5 Tips To Better Flux-Core Welding 

Col Auty thanks.

Bobbie Williams-McClelland that’s awesome. The first thing I ever welded with my original welder was my Dad’s Mower deck. It was god awful ugly as welds go, but it outlasted the mower. Good luck and let me know how it goes. 👊🏼👍🏼

OMG! Me, too with the mower. I have an ancient relic (Ranch King Pro) and the deck looks like Swiss Cheese with one of the deck wheels MIA. Learning to weld so I can get the giant holes fixed and put the wheel back on. Good luck to you!

Clyde Meeks wow. Thanks. I am with you. I love every minute that I get to weld. I want to learn TIG next. Only had 1 opportunity to try it. It’s a whole new ballgame.

@@ManCrafting it's a blast ! It's my favorite type.

God is my fortress VerHalen I definitely like it, but I will wait until I learn how to TIG before I make up my mind on which is my favorite.

​@@ManCrafting TIG to me ,is like GAS WELDING ,WITH A FOOT PEDAL

Thanks for taking a minute to comment and let me know it helped. I appreciate it.

Chris Candlin thanks. Sometimes though, I do use crazy music. 😊

@@ManCrafting LOL just warn me in the title of your new vids, now I am subscribed to ypour channel

Great tip. Thanks.

carbon alloys

I use it too... excellent... except one day welding "above".... the cloth caught on fire..... Why is it so hot in the helmet??? lol

@@andybutler6968 makes a change from finding your jeans are on fire though 😂😀

i wear a cotton hoodie and pull the hood over the helmet

wearing a cotton cap is good too, it keeps grinding stuff out of your hair so it doesn't drop into your eye.......ouch metal in the eye

I have one that attaches to the front since my beard is way longer now as well as one from behind. That makes a huge difference for any stray light. Supper helpful.

Steel Mill the gel and spray are very useful. But most anti spatter sprays don’t work well, and that gives the business a bad rep. I get mine from McMaster-Carr, I forget the name offhand, but it works very well.

Anything that can cut down the splatter and crap from flux core is nice. Being a welder for 35 years i'm guessing you're using shielding gas, which in that case these products aren't helpful really.

-Cyru5- another good tip, which I typically need to do anyway since I bump the trigger all the time.

Thanks! I'm new to this and picking up my own flux coreq welder on fathers day when the sales all drop. I'm trying to soak up information like a sponge!

Look at the Eastwood Mig 135. It was a quantum leap from the HF I had previously. That said, I know HF has a new line that’s better than they used to carry. Worst case you take it back.

Glad it helped. Thanks for watching.

I agree. I’ve not seen it recommended much but for me it was a great find. Thanks.

Thanks. I wasn’t capable of being technical at that point in my welding journey.

Andrew Butler thanks so much Andrew. Comments like these are the reason I continue to put out videos. 🙏🏼 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Haha. That’s awesome. It’s true. I almost always have to track someone down to help. I think there was a couple years where they actually saw me frequently enough to know me but I only go there every few months now.

Farmer Fpv thanks. That’s a lot of production work. I’m guessing you got pretty efficient in no time.

@@ManCrafting yeah at first it was rough but then it just got easy, there's no quota of what I had to get done but I just like to work hard and soak up as much information as I can at the time.

Thank you. Merry Christmas to you as well! 🎄🎁🎅🏻

That’s awesome. I hope you are able to make some cool stuff. Thanks for the comment.

Jay Stern thanks so much. Glad you found it helpful. Always love getting positive feedback and helpful tips.

My dad told me the same thing, add once I got comfortable (literally, of course, I mean physically relaxed and comfortable, not "confident in my technique" lol) before starting a weld, I've been doing much better, and able to concentrate on the puddle rather than how I'm going to shift my body enough (or little by little) without moving the torch and screwing up the bead 😂

@@taylorsellers5244 so true

Thank you tried flux core welding at trade school hard for me to get a grip be steady in my travel angle and distance from base metal to nozzle too close a lot of splatter inconsistent welds

"the focus that makes the world disappear" - This guy knows.

Thanks for the kind words. I try to share the things I learn along the way. People that are true experts often are so far past where I am in the learning process they don't even consider these things to be anything more than common knowledge.

Thanks Leo! Glad I could help. Thanks for the positive feedback.

Milton Gwelch thanks for watching. I hope it helps.

Officer235 another good tip. Thanks.

