exhaust welding with a flux core mig 120v?
10-06-2005, 01:46 AM
#1
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exhaust welding with a flux core mig 120v? heres the specs on my welder
its a craftsman wirefeed mig welder. (no gas)
uses .8mm (.030") flux core wire
Primary input volts: 120 vac
Welding Range: 60-120 amps
primary input amps: 20
Phase: single
Frequency: 60 hz
secondary output volts: 17
secondary output amps: 80
duty cycle rating at 80 amps: 20%
open circuit volts (max): 25 vac
manual says its good for steel up to 3/16" with a single pass, 1/4" multi pass.
i just got ahold of some scrap exhaust pipes. i practiced a little bit but my welds are still awful. will this welder work for what im tryingto do? i really want to put together a custom turbo and i would be doing all my exhaust with this welder unless its impossible.
from what i've heard, if i can get it to work, the welds will probably be a bit nasty looking, but im not worried about it being pretty, most of the pipes wond be seen anyway, and ill just clean them up with the grinder if i have to. i just want to know if im going to be able to use this thing to weld some exhaust pipes.
its a craftsman wirefeed mig welder. (no gas)
uses .8mm (.030") flux core wire
Primary input volts: 120 vac
Welding Range: 60-120 amps
primary input amps: 20
Phase: single
Frequency: 60 hz
secondary output volts: 17
secondary output amps: 80
duty cycle rating at 80 amps: 20%
open circuit volts (max): 25 vac
manual says its good for steel up to 3/16" with a single pass, 1/4" multi pass.
i just got ahold of some scrap exhaust pipes. i practiced a little bit but my welds are still awful. will this welder work for what im tryingto do? i really want to put together a custom turbo and i would be doing all my exhaust with this welder unless its impossible.
from what i've heard, if i can get it to work, the welds will probably be a bit nasty looking, but im not worried about it being pretty, most of the pipes wond be seen anyway, and ill just clean them up with the grinder if i have to. i just want to know if im going to be able to use this thing to weld some exhaust pipes.
10-06-2005, 02:10 AM
#2
With any welder the metal needs to be clean but with a flux core gasless welder the metal MUST be clean. I have a gasless welder and I can tell you flat out. You might not like spending the extra time sanding or grinding down to bare metal but you have to with a gasless welder to get a good weld. Its already gonna be wanting to spatter because of the flux and you dont need to make it worse by having contaminated metal.
Play around with the settings. You might can set your heat/amperage to a low setting and slow the feed speed down and do good work on exhaust tubing.
These types of welders are not as forgiving as a gas welder but will do the job. When you start the weld, hold it in one spot until you see a liquid puddle of metal before moving the tip. Once you get a puddle flowing you can move the tip in an overlapping motion like waxing a car only alot slower.
Lastly, when you come to a stop you need to get your wire brush or maybe even your die grinder with sandpaper disk on it and clean off all the flux dust so you can start clean again.
Play around with the settings. You might can set your heat/amperage to a low setting and slow the feed speed down and do good work on exhaust tubing.
These types of welders are not as forgiving as a gas welder but will do the job. When you start the weld, hold it in one spot until you see a liquid puddle of metal before moving the tip. Once you get a puddle flowing you can move the tip in an overlapping motion like waxing a car only alot slower.
Lastly, when you come to a stop you need to get your wire brush or maybe even your die grinder with sandpaper disk on it and clean off all the flux dust so you can start clean again.
10-06-2005, 02:22 AM
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thanks a lot for the tips.
the welder has a high/low switch, and a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 wire speed dial, so i can play around with that.
when tweaking with the settings, is there any way to tell which extreme you're at, say something to look for when youre going to fast/on too high a setting, and something different to look far if youre feeding the wire too slow/too low a setting?
the welder has a high/low switch, and a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 wire speed dial, so i can play around with that.
when tweaking with the settings, is there any way to tell which extreme you're at, say something to look for when youre going to fast/on too high a setting, and something different to look far if youre feeding the wire too slow/too low a setting?
