Need Welding advice

So I bought this little Flux welder at harborfreight. I had been waiting for one to go on sale for a while. It went to $89.99 and I then dropped my 20% coupon on it and got a great deal. I picked up a mask, welding gloves, welding jacket, and some hand tools for welding. I'm pretty set with what I need, but I'm clueless. I know that flux isn't the most desired version of welding, but I'm not a fabricator. I will only use this for small occassional projects and I don't mind the extra time in removing the slag and grinding off the splater.

http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887.html

So here's my question. What flux wire should I run? The machine says I can run .030 or .035 only. The machine came with a 1lb. spool of .035 but the reviews said it's total crap and I should pick up some lincoln flux wire. When I went to buy some there seemed to be a few different kinds and I left scratching my head. First off, what's the difference (other then thickness) of the .030 and .035.? What applications are they for? Most of my welding will be with 3/16" plate and thiner and maybe some .120 wall dom. In regards to the types of wire that said "flux" on it, I found; metal-cored flux wire, gas-shielded flux cored, and self-shielded flux core. My thinking was that I wanted the self-shielded flux core in the .035 thickness, but I wasn't sure. I definately need some advice here and if anyone would like to show me how to use this little machine that would be awesome. I have read the manual, done some online research and watched a lot of welding videos so I understand the basics, but actaully watching someone in peson use the machine would give me a lot more confidence.

I have a similar model, and have had good luck with the .030 lincoln flux core from home depot. Typically you want thicker wire for welding thicker metals. An autodarkening hood will make it much easier to learn.

Are there any community colleges near you that offer a basic welding class?

souske said:

I have a similar model, and have had good luck with the .030 lincoln flux core from home depot. Typically you want thicker wire for welding thicker metals. An autodarkening hood will make it much easier to learn.

Are there any community colleges near you that offer a basic welding class?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. The community college at the old military air force base in San Berdu offers a beginner welder class that I might take this summer. It's not too expensive.
This is the mask I bought. Used the $34.99 coupon. That was on back order so I still havn't recieved it yet so I'm not sure of the quality.

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-shade-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-46092.html

your a bit out in the sticks aren't you? if you ever come down this way, bring the machine along and i will show you what i can. i would use the .030 to start with as a smaller wire will be easier to burn. the larger wire needs more amps and will force the machine to work at its max. i do not run flux cored so i can not advise which one, hopefully other have more experience with it. with these small machines you want a good dedicated 20 amp service. make sure there are not any other high loads being used at the time such as electric heaters, toasters, microwaves, ect. keep the area to welded clean and free of rust and such. make sure the ground is clean and has a good contact. then practice practice practice. just run some beads on flat stock. go at different speeds and inspect them after and you will get an idea of how fast/slow to move the nozzle. if you feel it sticking and pushing your hand back, turn that sucker up. you want to burn steal, not just heat it up a bit. you will know if your setting is too high by the wire burning up into the nozzle before it can reach the project. with a small machine i doubt you will be able to do that, especially with .035 wire.

TRUST me on this, Brad, get a spool of the .030 and never look back. The bigger stuff jacks up tips, it’s harder than hell to weld with, and it burns through just about everything in its path.

I used .035 for a while and when I switched to .030, my Miller welded *worlds* better, and the welds themselves look and feel better, too.

exactly. the .035 takes a lot of amps to burn right. thats why it ends up pushing through your project, or pushing back on you if trying to weld thick material. most small 120 machines lack the power to properly use the thick wire.

Yep, I think you are right. Thinner wire is much easier for the 120s to swallow. Wish I'd known that from the start, but I guess we are all n00bs at some point.

I welded my entire tire carrier out of 3/16" with a 120v machine and .030 flux core wire.

.035 is really only useful for stuff thicker than that where you want a lot of heat. even 1/4" can be burned with the .030 if you use 2 passes, which is recommended for anything that thick on 120v anyway.