Are the plastic tips standard for flux core and mig and tig welding? Are the nozzles the same size? Where did you buy them? Does harbor freight sell them?

@@rayteems3535 Yes, Harbor Freight now sells them, Home Depot also.

Ian Kidd another great tip. I am going to add an exhaust fan to my shed setup.

Do that right away. The smoke certainly isn't good for you. It is one of the first things I did once I moved my everlast welders indoors.

make that a must do like asp. welding gas smoke is not good to breath.

Thanks. I agree. When I did all of my welding outside, I always had an overhead fan, but inside I don't. So I have a fan pulling air out of the shed which is ok, but not ideal. Need to get on that exhaust fan with a hose to the work ASAP.

Awesome. It’s good to see that there are people that find this video helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. It means a lot.

Walter Campbell thanks for taking the time to comment. I hope it helps.

I had to do just that on a buffing stand I built since the metal was so thick. You are so right. Hot metal welds a lot better. Thanks for pointing that out.

Thomas Sinclair do you preheat on 1/8" angle iron?

Yes I do, you can see moisture drying up as you heat it, and I have better welds.

Thomas Sinclair I'll give it a try thanks!! what temp do you preheat to?

I never checked, I just watched the moisture evaporate off then start my welding. I use propane or map gas in the small container you get at hardware stores.

Steven S. Gardner good luck. Sounds like a lot of fun with a huge reward at the end.

Awesome. Thanks for letting me know. Glad it helped. 👍🏼

Lloyd Tucker thanks for taking the time to let me know. I appreciate it.

Lowe’s has those markers.

Doug awesome. Glad it helped.

ilokozBuilt thanks for taking a minute to comment. I really appreciate it.

Manny Mack thanks! I should have more videos on welding very soon. Thanks for watching.

That is a very kind comment. It's something I strive to get better at. On camera it's not something that comes naturally for me. Thanks.

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful. It made a big difference in me as a newbie being able to see what I was doing.

Ray Falcone thanks for watching and taking a moment to comment. I really appreciate that.

Thanks Eloy, come on up to my shop and hang out. We can work on a welding project together.

Awesome. Glad it helped.

Awesome. Let me know how you like it. I haven't ever used an Everlast.

Mitchell Garcia thanks. I was surprised as well. I guess that's the problem with not having been taught.

I use a bit of spray on cooking oil as anti-spatter when welding with my everlast welders. Works pretty good!

Nathan Blanchet cool tip. Thanks.

Dollar store cooking spray is way cheaper too

audioentertainment if it keeps spatter from sticking does it interfere with the actual weld at all?

R Johnson great tips. Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Always appreciated.

d.i.y.man thank you and thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching and taking a moment to comment. It means a lot.

LWELDS.com thanks! Will do.

Thank you. I try. I appreciate the kind words.

Steven V take 5 shots fast. 🤣

@MG Stevens A welder watch party!

Keonte Concepcion I can totally empathize with that. Thanks for the comment. Good luck getting the welds you are wanting. It will happen.

I can wield great with my Harbor freight welder 125 nothing wrong with my Welds No splatter at all just started welding a month ago

John Booker that’s awesome. I’m probably a slow learner or I’m not practicing enough.

Pam cooking spray also works well, or any generic cooking spray, and much cheaper than anything you will find at a welding store. And at the end of the job, it comes right off, with brake cleaner/paint thinner/mineral spirits.

Awesome. Good luck I hope you have success.

Dax Inventor thank you. I am still working at it.

Bryan Calhoun congrats. I was Army and was attached to several FA units. Mostly M109’s. Where are you going to welding college? That would be an amazing change of carriers.

You the man, Good Luck!

Wow that sucks your a marine and now your welding??? So they didn't pay for your college ??

As FabKevin says, “If it ain’t steel, it ain’t real!”

Bryan you need to look into the VIP program that the UA has they help veterans get into the trade....helmets to hardhats

+David S for me it was the startup cost of adding gas, the logistics of picking it up, uncertainty of setting the gas up and I was welding outside which to my understanding could be a problem on windy days. Turns out to not be much of an issue. But is suppose startup cost would be the biggest issue. You'll need to invest in a tank and then pay for filling it.

