Flux core welding part 3: wire shootout with cut & etch

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

For bonus points take a shot for every time I say the word “overall” lol. 😵

[@apatterson8128]

At least you don’t say “Umm” or “Uhh” a million times. lol

[@Ca21431]

Thanks, now I'm in my garage hammers! Lol

[@Ca21431]

Hammerd

[@bmaxTJ]

Best flux core video I've seen. Thank you

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

You’re welcome, glad you liked it 😀👍

[@robtg5665]

Very good tips with no frills and straight to the point. Very mature "field professor" one could say. Good job sir!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Thanks for the kind words 😀

[@mariodesmo]

I'm liking that US Forge stuff. Very nice looking on the spool and in the welds especially. I'm going to try some. I'll burn up all the HF stuff practicing, then switch over and evaluate the results. Nice video too! Good work!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Thanks for the kind words 😀. Yeah, burn that harbor freight stuff up on practice and get yourself some better wire. The difference I saw seems to be the same everyone else has seen. I have tended to use .035 us forge for general use in the past to good results. Any less spatter is a good thing, the less cleanup the better.

[@elgkas9928]

Your critiques offer so much added knowledge and knowledge is power!

[@johnmacmillan627]

Just great instructional videos! Thank you. Also enjoy your sense of humour. Wont tell the taxman where to find you😂

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Glad you enjoy the videos 😀. Thanks for not telling the tax man where I am 😅, they give up after the first 8months of the year lol.

[@romanabeyta3547]

😊😊😊😊😊w

[@SirGolfalot-]

I think I'll need to watch more of your videos. I bought a HF titanium 125 welder and gloves. I haven't even plugged it in. I have a bunch of scrap metal for practice. No experience. I'm a newbie, who now has the time to learn new tricks. I still need a helmet and wire. Good video

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Embrace all the uncharted waters that come with learning something completely new 😀. It will be rough at first but if you stick with it you’ll be welding up stuff you never thought possible. Also, I will be doing a few flux core videos next week before I dive into Mig, so those will be useful to you as well, keep a eye out for them.

[@SirGolfalot-]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks for the encouraging words

[@phillipdesrosiers9020]

Great instructional video! Took the time to explain many important details of the welding unit and how to weld correctly!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Glad the video helped you out 😀.

[@williamwalters3796]

I welded up a hitch adapter for a combination luggage rack/“OVERSIZE” sign mount for 2” to 1 1/4” hitch sizes for my Dad’s company as one of my first projects. A standard hitch adapter made the thing stick out too much and wobble so I cut off the 2” tube and welded on a 1 1/4” adapter to make it snug and not stick out 2’ front the end of the vehicle. Did it with the HF wire .030 and the Titanium 125, single pass. That was several months ago and it hasn’t failed thankfully, would have gone with the Lincoln Electric knowing this now, but still surprised at the abuse the thing has endured.

[@robtg5665]

All Flux wires tested seem to be okay. But will reach for the Valley Forge wire for all my home projects. The winding and the amount of wire on the drum shows pride with the profesional work being applied to their product. Would check into background to see if it truly is made in America. Which I fully support.

[@philshock3805]

From the Menards site, says right on the label ... Made in China

[@tsl7881]

If you can't read the fine print, made in China, you absolutely need glasses to weld. This is foolery like the HF brand US General.

[@davewest8827]

Nice weld. I've liked the Forney .03" for my Flux machine.

[@jamesr.9239]

Made me laugh when I first read your channel title. Rarely do we ...any of us... admit right up front that we make mistakes. I personally use Lincoln wire and even though it is pricey , gives minimal spatter and consistent results. Might try U.S Forge if it's cheaper and multi pass not an issue.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

The only person who doesn’t make mistakes is the person who doesn’t do anything at all lol. I picked the channel title because I hope to film enough of my fails that people will realize quality and skill only come from caring enough to fix the inevitable mistakes that are made. Overall I think sticking with Lincoln wire is the way to go. I did some more testing and it’s the most consistent weld to weld and there is no question on specs. I wouldn’t hesitate to use us forge for single pass on non important stuff though. It’s cheaper than harbor freight wire and is way better overall than it. Thanks for the comment and there will be plenty of mistakes in the future lol. If there is a video you want to see me shoot let me know 👍

[@FranciscoMartinez-oh6wx]

Looks like US Forge is a better wire thank you again for your teaching. I am learning very much. I am a beginner. I need to buy one of those machines.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem 😀👍. Grab a small little flux core machine and some decent wire. You would be surprised at how much you can do with one.

