flux core welding

[bobbyr]

i have a tb302 with a 12vs feeder. i am thinking about tring out flux core wire in it. this would be completely new to me. can i use my existing gun or do i have to get a defferent one? i think i am going to get a roll of .045 how about my drive rolls i have smooth in it at the moment. like i said never tried it before and would like to give it a shot. so any pointers would be usefull. thanks guy's

[mengineer]

You can use your current gun just as it is but miller makes different nozzles that leave the contact tip protruding but completely cover the adapter giving you better access in tight spots. I'm not 100d% sure but I think you want knurled U drive rolls, someone with more knowledge will let you know. Also go to the resources section & look up the manual for your feeder it'll take 5 minutes & tell you everything you want, including part numbers.

[MMW]

The only thing you will need to change is your drive rolls. Get a set of v-knurled ones. Tighten them just enough for the wire to not slip. You can use your "regular" mig gun. I always have & have left the nozzle on to protect the tip, etc. Sometimes I use a shortened nozzle that I cut myself. Keep in mind that the gun will get hotter due to no gas flow which helps cool the gun so if you have a small gun it could become an issue with lots of welding. I use a 400 amp gun & run .045 almost all the time & have never had an issue with innershield wire.

[Daniel]

I would use gas-shielded fluxcore, if you can. It's an all around better wire then the self-shield fluxcore.

[MMW]

I was assuming you were talking about innershield wire (gasless). You can also run dualshield wire (flux core with gas) but still need the same v-groove knurled wheels. The dualshield is wind sensitive so it is not always a good choice for outdoor work. Innershield is not wind sensitive. Most innershield wires you hook the gun to neg & the work/ground to positive. Check the particular wire you get for the polarity.

[bobbyr]

MMW i am talking about gasless. i think it would be nice to have something around when my gas bottle is empty (like on a sunday) and i want to mess around in the garage.

[PTsideshow]

In addition to the drive roller you will also have to get the proper contact tip in the end of the gun to feed the wire.

Also make sure you have the polarity set to the proper one for the type of electrode. solid wire DCEP this is the welding lead or gun lead. Flux cored generally is DCEN For the best welds check the polarity. And turn the machine off before changing the lead at the feed mechanism, as some machines are live at this point if juice is on!

The drive roller will have a number on the side. Number facing out, generally puts the correct groove in line with the wire feed. Most of the drive rollers have two different sized grooves on them, when installing make sure correct one is in place for the size wire.

As they may work sort of with a larger groove, they generally will not work with a smaller sized groove.

And of course when you switch back to gas

[bobbyr]

now i know why i like this sight so much. if you ask a ? you get help. not like some of the other sights wear they smack talk you if you are not sure about something. THANKS EVERYONE

[MMW]

Quote by PTsideshow "In addition to the drive roller you will also have to get the proper contact tip in the end of the gun to feed the wire."

While you need the correct size contact tip you don't need a special tip for any fluxcore wires vs. solid wires.

[JTMcC]

I would use gas-shielded fluxcore, if you can. It's an all around better wire then the self-shield fluxcore.

Define "all around better wire".
I'm guessing you haven't tryed to build many tents atop a mountain or in a valley. In heavy winds.
Flux core is used where it's used for some very good reasons.
Don't confuse "easy to run" with "better".

J

I should add that even inside, FC is used in a lot of applications (look at heavy equipment construction) where the designer want's to save welding time ($$$) by taking advantage of the deep penetration FC gives. That effectively reduces the required size on fillet welds and that = large money in the bank.