Since I tend to accumulate old tools, I'll have to price gas (tank, regulators, etc.) as I'd prefer getting equipped with one setup if not too pricey for an avid DIYer. The other factor is I'd like the versatility of welding stainless and aluminum in addition to steel.

its the same as buying flux core wire. they even out. mig wire is super cheap but flux wire is very expensive.

yes sir. the cost of gas is supposed to equate to the cost of flux core. granted, some people pay way more than others. for instance, i used to buy 2 pound spools for 20 bucks, now i buy 10 pounders for 50. if i could run a 33-lb then i would do that but my main process of choice is stick welding.

Hey David, there are 3 ways to weld mild steel on a wire-fed machine; GMAW (mig), FCAW (flux core), and dual shield (FCAW with gas). The three differ partially in the way the weld puddle forms and penetrates, and also in appropriate environmental situation. GMAW- must be used with minimal wind exposure. Must keep nozzle pretty close to the work piece, which may inhibit view of the arc depending on position. Easily read weld puddle. The silicone that forms does not obstruct view of the puddle much under the hood, so "pretty" welds are a little bit more manageable. You'll want a wire wheel to knock off the silicone pockets between passes. 75/25 argon/CO2 mix welds nicely, and has minimal spatter. 100%CO2 tends to have more spatter, but deeper penetration. Overexposure to argon is possible, but easily avoidable by ventilating well and not breathing next to your weld :) FCAW- preferably used outdoors in windy, or less forgiving environments and is common for new construction. smaller wire (0.030-.035) is more applicable for homeowner use but produces a lot of spatter and fire hazards. larger wire (.045) can weld faster, hotter, wider stringer beads and still maintain penetration and good profile; a combination of the inner flux and the arc force. Larger flux core seems to produce less spatter because the higher arc force. Slag will somewhat inhibit visual of the weld puddle's shape, making it more important to be able to read the arc, but will cool as a single piece- easy to clean! Lack of need for a shielding gas means your ctwd (contact to work distance, or stickout) has a much greater lenience. Change in ctwd will result in a voltage difference, and can be compensated for somewhat. BOTH- well, idk really. better protection, but too expensive for you and I :) in my experience [mig 3/8" open root 3g, 4g, (structural mig) and flux core at home and school] flux core is a little more practical for a wide open shop or just out and about. Its much easier to only have to worry about getting power to the site, unless you have a rig. Ability to weld without a nozzle and with longer stickout lets you get into some tricky nooks and crannies! In a small shop or shed- definitely MIG; fire hazard from FCAW alone is enough for me; that molten slag gets everywhere..

ontherunjd I’m glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching.

That’s actually a great tip. Thanks.

I’ll have to try it on that machine. I have new welders now, so I don’t use the Eastwood that much. Mostly if I need to take a welder somewhere.

DC negative,???

@@elfpimp1 yeah, you run your gun to the negative and the ground to positive. There are dc inverter machines where that's already done for you, but any machine that has the detachable connection lines, you should run DC negative for flux core welding.

@@elfpimp1 my flux core came as dc neg

@@nathanthreeleaf4534 ah, thank you!

Awesome! I have Norway on my short list of places to visit. My brothers company is based there and he’s in Norway at least 4-6 weeks every year. I’m also 51%. Norwegian so it’s also a little desire to see were my family came from.

Thanks for watching and taking a minute to comment. It means a lot.

im sorry but machine settings and whip angle eliminates spatter. if the BB's dont come off with chipping hammer go to settings.

Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind in the future. But back then, nobody needed to see me weld. 😉

Sal Esposito I hope you find it useful. Thanks for watching!

David Youtz thanks so much. I really appreciate knowing when someone gets something from this and takes a minute to share. It means a lot.

Matt Collier good tip. May be the same thing.

Yes. I use a 3M masks witht he 2097 filters because are very easy to breath in, fit neatly inside most welding hoods, and well, they really filter out all that crap. Check it out www.reddit.com/r/Welding/comments/5rg570/3_or_4_weeks_of_grinding_mild_steel_and_welding/

I agree that fumes are a hazard . I prefer to use the fan blowing away from the weld as opposed to blowing towards the weld. The reason for this is it draws the fumes away and wind on both gas and gasless does play a part in he job at hand. Just my thoughts, cheers from John, Australia.

Gavriel Dorian I have an overhead fan I use when I welded here. I've moved to a shed and building a fume extractor is a priority. Thanks.

Thanks John. I like the idea of an extractor. I'd love a professional one, but that's not in the budget. I'm designing a DIY version.

