Can FCAW replace SMAW for most things?

Fluxcore should work great as a stick replacement. It is a process that is very similar to stick welding, runs hot, etc.

Far better choice would be dualshield wire, or a fluxcore wire which uses a gas shield. That's what's used in heavy industry as a stick replacement, when there is a stick replacement.

Grant

What gas does each require; CO2?

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

I could argue either side of the flux core vs stick welder debate. Each one has pro's and con's. I use stick, MIG, Tig and flux core, but not dual shield (I consider dual shield to be a high heat production process, not a repair process, plus my MIG won't go hot enough)

I prefer stick for repair: lots of rod options, lots of heat options, lots of fill vs freeze options, much higher tolerance for dirty/greasy/rusty materials, much less chance of laying a bead on top of the material with no penetration, much longer cables, and no issues with wind blowing the shielding gas away. Downside is more spatter, slower metal deposit.

Mig is king for clean metal and new construction. It's also one option for stainless and aluminum.

My flux core is limited to my 120 volt portable welder. If I have the

Tig is for thin wall tube frames, stainless, and aluminum.

Gas Shielded Flux Core (ESAB Dual-Shield, Lincoln Outershield) rules the heavy fabrication industry, for quality speed and ease of use. It is restricted to indoor, just like MIG and TIG. The most common gas used for Gas Shielded Flux Core is C25.

Self Shielded Flux Core (ESAB Coreshield, Lincoln Innershield) rules the outdoor construction trade. Both can be run in your 252, but they both require higher current than MIG, so they tend to beat up small MIG guns. If you don't have a heavy duty gun on your 252, then stick with smaller wires, like 0.035" ESAB 7100-Ultra Dual-Shield, my favorite.

Same deal with Self Shielded Flux Core. Larger wires use a lot of current and will cook the standard gun that Miller puts on 252's. I like Tregaskis Toughguns in the 400 amp range for flux-core wires. I have one on my Betamig 250 so I can run 0.045" dual-shield all day long. At school I put a 400 amp Miller Roughneck gun on our Millermatic 300 so it can run Dual-Shield.

Dual shield is really hot and clean, and the flux falls off to leave pretty pretty welds with little or no spatter.

When running Dual-Shield use oversized tips or they will erode rapidly and start sticking. So for 0.035" wire use 0.040" tips and for 0.045" wire use 0.052" tips.

Is there a low end, home shop sized version that matches or beats stick?

I couldn't find flux-core stainless in less than $400 rolls so I used

jw

Hi Rick,

The big upside to all tubular wires, fluxed or metal filled, is speed and ease of use.

The downside is they will run farther out of parameter than solid wires, cost more, and the big one for the small shop is the core begins degrading after opening the package.

A typical E71T-1C /1M (C=Co2 / M=Argon mix gas dual shield, ) can have significant oxide content with elevated hydrogen in the weld, after laying around for a week or two in the open air (any condensation is a killer).

This is supposed to have improved with seamless wire tube manufacturing but the docs are still going to warn you about storage.

Matt

Ahhhhhhhh good to know. I don't fire up that machine much (probably due to more comfort and confidence with Stick at the moment) and that would be a killer. The machine is in an unheated barn so condensation happens despite my efforts to minimize it with a cover, put it in the driest spot, etc.

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

True, but I find these rods less sensative to moisture than I was led to believe. I have them inside the package in a toolbox.

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Good information. Thanks.

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Thanks for the great info, Ernie.

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

You may want to either buy a desiccant wheel dehumidifier, or alternatively put a lightbulb under the welder.

Thanks. What I really need to do is wall up the side of the barn that is my workshop and seal the sliding barn doors to minimize the weather getting in.

Actually, what I need to do is build another barn for the horses, hay, and wife, keep the current one for mine, and weather-proof it.

Don't tell the wife on me or I'll deny everything! :)

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

We use a 75/25 Argon/CO2 mix. It gives good penetration with less spatter.

I have to admit, though- We are getting away from dual-shield and running a lot more pulse due to air quality requirements and less time spent post-weld cleaning.

Wrong emphasis here - build a custom already-weatherproof workshop & leave the current barn for the horses ;-)

Unfortunately it is hard to find amny alloys in small rolls of self-shielded flux-core and gas shielded flux-core.

It is a tough market. I have spooled my own small spools from larger spools for my spoolgun, but it is hard to buy many types of wire in small amounts.

Harris has their "20-gauge" wires, but they are hard to find.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm you may just have something there!!!

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

To me the wider variety of stick electrodes argues for AC+DC arc over MIG for doing a variety of small jobs in a home or repair shop.

Jim Wilkins