Can FCAW replace SMAW for most things?

You pretty much have a bunch of stuff already.

even if you have a spool gun getting far from the welder and into strange places never will be like stick where you can bend the electrode and flex the lead.

I have carbon dioxide for plain steel wire and carbon dioxide 25 argon 75 for the dual shield. One guy at a welding shop says the self shielding wire is virtually the same as the dual shielding just the gas or lack of it. he is the owner and won't stock the dual shield. I think the logic is if your life is in danger if the weld breaks you use the dual shield.

I have a Westinghouse 200 amp mig machine which isn't pulse or anything modern. I find for aluminum heating the starting point with a torch makes much better results.

The dual shield makes tiny worm holes things unless perhaps you just opened the package but that was long ago. It puts into the metal more heat per amp draw from the electric company at least seems to me that way. 7018 which I think might be the stick equivalent of dual shield seems to be amenable to heating with a torch after laying around.

The mig or wire feed processes with a primitive machine take a while to get burning in well and more bigger creator at stopping than stick. If you put your stick on the foot pedal or perhaps have a hot start feature things probably lean more to the sticks.

I never could figure out how to make the dual shield work overhead except for a small tack. Perhaps some pulse feature is needed the instructions claim all position. I can't do very well with 6010 overhead but certainly can do better. We are talking relatively diameter in both cases.

All processes can get frustrating. with the fire feed processes the contact tip in the gun can stick to the wire and need cleaning similar to a oxy acetylene device. The sticks can stick and the flux can keep flaking off as you try and trim the rod back and the tungsten can contaminate causing frustration. The mig can also make a bird nest I think they call it if you don't stop fast enough after the tip sticks.

Fran

Reply to
fran...123
Loading thread data ...

WOW IS THAT INSANE!!!!! Self Shielded and gas shielded wires are quite different.

You can't run self shielded with gas on DCEP and you can't run gas shielded without gas and on DCEN.

That really worried me that he owns the store and thinks that they are the same.

No, more like, if you are outside use Self-shielded, if you are inside use Gas-shielded.

Dual shield runs great overhead as long as it is an all position wire. It should be E71T-1. If it is E70T-1 then it is flat position only.

Just follow the manufacturer's specs for volts and amps.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

About the only similarity that I can think of is "pulling the trigger." Perhaps that is what he meant.

Reply to
TinLizziedl

(snip)

I have sadly watched the decline of subtle knowledge at the point of sale and at the manufacturers over my life time.

You can still get lots of help if your using odd features with a new machine, but using odd fillers is another animal.

Now it seems the answers to questions are more like "what's that" or "never heard of it".

Matt

Reply to
matthew maguire

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.