10-06-2005, 07:28 AM
#4
if it's too hot, you'll burn thru....if it's too cold you wont get a good arc and no penetration......if you weld too slow the bead will stack up, if you weld too fast you'll under cut the bead.....any of the above can be trimmed out with welding speed or wire feed.....there's no replacement for practice
10-06-2005, 07:55 AM
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I've been able to get away with using a twisted wire wheel on my 4.5" grinder instead of actual grinding. That, plus new parts, did a great job w/flux core wire.
For me, the key was how far from the work I held the tip. I was holding it too close and it just wasn't working very well. I increased the distance and it all came together...
For me, the key was how far from the work I held the tip. I was holding it too close and it just wasn't working very well. I increased the distance and it all came together...
10-06-2005, 11:13 AM
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thanks guys.
also, do you push or pull when working on a surface as round as the pipe? seems awkward either way to me, and the tendency is to work sideways, though i guess that would be wrong.
also, do you push or pull when working on a surface as round as the pipe? seems awkward either way to me, and the tendency is to work sideways, though i guess that would be wrong.
10-06-2005, 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Loochy88
thanks guys.
also, do you push or pull when working on a surface as round as the pipe? seems awkward either way to me, and the tendency is to work sideways, though i guess that would be wrong.
also, do you push or pull when working on a surface as round as the pipe? seems awkward either way to me, and the tendency is to work sideways, though i guess that would be wrong.
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10-06-2005, 04:09 PM
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well, i tried it again today. i've got some pics this time
the welder: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_309_full.jpg
self adjusting mask, this thing is wonderful: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_308_full.jpg
first i just tried to law a few beads across this resonator i picked up. you can see my progress from left to right. http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_307_full.jpg
once i felt comfortable with it i tried to actually joined two pipes together. i cleaned up the pipe really well, but the weld still didnt come out all that great looking. id got dirtier as i welded it too. i blew through the metal in a few spots so i would just go around the holes on a low setting and fill it in. when i finished it seemed strong enough, but it didnt look pretty at all. http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_310_full.jpg
i grinded it all smooth though, and there really werent very many holes at all. once i had it all smooth again, i laid down another bead and this one looked quite a bit better than the first: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_311_full.jpg
i suppose if all else fails i can just take this approach.
the welder: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_309_full.jpg
self adjusting mask, this thing is wonderful: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_308_full.jpg
first i just tried to law a few beads across this resonator i picked up. you can see my progress from left to right. http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_307_full.jpg
once i felt comfortable with it i tried to actually joined two pipes together. i cleaned up the pipe really well, but the weld still didnt come out all that great looking. id got dirtier as i welded it too. i blew through the metal in a few spots so i would just go around the holes on a low setting and fill it in. when i finished it seemed strong enough, but it didnt look pretty at all. http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_310_full.jpg
i grinded it all smooth though, and there really werent very many holes at all. once i had it all smooth again, i laid down another bead and this one looked quite a bit better than the first: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...6_311_full.jpg
i suppose if all else fails i can just take this approach.
10-06-2005, 05:11 PM
#11
I think it looks too cold. you need to grind the surface down to clean bare steel. None of the welds were on bare steel. you need to practice on clean steel too. to set it up first set it on high heat you may burn through but this will still be better then too cold for setting it up..
next find clean steel.
now hold the tip of the welder 1/2 inch above the steel (make sure steel is grounded).
set the wire speed to as fast as it can go.
look away and pull the trigger. (Hold in one spot only don't move) should go snap,snap,snap,snap start turning speed down 1 level at a time.
Soon you will here bacon frying sound. keep welding till you hear it sounding SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH. at this point if you need to weld thiner metal, turn the heat down and maske small adjustments to it. I mark my speed and heat for sheet metal thick sheet metal and thick stuff. so next time I weld it I have a good place to start each time..