Demo Rcr I have a 6in tube with a fan connected to pull fumes now, my new table (3 years old now) is 30 x 30 so down draft may be a little tough. I’d love to see your setup once you post it. Give me a heads up. 👍🏼

Thanks. I always appreciate hearing from the people this was intended for. People who like me at the time are just searching for any small thing I could do to improve.

Joel James thanks. I love hearing when people are enjoying them.

That’s a great point. My first was the harbor freight 90amp and it was AC. I was going to do a video on converting it to DC, the bridge rectifier was bad. So I trashed it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

It's more important when your using gas. No question.

can I get that in writing and hand it to my dad LOL.

Just do it. lol Action speak louder than words. I've seen plenty of videos from Jody and welding tips and tricks remove his so he can get better video of welds. No detriment to the weld. Jody knows a whole lot more than me.

I agree.

Depends on the wire. If you're using self shielding(most DIYer's use this) you don't need the nozzle at all. If you are using dual shield wire you require the nozzle to direct fas to the weld puddle.

Thanks so much. Very kind of you. Glad it helped.

Rudofaux exactly. Woodworking as well. Caulking and paint makes me the woodworker or carpenter I ain’t. 🤣

The bigger the gob, the better the job... (where have I heard these before, eh?)

Free Lance MIG/Flux Core is the way to go if you don't want to bother with developing the skill to stick weld. MIG/Flux Core doesn't require much skill. A chimpanzee could just about MIG or Flux Core weld. Fact is, if those Flux Core welders weren't abundantly available & dirt cheap, AND "stick" welders were about all anyone could find to weld with, you'd definitely see a whole lot less "DIY" build or repair videos on RU-vid that involved welding. Nither MIG or FluxCore are "the best way to weld", they're just "the easiest way to weld" with very little skill level.

I agree, the threshold to entry is very low with the low cost MIG welders and with a decent one, you can weld lots and lots of projects that previously would have been impossible. I'm not building skyscrapers or pipelines. I'm sticking two pieces of metal together so I can make a repair, or a stand or a table. Maybe some artwork.

I didn't know what a wire welder was till I was a teen. I learned on a stick and while I'm far from great I'm a much better welder because of it. MIG takes a lot less skill to weld, in turn ARC takes less than TIG. They all have their place where they have a better strong point but ARC and TIG will always be better than MIG. MIG is so popular because it's low learning curve not because it is better at anything.

neo 71665 Very true. If you learned stick welding first. Your ahead of the game. Stick welding in my opinion is the hardest. In welding school stick comes after torch welding. Then gmaw.

BensADV thanks. Glad they helped. 👊🏼

My pleasure. Thanks for taking a minute to comment. I really appreciate it.

Which ones are quality flux wire. Im running hobarts .35 and do get some spatter. But figure its prolly me 🤷🏽‍♂️

@@mobius-1503 I've had good luck with INE brand. Of course your results may vary. Part of preventing excessive splatter is also in good prep work for the joint. 0 splatter is near impossible. But with the right wire and settings you can get it down to minimal impact where all you need to clean up is a wire brush.

@@fakiirification thanks. Will do and will pick up a roll of INE and try it out

New Generation trcQTTRRRCCRCCRCTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTRV

New Generation not sure.

Glad it helped. Thanks for taking a moment to a minute to comment.

Thank you. 🙏🏼

Haha.

Emily Grosklags realated to him I’m guessing lol

Danny Bailey they actually make one that attaches to the nozzle. I haven't tried that yet.

Malcolm Hall enjoy it! If you have a decent welder you're going to have a blast.

Still getting the hang of it. First project is a welding cart made from a discarded BBQ. Burnt a few holes on the first attempt as the metal is thin but picked up a few tips and will practice on scrap first.

Trent james Great tip. I'm not going to ask how you know that. LOL

With out knowing it I ran a machine DCEP for over a yeah...Hey these things happen in my life.

Trent james sorry I just chuckled pretty hard. I haven't done that specifically, but yea these things happen in my life too.

I'll bet your right. I haven't tasted the Anti Spatter Spray, but I suspected it was something like SPAM. I'm not sure if there is a cost savings, but I figure if it's packaged for welding it's not likely to mess up my welds. I'm sure someone with a whole lot more experience would know, heck that may even be you.

Thanks! I appreciate it. That silver streak works great for me. They have different colors as well.

MrJAG1156 glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.