[@MrRobinson308]

I was gonna go to HF to buy flux core. Im now gonna go to Menards and pick up a 10lb spool of US forge. I never thought about going there to pick up welding wire Thanks for the awesome video Greg.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem 😀. That US forge is way better than harbor freight, you won’t regret it 😀.

[@Goodshaft]

Hey Greg, what your take on HTP flux core wire ? I just bought a use HTP 220 MTS welder and never tried flux core welds yet.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

So HTP probably uses the same supplier as matheson/airgas/etc uses for their in house brand wires. Most of them use blue demons parent company to supply consumables. I have never used HTP brand wires, but blue demon tends to be pretty decent. The main thing that matters is it’s a t-11 wire (not GS) so it has passed significantly more testing and is multi pass capable. I bet it runs fine. As with all .030 and .035 self shielded flux core, expect to see some porosity on metal over 1/4in in thickness due to how fast the molten puddle cools. For thinner stuff you will be fine.

[@kalybnielsen4183]

I live in an area with minimal choices, its either Harbor Freight or Airgas, when a 10# at Harbor Freight is $49 and Airgas charges $167 for a 10# spool, the choice isn't hard. I use a wiper that consists of a cotton pad and a mini squeeze clamp clipped to the wire before it enters the drive rolls, it makes a huge difference, Harbor Freight wire is dirty, clean it before you use it, takes 3 seconds to clip the wiper on, definitely worth saving over $100

[@melgross]

Very interesting. I find that with bbs vertical angle of the gun has an effect. If the angle is lower, more bbs on the vertical. Angle is higher, more on the horizontal. With fluxcore, you can’t get too close or the wire doesn’t have time to heat properly and you throw more bbs. What were your settings again? If you remember. I have a Titanium 125 I bought for my milling. Sometimes I need to weld parts together and I put them together right after I mill them. Sometimes placement is critical, so I bought this to let me tack them together before I bring them upstairs where I can properly weld them. But I’d like to use it for some things downstairs as well.

[@apatterson8128]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem 😀

[@glenngarrison2717]

What is the duty cycle on your welder

[@PeakyBlinder]

Hi, Cool vid, At 7:58 you mentioned gas , were you using gasless flux core or did you include argon/co2 ?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I can’t load the video at this moment to see what I said at that point, but all the wires were run without shielding gas. I did a video where I tested running a self shielded wire (like all the wires in the video) with shielding gas, and nothing really happened (and it shouldn’t be done lol). I do have a few videos coming out shortly on .035 dual shield wire, which is flux core with gas, that most peoples welders could run. Keep a eye peeled for that.

[@PeakyBlinder]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg will do for sure 👍

[@rich1953]

You can wind substantially more material onto a bobbin/reel with a consistent tight lay/wind than a haphazard lay/wind.

[@ls2005019227]

I obviously missed this video when first published......but occasionally use and am interested in E71T-GS penetration. I typically use flux core on raw steel (that should really be cleaned). In many ways, it reminds me of 6010/6011 of GMAW (although I know from one of your other vids, that 6010 far out-penetrates 6011). Using a Millermatic Vintage, I've also increased the voltage/wfs (above "recommended" levels) and had good success on thicker plates/welds. That would make a good test/video: comparing weldability/penetration of 6010/6011/flux core on steel that has just been laying around exposed to the elements (i.e. "less that ideal/textbook conditions"). Thanks for all of your great videos and the knowledge that you share!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I actually just shot a video last night on welding on rusty 1/4 steel with 7018 and 6010, I will do it with flux core soon 😀.

[@Initial_Gopnik]

Hey Greg, I just wanted to ask if you could ever do a part 2 on a flux core wire shootout comparing multi-pass wire? Specifically E-71T-11 in .030, theres quite a few brands with good reviews like PGN, Blue Demon, Hobart, etc.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I will go back into that for sure, but it might be a while. I have been stocking up on grinding wheels to do a grinding wheel test, that’s going to take a ton of time to do. When I get done with that I will do a 3rd wire test. If I had more time I would do it a lot sooner than later lol.

