Getting started with Flux Cored - some early questions

[Munkul]

I have no idea. It's flux cored - I thought it as supposed to be quite messy?

The electrodes are set up for 'no gas'. The wire I am using is also 'no gas'.

It's only known as a messy process because most people in the UK buy a cheap welder without any idea of voltage settings, try it out and write it off as a messy spattery process.

4 things could be the difference between your welds and mine:

1. Polarity. You say you've sorted this, though.
2. Voltage. You need LESS voltage than with solid wire. It WILL spatter if it's too high. You want just enough voltage so it's got a nice spray hiss. You're limited by your machine on this, but try turning it down a setting or two and see what difference it makes.
3. Wire quality. No idea what wire you're using, it will most definitely be the same E71T-11 or E71T-GS wire as the Lincoln, but maybe it doesn't run as nicely.
4. Technique. You need a slight pull angle, not a push, similar angle to stick welding - "If it's slag, we drag" - Bob Moffat. You don't need to do much weaving, just aim the wire into the bottom of the joint and let it do its thing.

Lincoln Datasheet
https://www.lincolnelectric.com/ass...rshield-InnershieldNR-211-MP/nr211mpe-eng.pdf

 

[dobson156]

Hi,

Thanks for such a detailed response.

It's only known as a messy process because most people in the UK buy a cheap welder without any idea of voltage settings, try it out and write it off as a messy spattery process.

Ok, this is a clarke 151en which was recommended to be by the fine folk of this forum.

1. Polarity. You say you've sorted this, though.

The front of the machine looks like this: https://dccf75d8gej24.cloudfront.ne...849A032A-A178-4D7C-A419-AE91C558522D-huge.jpg

For "no-gas" I have the ground clamp connected to the Postive (+) connector.

2. Voltage. You need LESS voltage than with solid wire.

The manual for this unit seems to have it backwards then, makes it really difficult for beginners! (pg29 https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals/mig_welders/mig90en_151en.pdf)

You want just enough voltage so it's got a nice spray hiss. You're limited by your machine on this, but try turning it down a setting or two and see what difference it makes.

Will do!

3. Wire quality. No idea what wire you're using, ... but maybe it doesn't run as nicely.

It is E71T-GS wire, do you mean run smoothly? I think any lack of smoothness comes from my skill rather than the machine!

I know it's not the best, but it's noticeably better than the stuff that came with the machine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003EY59IW?ref_=pe_3187911_248764861_302_E_DDE_dt_1

You need a slight pull angle, not a push, similar angle to stick welding - "If it's slag, we drag"

Yep I am doing that, I have the gun aimed right at the work then I pivot it 15degrees back and pull

You don't need to do much weaving, just aim the wire into the bottom of the joint and let it do its thing.

I'll try not to over think it and give it another go.

 

[Munkul]

For "no-gas" I have the ground clamp connected to the Postive (+) connector.

The manual for this unit seems to have it backwards then, makes it really difficult for beginners! (pg29 https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals/mig_welders/mig90en_151en.pdf)

It is E71T-GS wire, do you mean run smoothly? I think any lack of smoothness comes from my skill rather than the machine!

Ok so you have a fighting chance with the machine, a fighting chance with the wire, and a fighting chance with being willing to try things

JUST in case, try swapping polarity back to Electrode Positive, just in case it's been wired wrongly inside. It wouldn't be the first time. The worst that can happen is it might spatter more, not less.

Also, what sort of wire stickout have you got? IIRC you need a longer stickout than you would for MIG - over half an inch, anyway.

GYS has barely any information about the stuff available online - no setting charts or anything. To be fair, Lincoln is better than most fluxcored wire from what I read. Even so, it SHOULD act about the same.

 

[dobson156]

Ok, I've done a few more test welds, nothing I did really reduced the splatter. Including inverting the polarity - which didn't seem to do a lot.

From left to right the settings are A3Max, A3Min, A2Max, A2Min on wire speed 5. The smaller welds didn't really create the right sound - it seemed interrupted.

Before scrubbing:

After scrubbing:

I then did another pass with a slower wire speed. Same order

Before scrubbing:

After scrubbing:

Still getting lots of splatter, maybe it's crap wire. Like even when I put down tacks it splatters, so I don't think it's technique (ie travel speed).

I am all ears, and if anyone lives in the north I'd love to be shown what I should be looking out for.

 

[Munkul]

ach, sorry mate. Looks like it'll lay a good bead but not sure if it'll ever clear up the spatter.

Where do you live? If Wigton, Cumbria is convenient for you to travel to we could set up your welder in my workshop and if needed maybe try the wire in my Miller to see if there's any difference.

 

[SV1BDO]

Try INE, they give good results.

 

[Sparkyspark]

Hello - Thank you for your posts so far - and people's answers, which have been a great help. I'm also a newbie to welding - hoping to find it useful in my job as electrician. Just got the 151EN and tried for first time today. Found the polarity instructions confusing - the user guide contradicts itself a number of times. The main thing I can't get my head around is the wire feed rate. No matter what combination of setting the feed rate seems to have one setting: very fast! Did you find this a problem, or is it just down to finding right combination of settings? I'm using 0.9 for no-gas. Any starting pointers gratefully received!

 

[Munkul]

The wire feed rate is your main variable - it should adjust nicely and go from fairly slow to very fast. undo the wire tension, pull the trigger and adjust the wfs knowb - you should hear the feeder speeding up/slowing down.

If it doesn't.... you then have problems...