You should stick with .030" with that machine. Practice on a lot of scrap before doing anything that could fall off on the highway...

I use .035" but normally have my machine up near full power on the Miller 211.

Okay. Thanks guys. So I will get a spool of the lincoln .030 flux wire. The only question I now have is the kind. Do I want the metal-cored flux wire, gas-shielded flux-cored, or self-shielded flux core? Those are the 3 kinds I see on the lincoln website that reference flux wire. My guess is that I don't want the gas-shielded since I don't have any gas going through the machine. So I'm thinking I need the self-shielded flux core, but still not sure.

As stated, go with .030 wire If you can already weld and know how to work your heat .035 is fine too, i welded my entire roof rack with .035 and it was 5/8" thin walled square tubing, i do all my big stuff with a stick welder, I feel you get better fusion with an arc welder. But that's just my opinion and as long as its not like a bumper or control arm I think you'll be ok.

just get the flux core from home depot, they're have the right kind you need. they only cary flux core or solid, so it wont be confusing.

bhicks said:

Okay. Thanks guys. So I will get a spool of the lincoln .030 flux wire. The only question I now have is the kind. Do I want the metal-cored flux wire, gas-shielded flux-cored, or self-shielded flux core? Those are the 3 kinds I see on the lincoln website that reference flux wire. My guess is that I don't want the gas-shielded since I don't have any gas going through the machine. So I'm thinking I need the self-shielded flux core, but still not sure.

Click to expand...

unless you have a tank, and are running a gas, you want the self shielded.

Thanks guys. So I want the .030 flux core self shielded. I'm glad I asked because I was a little lost. I'm gonna use the cheapo stuff that came with the welder to practice with. Once I feel confident that I know what I'm doing, I will toss on the Lincoln spool and start welding on the Jeep. Thanks again guys.

Let me know how that welder works. I've been tempted to pick one up for small/odd jobs around the garage.

I have one of the hf welders. I use 030 on most and .023 on sheet metal. As far as the wire goes the hf stuff will work with the flux. When MIG welding I opt for the better wire. Flux can be ok but it usually looks like shit till you clean it up. Just make sure you deslag all of your welded before making a second pass or weld into a weld. I use the Lincoln wire most of the time and have good results with it. I've gotten pretty good with a fluxe machine. When using flux you can just weld away. On MIG you have to have clean metal and no wind.

that helmet works pretty good, i have one. this is my second one, the last one died a few weeks ago, but it was about 3 years old and very well used, and poorly treated.

RedDevilGTO said:

Let me know how that welder works. I've been tempted to pick one up for small/odd jobs around the garage.

Click to expand...

My buddy has the HF one and he welded a HUGE bird cage with it. I'm talking, six feet tall type bird cage - that little unit definitely does the trick.

Yea, Brad, self shielding .030 will do ya right. Really, my only advice is to go by the factory settings to start if the welder has a little chart on it; the recommended settings for each thickness of metal is surprisingly accurate. From there, you can usually "feel" if you need to go hotter on the volts or faster on the wire speed.

Skwerly said:

My buddy has the HF one and he welded a HUGE bird cage with it. I'm talking, six feet tall type bird cage - that little unit definitely does the trick.

Yea, Brad, self shielding .030 will do ya right. Really, my only advice is to go by the factory settings to start if the welder has a little chart on it; the recommended settings for each thickness of metal is surprisingly accurate. From there, you can usually "feel" if you need to go hotter on the volts or faster on the wire speed.

Click to expand...

I ordered a couple spools of the .030 self shielded flux wire from Home
Depot yesterday. The welder does have a chart inside the lid that shows what settings I should be on for the thickness of the metal and the thickness of the wire. Right now we have about 2 feet of snow, so I wont be out doing any practicing right now. As soon as we get some warm weather I will head out into the garage and start practicing on some of my scrap metal.

Next time you are at HF, pick up a couple welding blankets. Your concrete will thank you.