Welding put the tip no closer then 1/2 inch keek the wire in the puddle. use small side to side movements while welding. I like to pull any time I can. Cant tell you enough NEED CLEAN METAL!!! I MEAN SHINEY!!!!!! u can have welder set up great and run 2 beads side by side one on dirty and one on clean and it will be night and day. NOW LETs SEE MORE PICS....
next find clean steel.
now hold the tip of the welder 1/2 inch above the steel (make sure steel is grounded).
set the wire speed to as fast as it can go.
look away and pull the trigger. (Hold in one spot only don't move) should go snap,snap,snap,snap start turning speed down 1 level at a time.
Soon you will here bacon frying sound. keep welding till you hear it sounding SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH. at this point if you need to weld thiner metal, turn the heat down and maske small adjustments to it. I mark my speed and heat for sheet metal thick sheet metal and thick stuff. so next time I weld it I have a good place to start each time..
Welding put the tip no closer then 1/2 inch keek the wire in the puddle. use small side to side movements while welding. I like to pull any time I can. Cant tell you enough NEED CLEAN METAL!!! I MEAN SHINEY!!!!!! u can have welder set up great and run 2 beads side by side one on dirty and one on clean and it will be night and day. NOW LETs SEE MORE PICS....
10-06-2005, 05:47 PM
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the metal was clean when i started. i mean, i grinded it down till i would have eaten off it. it gets dirty as i weld it seems.
however if you're referring to the welds on the resonator, then yes, they were done on dirty metal.
however if you're referring to the welds on the resonator, then yes, they were done on dirty metal.
10-06-2005, 09:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Loochy88
the metal was clean when i started. i mean, i grinded it down till i would have eaten off it. it gets dirty as i weld it seems.
however if you're referring to the welds on the resonator, then yes, they were done on dirty metal.
however if you're referring to the welds on the resonator, then yes, they were done on dirty metal.
with flux core you are gonna get dirty as you weld because you don't have any shielding gas.......
you just need to keep practicing, and maybe get someone who has done it for a while to come show you a couple things......people can tell you "exactly" how to do things, but every machine(even the "same" machines) are a little different, and there are SO many factors(heat/wirefeed speed/gun angle/hand speed/tip distance from metal/metal type/metal thickness/direction of pass/type of joint) in making a good weld that the real trick is just learning what factors to adjust to get what effect.....
but as long as it holds, it's all good
10-07-2005, 10:30 AM
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One little thing I noticed is your bead looks a little thin, try to make your side to side motion a little wider, but that is really pretty minor when it comes right down to it. Keep messing with it on some scrap steel and you'll have it down in no time!!
10-26-2005, 11:21 PM
#15
When I run out of gas I will switch my craftsman 120v over to flux core along with the wire. I found it works best with the power all the way up to #4 (1-4). With a wire speed of #4 or #3 (1-6).
01-06-2018, 09:49 PM
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sounds like beacon I usually pull. The easy way for me to get my settings good is to listen to the welder, maybe it's because i've been diong it for a while, but here is what you can do. Get a fairly thick piece of scrap metal (1/8" or 1/4" will work fine) and use one hand on the trigger and use the other hand to make adjustments to the welder settings while you are welding. You want what I describe as a "tight" sound, it's tough to really describe, but you will kinda get a feel for what i'm talking about once you are messing around with the adjustments while welding. Good luck!!
01-06-2018, 10:35 PM
#17
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A BEACON is a light beam. BACON frying is what you want to hear...
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01-07-2018, 01:12 PM
#19
Probably safe to say that that's another autocorrect courtesy of his phone. I hate that {obscenities deleted} function... 
I've been watching youtube videos in preparation for giving my MIG unit another try (the damn wire feed jacked up, & it's a nearly-new Lincoln Handy MIG
) & this guy's videos seem to have a good reputation. Hopefully there'll be something here that's helpful for ya. 
I've been watching youtube videos in preparation for giving my MIG unit another try (the damn wire feed jacked up, & it's a nearly-new Lincoln Handy MIG
) & this guy's videos seem to have a good reputation. Hopefully there'll be something here that's helpful for ya. Last edited by Cheese Weasel; 01-07-2018 at 01:19 PM.
