Iant333

Well my laundry list for things I have to weld is piling up. Firstly I want to get my old rocksliders welded in place to replace my rockers. Basically im just wondering if I can get a good enough weld to hold with my welder, im pretty much a beginner with welding besides screwing around a little bit here and there with some scrap metal.

I only have access to a Harbor Freight 90 amp flux core, and a Miller 220 stick welder, the flux core doesn't seem like its gonna have enough ***** to make a decent weld, I think the rockslider is 1/8th" thick. I was thinking what I might be able to do is heat the rockslider with a Map torch and just work my way along in little sections, seems like it should make it penetrate ok.

You guys think that will work ok for me, i'm not exactly a pro welder, i'm just getting to the point with the Mig where I can hold an ok bead and not have it come out all broken and clumpy looking.

Hommersimpson

get scrap same thickness... use the 90 amp on full power with gas... skip the flux core... ? or is this only flux and you dont have gas ? if this is the case... then use the stick welder .. practice practice... you can try the flux core but I have never had good luck with it and never seen a nice weld from it... it works... but well you just cant get as nice as gas...if you could gas would be obsolet...
check local welding shop get some new rod for the thickness you need...

posjeepxj

flux core will give you better penatration than gas sheilding. and for super penatration they use both. flux is harder to make look good but penatrates deeper, gas is oposite. Id try to get good with flux if i where you. 90amp isnt that much pop. Great for body work though

Iant333

No it cant run gas, It can run 0.35 wire but from my experience it still isnt all that hot. I have a couple dozen 6011 rods, how would those work? Using arc with sheetmetal scares me.

As far as looks, as long as it looks decent from like 10 feet away I dont care, just strength matters.

claygrassmann

ive welded 3/16th with my flux welder and its held up just fine, for sheet metal to 1/8th i think you will be fine with the flux core, if you dont think its good enough then three pass it

zwhiz

X2 on practice practice practice. and your welder should work just fine, the weld doesn't have to look beautiful to hold up just needs good penetration

posjeepxj

most people that weld with flux core on a machine that runs gas, dont know to reverse the welders polarity. Thats a big reason why no one likes it and it looks like *****. but if your welder only runs flux core i would think the polarity would be right (reverse polarity)

mtparker97

so that is interesting. i have a hobart handler 140 and running flux for now. so if i want to run solid and gas i would need to switch the polarity on it? it is reversable so thats not a problem just curious about it. i was also under it impression that solid wire with gas would give better penetration on thicker material, that and keep cool for thinner too? am i wrong and its only good for thin material with gas?

posjeepxj

yes you would have to switch the polarity if you switched.

If you want proof that flux has deeper penatration read your owners manual on your welder. The max depth it is good for would be done with flux.

proof

http://www.hobartwelders.com/pdf/spe...andler_140.pdf

And I HIGHLEY recomend this welder for hobbist welders. great little machines

mtparker97

Thanks i know i read that but wasnt sure about it. i love this machine very much. wanted something i could build bumper and sliders with, then go and make half doors or maybe a cowl hood and a roof rack out of emt.

RENIXBEAST

A lot of times there isn't a switch for the polarity, Most of the time there is a connection inside were the wire is fed through. A plus and minus should be indicated were the ground clamp line goes into the welder and were the welding gun line goes into the welder, just switch the connections around when your switching from gas to flux. Your manual should show you

wheeler

practice in weir possitions, my welds look pro when im welding flat and i can see, turn to the side and having to hold the bead going backward is tricky, i can do it... but thee not the prettiest, still strong and thats what counts