Rocky, flux core question

[Arbo]

I was using my flux core machine on some pretty critical stuff the other day. I needed a watertight weld. I saw you were working on some pipe with a similar process. I am using .035 Blue Demon on my Lincoln SP125+. The crud, for lack of a better word, builds up on the cotact tip and periodically lets go and follows the wire right into the puddle. I can see it actually happen as I am welding. Wherever this happens, I get a nasty pore and sure enough, it leaks right at that spot. If I grind it out and patch over it it seems alright. I use a nozzle dip, and that almost seems to make the problem worse, because the residue lets go by itself rather than me periodically removing it myself. Any Ideas how to avoid this?

[Mike Sherman]

Arbo, you have a couple of things going on here. One you seem to be getting excessive spatter. You need to double check the operating parameters of your wire and the shielding gas. Two, for the spatter that you do get, you must clean it off of your nozzle long before it comes off and enters the weld. What is the exact wire you are using? Not the brand name but it's AWS designation? If you don't know that, is it self shielded (Inner shield) or gas shielded (dual Shield)?

[Arbo]

Mike,

The wire is E71T-GS, .035, AWS 5.20. It is an innershield wire, no gas. On the Lincoln Machine I am using, the settings are "amps, setting H" and "Wire speed setting about 3" It has infinate settings from A-J on amps and 1-10 on wire speed. I am getting the really nice bacon sound that I have been taught to listen for. I run a stickout of 3/8 to 1/2 inch. The buildup on the tip can be easilly removed with my glove, but I would be stopping about every two inches of weld bead to clean the tip. The spatter on the surrounding metal is not that excessive. How about enlightening me on the dual shield wire. I have heard of it, but have no experience with using it. Can my SP-125 use it? And, what would be the advantages/disadvantages. I want to stay away from the solid wire because I prefer the added penetration that I get from the innershield. Will the dual shield still leave slag behind?

How much snow did you get up in the great northwest. We have about eight inches of heavy stuff here. My brand new Snapper snowblower works like a dream!

[Roger]

Your welder unlike many has bakalite contact tip cover available for use with innershield wire. Can buy at most welding supply stores, lowes or home despot . Try it and you'll like how unobstructed your view is. No nozzel dip needed. Try putting your wire in oven set at warm for a few hours. That should be about 150 degree F. to dry wire core for a few hours. Any hotter and might melt plastic reel. Should solve your problems. Store wire in AC or heated spaces seems to limit problems. Too short stickout can cause exploding slag porisity problems. Try increasing stickout a little.

http://lincolnelectric.com/knowledge...tent/cored.asp

Selection of cored wires for 110V welders are limited as many wires are too thick or sold greater than 10 pound units. Esab lists biggest selection of cored wires on 10 pound rolls or smaller. Some are listed under Allstate products in products/catalog/consumable section of their web site.
http://www.esabna.com/html/esabna02.html

[Mike Sherman]

E71T-GS, this is an all position single pass electrode. The GS means it's arc characteristics, slag, weld appearance and polarity are not defined and do not fall into any established catagories. You must follow the manufacturers directions for polarity. Many fluxcored wires run in a spray transfer like mode, you do not want the "bacon sound". Pull your welds instead of pushing, turn your voltage up and check your recommended polarity. Dual shield is a flux core wire that uses a shielding gas. I live in Northeast Ohio and my shop is in Northwest Pa. between Erie and the Ohio line. We have probably 8 inches of snow.

[Guest]

Re: Rocky, flux core question

Originally posted by Arbo
I was using my flux core machine on some pretty critical stuff the other day. I needed a watertight weld. I saw you were working on some pipe with a similar process. I am using .035 Blue Demon on my Lincoln SP125+. The crud, for lack of a better word, builds up on the cotact tip and periodically lets go and follows the wire right into the puddle. I can see it actually happen as I am welding. Wherever this happens, I get a nasty pore and sure enough, it leaks right at that spot. If I grind it out and patch over it it seems alright. I use a nozzle dip, and that almost seems to make the problem worse, because the residue lets go by itself rather than me periodically removing it myself. Any Ideas how to avoid this?

Sorry, missed your question, Arbo, till now. Mike and Roger have given you some good information, on this....now I have to be honest and give you my take on it. Yeah, this happens to me too. I have learned over the years to make an acceptable weld at just about any setting, by working the weld metal, listening to the sound, and recognizing what the metal is actually doing. In other words, I don't go by settings, I go by feel, more or less, so I'm not a very good example in that respect of teaching just how I do something.

When this phenomenon happens to me, I stir it up as I go, hesitate just a tad, and continue on, trying to make it look like nothing has occurred. It works for me. The nozzle dip, allows the crud to come off in smaller amounts, than without it. Without the nozzle dip or spray, that I use, big chunks flake off, and it is more difficult to control.

It could be, that you are too focused on the inclusions, and lose sight of the edge of the puddle for a split second, causing your LOF (lack of fusion) or pore, as you called it. I hope I haven't confused you...

[Arbo]

I was practicing some over the weekend. I found that if I maxxed out the amps and increased the stickout a little, the buildup was more managable. I am like you Rocky. I often throw the textbook out the window and do what it takes to get the job done. As long as I am getting the results that I am looking for, thats all that matters. Thanks for the reply.