10 replies to this topic

[FancyTeapot]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and new to welding.. I recently purchased a Clarke 151EN which is a gas/ non-gas mig welder. Over the last few days I've been practising with the flux core welding as the welder came with the flux core wire.

 

I have to admit i have been struggling a little despite watching hours and hours of videos and playing around with my settings. The question I have is should I continue to practice using the flux or should I covert the welder to gas? Is gas easier than flux core? I understand gas mig welding is cleaner so probably better for the restoration.

 

Thanks :)

[jeffster06]

not sure what the best answer for this would be, I just recently started welding and am using a gas mig welder. I probably would have started with flux core but mine friend needed a place to store his mig welder which just so happened to have a full tank of gas. I was bold and started welding on the car pretty quickly but that was only after practicing off the car a few times and feeling my welds had good penetration etc. 

 

I have heard flux core welding is not as clean (more spatter), and can be more smokey while welding but otherwise it should clean up the same. When I was first practicing someone had suggested running beads down the flats of some metal. Basically the goal was to have good penetration and this also helped me get the welder dialed in for the wire/metal thickness. Which is another issue I had initially, the wire in the welder was too thick for the metal I was trying to weld, basically I was either blowing holes in the metal or the wire wasn't arcing very good. 

 

I am far from an expert though so I am sure someone will be along who has better advice, just figured I would share what I have gone through. 

[FancyTeapot]

Thanks that's really useful. Out of interest what wire thickness are you using? The wire that i got with the welder is 0.9mm and if I even look the trigger it blows a hole straight through the sheet metal. Although reading up on it apparently beads dont really work on sheet metal? I think the idea is to do lots of spot welds in different areas to reduce heat distortion  

[sonikk4]

Flux core welders ie gasless are notorious for creating poor welds for the un experienced welders.

 

Personally go straight fwd for standard Gas Mig welders. Less hassle and a lot easier to set up.

 

I always use 0.6mm wire and is more than suitable for anything you do on a mini. You can use 0.8mm as well as some people prefer this.

 

For settings with the Clarke i would suggest selecting two and min power with a wire speed of 7. If you find you are blowing holes then try 1 and min power.

[FancyTeapot]

Thanks for your help Neil.. Gas will be on order shortly!

[sovenmini]

Personally I would use gas all the time, flux core is basically for a quick repair that you don’t really care about like if your garden gate breaks lol, so would not recommend this for restoration or car body work at all.

The gas does more than you think, the prime use of gas is to shield oxygen from the weld pool, oxygen in welds / weld pools make them brittle and the join weak, gas also helps the surrounding area from hardening loads (this is to do with the heat and air again) mig welding is bad for hardening anyway (where tig welds stay softer so better for dressing after). Plus when you start looking in to gas’s for welding the gas plays a massive part in penetration a good mix of gas for restoration is argon shield light (not pure argon shield, that a different story lol) shield light is a mix or argon and co2 this will give you a good penetration at a lower amps meaning less heat is needed this is what your looking for in a weld, your see lots of people refer to pub gas yes it cheap but this also has draw back and for people who can weld but don’t understand the job of the gas is a nightmare to explain the mix for pub gas is a high co2 mix yes it shields the weld but also does not aid the penetration of the weld mean you get tall welds and to over come the penetration problem you will need to turn up the amps this means more heat and that’s what you want to avoid. Hope this helps a little.

If you have 0.9 wire at the moment then practice with it, some people use this on body work and I have done myself but I tend to find 0.6 more suited to my style of welding and more common in restoration shops, again less amps to start a arc is less heat.

[mm man]

If you do decide to use the gasless option at any time have a look at this . I have played around with different wires and this one transformed the performance of my welders . The Clarke Flux wire tends to be cheap and nasty. Have a look on you tube at this make and you will see some results . As said before gasless not for everyone but it does have it’s place .

 

http://www.theminifo...have-ever-used/

[steeley]

Definitely use gas you get a far better tidier weld that is easier to grind afterwards

+1 for Argo Shield light

Edited by steeley, 27 May 2020 - 05:45 AM.

[DomCr250]

Thanks for your help Neil.. Gas will be on order shortly!

You have a few options for gas..disposable bottles - never last more than 5 mins.

 

BOC hobby deal - cheap gas but you need to pay for a monthly or yearly rental on the bottle - good if you gas frequently

 

Non rental bottles - expensive upfront and the gas is more than BOC.  Then I found this guy, too far for me but you are closer and his prices are super competative https://www.ebay.co....koAAMXQU6tQ9uTb

[FancyTeapot]

Thanks guys picked up a hobby weld gas bottle with a pipe converter and a regulator this morning. What a revelation! So much easier and now after a few hours of practice im feeling a lot more confident. I may even have a go on the mini tomorrow...

[sovenmini]

That’s great news, just remember practice practice and practice.

Before you start on the mini just make shore you get two pieces of steel the same thickness as the steel your welding on the mini and set your amps and wire speed up on that first this can save you blowing holes or grinding off bad welds.

Best of luck and enjoy