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J.Fitz wrote:
ldbtx wrote:J Fitz,

This might help. There's some mention of what parameters cause incomplete slag coverage.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/su ... oting.aspx

Good luck,
Larry

Thanks for posting that link! I watched it the other day, but went ahead and watched it again...I think my lack of slag is from moving too fast, but when i try to go slower i burn through. Prior to watching this, my work distance was closer to 1/4" so i'm trying to break that habit. will working too close cause more heat, or just the lack of slag preheat he mentioned? also, he says to have a drag angle of ~5-10 degrees, then promptly angles closer to 45 degrees ??
The three things I got from the video that will cause incomplete slag coverage are: Low wire feed speed (which also lowers the current), slow travel speed, and short CTWD (contact tip to work distance) or what we generally call stickout. Short stickout also raises the current, due to lower resistance in the wire, and might be contributing to your burnthrough. Just a guess.

I haven't welded on any material less than 1/8" (11 ga) in so long that I'm really the wrong guy to ask about thinner material. Hopefully, some more of the sheet metal guys will jump in here. Like others have mentioned, pics will be good when you get the forum figured out.

Less us know how it goes,
Larry
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If you're moving slower and you burn through, then you need to adjust other parameters, including weld progression/sequence. For 0.030"-0.035" FC wire, I prefer a very short stickout at first. This gets the beginning of the weld a bit hotter than is intended. In the few milliseconds that it takes to allow the puddle to grow and wet out, the heat-travel already has a head-start on you, and is "pre-heating" the metal ahead of you. I do it this way to try to avoid a cold start, then as I move along, I gradually increase the stick out closer to about 3/8"-1/2" towards the end of that stitch weld. This way the heat build-up that acts as extra amperage is slightly counteracted by the colder weld from the longer stickout near the end.
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JHenze646
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I am not a welder by any stretch of the imagination, but I went thru the same scenario. I couldn't get thin sheet metal to weld at all with fluxcore. The best I could do was large tacks and back stepping and moving around the joint.
If someone has a better solution, I would like to know as well.
J.Fitz
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Oscar wrote:If you're moving slower and you burn through, then you need to adjust other parameters, including weld progression/sequence. For 0.030"-0.035" FC wire, I prefer a very short stickout at first. This gets the beginning of the weld a bit hotter than is intended. In the few milliseconds that it takes to allow the puddle to grow and wet out, the heat-travel already has a head-start on you, and is "pre-heating" the metal ahead of you. I do it this way to try to avoid a cold start, then as I move along, I gradually increase the stick out closer to about 3/8"-1/2" towards the end of that stitch weld. This way the heat build-up that acts as extra amperage is slightly counteracted by the colder weld from the longer stickout near the end.

I welded some 1/8" angle this morning with no problems at all but haven't been back to the 14 ga yet...family in town. I like the way you're thinking with this! Next time i get a chance, i'm gonna try this. Might apply it to other stuff as well :idea:
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I have a Lincoln 180 and use flux core only. Not sure of the conversion but I use a lot of 100 wall tubing which I am guessing is in the 14 guage range. Once in a while I need to do a lap weld down to aprox 20 guage ( body metal) with mixed results but it can be done. I use Lincoln .035 all position wire -Innershield NR-211-mp -E71T-11 . When I started welding I played around with settings etc. with mixed results. One decent weld the next crap. What really turned solved the problem for me was anti-spatter spray. I use a TSC product Powerweld (Canada) cheap at six bucks a can. Somehow it makes welding much easier and seems to widen the sweet spot and make setup much easier and not as much smoke. I just give the weld a quick swipe with a small wire wheel in a small high speed drill and it is clean. It doesn't take much just a mist to dampen the area and go. It is also paint compatible and I just do my normal prep and spray. To make it easy to handle with welding gloves on just get one of those snap on spray can handles at the hardware. Of course this is only one component in the process but it does help. good luck. :P
J.Fitz
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homeboy wrote:I have a Lincoln 180 and use flux core only. Not sure of the conversion but I use a lot of 100 wall tubing which I am guessing is in the 14 guage range. Once in a while I need to do a lap weld down to aprox 20 guage ( body metal) with mixed results but it can be done. I use Lincoln .035 all position wire -Innershield NR-211-mp -E71T-11 . When I started welding I played around with settings etc. with mixed results. One decent weld the next crap. What really turned solved the problem for me was anti-spatter spray. I use a TSC product Powerweld (Canada) cheap at six bucks a can. Somehow it makes welding much easier and seems to widen the sweet spot and make setup much easier and not as much smoke. I just give the weld a quick swipe with a small wire wheel in a small high speed drill and it is clean. It doesn't take much just a mist to dampen the area and go. It is also paint compatible and I just do my normal prep and spray. To make it easy to handle with welding gloves on just get one of those snap on spray can handles at the hardware. Of course this is only one component in the process but it does help. good luck. :P

Thanx for taking the time to reply...i've never tried "anti-spatter" type sprays, but it couldn't hurt. I have a tractor supply on the way home, but it appears the product you use is a "canada only" product. hafta see if my local store has it under another name/sku/part number or something.

i did get lucky last week and traded for a hobart mig welder and a plasma cutter....i was building some stands for water troughs last night with the same tubing and didn't seem to blow through with the mig. i just went with the recommended setting and went to town!
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J.fitz thank you for your reply. As far as the brand of spray I use it is only because it is fairly cheap and easily available for me. I tried it on a whim as I was getting frustrated with inconsistent and dirty welds. The reason for the flux core is the versatility. I am not a professional welder but I can weld all positions-indoor-outdoor - new and old metal and my 180 would have a pretty short duty cycle if I hooked up the mig kit for my projects which usually use from 100ml to 1/2 in material. I also like my tools portable. If my brother needs a fix on the farm I just pull the plug and go. That's also the reason I have a Hypertherm 30 air -self contained -just go. Sounds like you have some nice equipment there. Good luck. :P
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