag on the weld. Badass stuff, I've burned tons of it. The biggest thing most new welders have a problem with is seeing the weld puddle and not the flash or the slag layer forming on the weld. Practice is the best teacher. Someone who truly knows what he is doing (not me for sure) could build a battle ship with a 110 welder. No matter what process you use TIG, MIG, stick, oxy acet, if you don't follow proper technique and procedure you will have a tough time making quality welds. JMO
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