Need help "gasless" MIG welding

This goes to all you welders out there. I just got a new MIG welder and can't seem to get it right. I can get a pretty good bead. Good penetration through the 1/4" plate that I'm using but I've got spater EVERYWHERE. It makes the finished product look like crap.

Anyone out there proficient with the "gasless" MIG welding technique? I could sure use some pointers. I'm wondering if it might not be the voltage setting thats too high but I'd be guessing. If I fill up with shielding gas would that alone eliminate the spatter?

Any help I could get is greatly appreciated.

 

From the limited experience I have with flux core wire (and i'm no expert), it just plain sux. You really can't get a good clean weld with it. Gas IMO is the best way to go. You may still get little BB's here and there, but nothing like flux core.
Does your welder have adaptability for gas?

 

if you are getting too much splatter it seems to me that you are "high arcing" try turning up the speed on the wire feed and it'll keep the wire/arc closer to the metal, and there will be less of a chance that the arc will jump around on you.....

Rio

 

I found that with flux core, I had to go fairly slow, less than half the full speed. (around 3.5~4 out of 10.) I was welding some 1/4" and 3/16", even some 3/8". I had some splatter, but it either brushed off with the wire brush, or cleaned up easily with a fast pass of the 50 grit sanding disc on the small angle grinder. Nothing I had to *really* grind off.
But keep in mind, I got one of the "Dual Mig" setups from Harbour Freight, so not a real high end unit. YMMV.

You may also try a different brand of wire. I had to replace my roll with a different brand, same type, and it made a pretty notable difference. For the better that is.

What kind of welder ar you using? You may see about backing down a notch on the heat if you have one with plenty of juice. Worth a trial on some scrap anyway.

Otherwise, practice, practice, practice.

 

try to make to switch to gas , as far as quality of the welds go youll never regret it.

 

I use a flux core and it is ok for what I do. I've found that a little wd-40 on the surrounding areas helps in wiping off the splatter. Yes, it would be nice to have the gas there, but it works just fine the way it is.

 

I can convert to gas pretty easily since my unit will handle both. I just tried to cut a corner with the flux core. I was thinking about the WD-40 trick too. I know that you can use "lube Gel" to protect the surrounding area but, of course, I don't have any. I think I'll try making a few more test welds using different settings and, if that fails, I'll have the tank filled and try that.

Thanks for your input and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

Make sure your steel is absolutely clean before welding as well. Wiping it off with a rag doesn't count.

That will help a bit with spatter, but mostly with weld integrity.

 

Lynn,

I got the gas conversion for my Weldpak 100 for my birthday. Just ordered this cart from harborfrieght for $40 including shipping. Looking forward to having gas now.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90305

 

I couldn't buy the materials for the price of the cart. :sad: I looked.

 

The bottle price is a drag, but how you buy gas varies around the country, I guess. Used to be able to rent a bottle, but my local guy won't do that unless I'm a commercial customer. So I dropped about $75.00 for a small bottle (don't remember the size off hand, but it's only about 2 feet high). I went through 1.5 tanks completely restoring the jeep -- fixing the frame, creating rocker rails, building mounting brackets, fixing windshields, new bumper, etc. Point is that refilling the tank was only $15.00. But I had to exchange my nice new 'purty' tank for a used one and all the new paint was scratched off

 

I think the bottles are about $75 for a lifetime lease here and about $20-$30 for the gas depending on the mix.

 

You may be disappointed with the cart. I saw one similar if not exactly like the one in your link a few months ago at the local Harbor Freight and it didn't look stable.