Burned some flux core today

Finished the wiring changes in the shop yesterday to accommodate the new welder . Today I used it to repair a part for the wood stove . It's immediately apparent this machine is much more powerful than the Weldpak

100 . Even on the lowest power setting it was hard to not burn holes . Well , that stove part is a bit eroded from many years use and it was never very thick - it's a pivoting smoke flap at the top of the door .
Reply to
Snag
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Good job. Always great to get a job done with the machine you have, and there is a great deal of satisfaction to confirming your new machine is better than your old one.

I've mentioned this many times, but I've done it many times. On thin stock burning flux core, I've had very good luck "stacking tacks." I need a fast welding hood to do it, but it works. Establish a visible bead, and let go of the trigger. As the red glow almost disappears stack another one.

Its stronger than you think. This is probably my personal best test of time. In my 2007 Silverado (purchased used at the end of 2007) I repaired the hole from a gooseneck hitch using pieces of pickup bed retrieved from a hitch installation company. After 15 years there is no signs of weld failure. The truck was used as my personal contracting service vehicle from 2007 thru 2012, and has seen a fair amount of use as a personal "beater" work truck until present.

I have heard that starts and stops are the place most likely to crack. Stacking tacks is all starts and stops. The thing is it was the only way I was able to make some of these types of repairs over the years within my skill level and the limits of my equipment at any particular time. In theory I could do it with the AHP Alpha-TIG201XD tig welder as a continuous weld, but I hardly ever use the TIG, just because I always need to get the weld done now rather than build my TIG skills.

Anyway, I've kept an eye on my "stacked tacks" welds over the years, and so far I have not had a weld failure.

Funny part? Last year I put rails in the bed of that truck for.... a removable gooseneck hitch plate. LOL.

I actually went with rails (bolted through to brackets below the bed) so I could swap between a gooseneck and a 5th wheel. I did consider cutting the hole back out and putting in an under mount gooseneck, but ultimately I thought rails would be better. I have since used both hitch types.

Anyway, a lot of people put down flux core, but I've found the stuff to be the Crescent wrench of welding. Not always the best, but it gets the job done, and sometimes it is the best, because it gets the job done. I can weld outdoors on a breezy day. I can weld overhead. I can carry a suitcase with fluxcore a lot easier than a suitcase with a gas bottle. They can be used for tacking up assemblies in place to make sure of dimension and fitment before unbolting it and dragging it to the back of the shop for weld out. Okay, I have 75' of heavy 220V extension cord now so I can roll the big welder out front, but for years I didn't.

The biggest thing I dislike about Flux core is its a bit dirty. Its sooty and seems to create a few more stickier BBs.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Tack-stackin' is what worked for me on that stove repair ... I've got

2 11 pound rolls of .030 ER70S6 to try out , but I probably should complete repairs to the plumbing (failed backup heat+3 degrees below zero+we were out of town = a f***in' mess) before I play around with a new toy . Only reason I got to do this repair is because every time I opened the stove to feed it we got smoke in the house ...
Reply to
Snag

I really like running ER70S6 with C25 (75/25) when I can weld horizontal indoors on the welding table. Once you get it dialed in and get yourself in the zone it burns some of the prettiest welds. It welds so nice that if you have a big weldment tacked up and ready you don't want to stop until you hit the duty cycle of the machine. I might enjoy that more than most because of how much longer it took me to get there.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Got the last of the busted pipes fixed today ... now all we need is a new toilet . Tomorrow if all goes well I'll pick up a used one from the local recycle center . That'll give me a little breathing room for other stuff .

Reply to
Snag

My dad once bought all the toilets coming out of a couple old hotels that were being converted to office suites. He had them circling the yard inside the fence at his hardware store for years. Amazingly he sold a lot of parts from them. He made his money back and turned a profit, but it took a while.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

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