[@Initial_Gopnik]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Hey I'm hyped just to know its in the works, your videos are worth the wait, I really like your style of presentation. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[@wsieber89]

Pgn brand has been awesome for me and so affordable. 10lb of .035 is $15

[@rockymiddleton5384]

The USForge wire seems to be best overall. Especially when you see the Lincoln is almost 2x the cost

[@wsieber89]

PGN brand e71t-11 wire is actually very good and very affordable. If your machine can take the 10lb spools give it a shot! The .035 wire is only $15 per 10lb spool

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Good to know 👍

[@bradleyyounger8499]

My favorite flux core wire so far is the blue demon. It is e71t 11, so it can multi pass and about half the price of lincoln.. welds smoother on my machine. Has about the same spatter

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Good to hear, I have not run their self shielded wire yet. I tend to buy their tig wire and their specialty rods (like nickel) and have had pretty good luck with them.

[@oldmate8626]

I'm able to get very neat looking vertical down welds with flux core t11 with my single phase DC inverter. I'd like to see the strength test on this application. I weld down oscillating up into the pool and down again... I would normally weld vertical up. Also curious to know if flux core is OK to use in residential structural welding? Does anyone know

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

So flux core has more penetration than short circuit mig, however it will loose penetration running downhill just like mig does. Strength wise would come down to how poor the root fusion is. I can honestly say I have never ran flux core downhill and did a destructive test, but I bet it would be significantly weaker than uphill. Flux core is so much easier to run vertical up than short circuit mig that I always run uphill. As far as applications for flux core, that’s complicated. Certain types of flux core are used in everything from bridge construction to building high rise buildings. So the process itself can meet specific demands / weld specifications. Where the problem lies with Gasless flux core (in my opinion) is the over the shelf wires tend to have internal weld porosity on 1/4in and above steel. I have done a bunch of cut and etches on the channel on t11 wire, and every one had some internal porosity on 1/4in and up steel. This is with .035 wire. This porosity appears to be caused by the gas not having enough time to escape the molten metal. This is mostly due to the thicker steel pulling heat out too fast (and requiring thicker/bigger welds which are harder for gas to escape from. With .045 it might be possible the porosity would go away, but I don’t believe .035 is capable of clean welds on 1/4+. Also, t11 flux core doesn’t appear to be as strong as 7018 or gas shielded mig. In bend tests it seems to break far before those two. In my opinion for steel 3/16th and thinner that doesn’t support human weight (aka higher liability), I wouldn’t hesitate to use .035 t11 flux core. For anything structural with liability I would look at 7018, dual shield flux core, short arc mig, or spray. Short arc mig only if it was 1/4in or less.

[@oldmate8626]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks for the reply, much appreciated & for taking the time to explain 👍

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

I am looking to buy a gasless MIG Flux core welder on eBay and noticed that some only have a knob control marked A for Amps and no V Voltage knob, I guess the Volts are set up automatically somehow. Should I be looking to buy one of these, or something with 2 control knobs marked Volts and Amps ?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Great question. So those machines “auto set” voltage based on wire diameter and wire feed speed. I have an arc captain I am testing now that does it. I would 100% recommend against this setup because without the ability to adjust voltage separate from wire feed you can’t dial anything in. In my experience that setup will make decent welds on 1 or two thicknesses of material. Anything other than that it will be far too hot or too cold, which makes it useless. That’s why I generally suggest people just buy the harbor freight titanium 125 because it has adjustable WFS and voltage, and it’s universally tested/liked because it welds good. So definitely get something with adjustability.

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks for the advice. 👍🏼

[@stuartjohnson8171]

How long are the pieces and how long does it take to actually run the weld? This will help in determining how fast should I go when doing these welds. Too fast and too slow both have impacts on the actual weld. Thanks for these tips.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I made a video to cover your specific question. It’s available only via the link in this post. The video has plate size, calculated seconds per inch of travel speed, arc shots, and some thoughts on everything. Hope it helps 😀 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXaTk5RrltaigqM

[@Psalms19.1]

I’ve heard the shinier wire runs better with less spatter and that seems to be the case. I’ve got a 2lb spool of the harbor freight but I haven’t used it yet. I started with a 2lb spool of the forney .30 wire and I really liked it. