Anything welding

Any welders/fabricators in Western NC? Having trouble finding someone I trust to do a CMC.....

 

If it was me I would have the rear axle on air just like a front axle on A tri axle .

Then it comes down to what your using it for Hauling long sheets of dry wall??

 

Looks like it was made by/for F-troop. Just aged myself.

 

My friend in NC

https://instagram.com/carswellweldedit?igshid=1qg051oxoclsz

 

Are you dragging? Also did you make sure to set polarity correctly? It’s opposite from gas shielded. There should also be a separate wire feed knob just for flux core. You don’t want too much pressure on the wire feed because it’ll crush the wire and cause porosity.

Not saying I necessarily see those things in your welds, just want to make sure you’re setup for success.

 

yes, I’m dragging and yes, I switched the polarity. You statement would explain the porosity in the first weld because the wire speed was up higher, yeah?

not sure what you mean by separate wire feed knob.

 

I'm sure it's welder dependent, but on my welder, I have various sized wheels for the different sized wires. One is specific for flux core. It sounds like you've got it all setup correctly then and it's just a matter of practice.

 

That is an excellent question. My welder does have different grooves for different wires, I wasn’t aware this would need to be changed for flux core though. I’ll check it out, thanks!

To your question about dragging, are there different techniques you’ve found to be successful with flux core? Maybe a straight drag as opposed to a an “e”?

 

Yes, flux core needs the knurled groove rollers - the v-groove rollers are for solid wire and can crush the flux-core, creating feed problems.

Unsure of straight vs e dragging - the main reason for pull vs push is that the shielding is generated by the flux and by dragging that occurs over the leading edge of the weld pool thus shielding the weld as you go. With gas/solid-wire the gas flows ahead of the nozzle, so you're able to push.

At least that's how I understand it to be.

 

IIRC the flux one has grooves in it to bite the wire a little since you can't use as much clamping force on the wire itself.




As far as technique, it's been a hot minute since I've had to use flux. I think I just did crescent moon shapes, kinda like a C. Here's one of the few pics I can find of when I was using flux wire. This was cleaned up with a wire brush but still, looks pretty good if I say so myself.

 

That does look pretty good. Thanks for the info gents! I'll play with the setup some more and lay some additional beads.

Is there a reason you chose to do flux over solid wire for a relocation in the pic?

 

Only because I hadn't ponied up and bought a tank of gas yet at that time. Since getting gas a couple of years ago, I haven't even thought about touching flux. I have a 1lb roll as a backup but that's it.

 

I feel that. I'm just wanting to learn the skill. I have a Ready Welder on hand for trail repairs that's setup to use flux so I figured I should get some practice in before I end up having to use it in the field.

 

Like everyone else mentioned, the grooved/knurled feed wheels are for the Flux. I use flux because I usually need to drag it inbetween places to use it and can't drag a bottle everywhere.

For technique, I like the "e" technique and dragging. I find with e's can spread the weld puddle into both materials effectively, whereas straight dragging seems to more pile up in the center. Just be sure not to "e" back into weld that has cooled and slagged over, or you may end up with some porosity/slag inclusion.

Another note, is that a good helmet will improve your weld quality, probably more than any technique. I went from a HF cheapie Autodarkening to a Hobart Fixed shade, and things improved dramatically off the bat. The Hobart Fixed shade was pretty inexpensive too, just the quality of lenses/viewing was much better. It makes a huge difference being able to see the puddle forming and some of the puddle behind the arc. With the HF I could really only see the arc, and not much puddle

Heres one of the better welds I've made (or at least I think lol). Stopped short because I got hit with a splatter booger, but the idea is there

 

Working on custom drawer for bed. Decided to use some 1/16 tube as the frame. Will box in with 1/2 plywood. Never worked with this thin of material so there def is a learning curve. Couple of blow throughs so good opportunity to practice my fill ins.

 

Nice. Look into "stitch welding" technique if you're getting blow through.

 

Thanks for the input! I'm actually pretty happy with my helmet so far. I picked up the YESWELDER helmet due to price and reviews. I was concerned at first but so far not complaints. It's only been a couple of weeks. The auto darkening works well and their "true color" screen is actually a nice feature IMO.

$90 YESWELDER Large Viewing True Color Solar Powered Auto Darkening Welding Helmet with Side View, 4 Arc Sensor Wide Shade 4/5-9/9-13 Welder Mask for TIG MIG ARC Grinding Plasma LYG-Q800D

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PZ9LKRD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8

 

I may have to look into that helmet myself. The fixed shade hasn't let me down, and its not terrible, but the convenience and features of nice helmet are definitely on my wish list

 

plasma cutters are pricey

can the stock cam tabs (before mounting JD pivots/control arm mount kit) be cut off with oxyacetylene torch?
also would the heat damage surrounding metal?

 

So I did this a while ago and just had to say....... Thanks!! I'm still working on the front bumper, and when I added it all up I have over 521" of weld into it and still a bit more to go. That little adjustment from 15 -> 10 has made a huge difference in my consumption.

I can say with (almost) certainty that if I had not made that adjustment based on your post, I would have needed a re-fill by now.

thanks for saving me some $$, and the fustration of running out of Gas Mid-project.
Have a great one
D2.