using a flux core welder

T

twotone

New member
Hello fellow ford lovers.Im restoring a 59 tbird and im going to do patch panels.But some one said that the flux wire would get in and on the weld he said argon gas was the way to go.I have a wire flux and it doesnt have a bottle conection is my welder no good for this thank for any help:confused:
 
Flux core can be used but is not the preferred method. Patch panels are welded in using a series of tack welds. Flux leaves a residue that must be cleaned off before the next tack is made so it's tedious and time consuming and often means a contaminated weld. The gas types leave a much cleaner weld. Check with the manufacturer for a conversion kit for your welder
 
flux core for body work (yuk). get some 90/8/2 tri mix gas and E-Z grind welding wire, your welding supply should be able to help you out an .023 wire
is what I use and do a series of spot welds to prevent warpage of the metal.
Good luck!
Fordestes
 
I forgot to mention that you may be able to add a gas kit to your machine,
and also check to make sure your polarity is correct for steel, I found out
the old hard way , the machine wasn't set up properly for what I was trying to weld,I found out I could buy a gas kit and add it to my machine after I gave it away and went and bought a Miller, I throw rocks at the Lincoln setting in the corner, I m planning to buy a 250 amp wire feed next, I don't know how we survived without the mig welders in the early days.
Fordestes
 
Most of those horror freight 70 and 90 amp welders dont have gas abillity. You can get lucky on craigslist in ur area for a mig with a mig with gas setup used (and a buzz box). Or bite the bullet like I did a buy a nice millermatic. I started to get the Hobart 140 at tractor farm supply as it was on sale. $269. If u do add gas to ur current welder u gotta switch the polarity
 
if your panels are easy to get why not try the panel adhesives that are out i use them all the time if you have a flanger and klecos or clamps screws this stuff works great i did a 3 inch strip down the roof/driprail on my wagon along with the rockers the best part is it seals the joint. check with eastwood i think they have a video on it. i've also done 1/4 panels and doorskins most of the newer car doors are done this way it is an approved way to repair collision damage then you can sand the excess and do your bodywork just do'nt use etch primer over it
 
i dont think the anti spatter spray stops the spatter..it just wont allow it to stick to the surrounding metal..
 
you are right about the harbour frieght welders, they are not much more than battery chargers, Hobart was bought out by Miller, its a good machine, but unlike Miller it has set welding heats, Miller has infinite settings so you can weld from thin to 1/4" metal, alot of people will disagree with me, but buy the 120v welder, its about $80 cheaper than the 220v and it will weld 3/16" metal where the 220v will weld 1/4", thats only 1/16" thicker, your tied to where ever the 220v out let is, with 120v you can take it any where there is an out let, your bed room even if your wife is ok with that, a good miller for the home do it yourselfer will cost you $1000, about $800 for the welder, the rest for a cart and the rest for an argon bottle and extra supplies, if you have numberous 220v out lets around your house i guess that is the one to get, but like most of us you only have one in the garage, so really the 120v is best for the rest of us
 
i agree i have a miller 135 110 volt its great i welded floors rockers and rear end spring pearchs when i worked in the bodyshop thats all we had it was a miller 140 i did everything with it. check online/ e--y they have some good deals along with shipping also use 0.23 wire for sheetmetal anything bigger and your burning through
 
Flux core welders are good for heavier material 1/8" and up. They usually are positive ground so they run hotter. Plus you get alot of splatter from them. If you can switch the machine to gas do it you'll be alot happier.
The anti-splatter spray is used to keep the nozzle of the gun clean of slag. It keeps the splatter from sticking to the inside of the nozzle.

The Old Tinbasher
 
i got one of those harbor freight flux core welders for really cheap with a special price and also a coupon,i moved into a rental house with only 110v so i needed something i could run outside and on a regular house plug.......i just wanted to weld up some trim holes............It blows holes straight threw the sheet-metal the power level adjusting knob on the lowest setting........needless to say i will be taking my car to a friends house that has a real welder, i kept the flux core welder because it was so cheap and i might find something around the house that needs a quick weld but wouldnt suggest using it for anything car related.
 
To my mind, the flux core works well outdoors as it is not affected by the wind the same as the gas welding is. To compensate for the breeze you need to turn the shielding gas right up. FLux core is also not as good for welding up holes as already noted.
Regards
 
The answer to welding (closing) trim holes is the use of a copper or aluminum plate behind the hole as a heat sink. makes a difficult job very easy.....Bob L
 
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that is true harbor freight has a copper paddle for under $10.00 worth the investment if you have a lot of holes i also think there is a magnetic one available at eastwood
 
Tig mig or gas welding is the way to go. I have done sheet metal work with a buzz box fluxcore welder but not the optimum way to fly. You can buy a conversion kit for your fluxcore welder..Id highly suggest it

feel free to use a copper backing,aluminum if u have to...place a small gap between ur patch panel n body for the weld to penetrate..clean the metal!!!!! and around the weld area front to back...watch your heat and feel free to hold your wire back if u need to

do a bunch of tacks and dont overheat your metal..also feel free to take your time grinding and u can use a small air powered tool with a cut off wheel to grind your welds off ...use the edge of it...but dont overheat hope this ramble helps
 
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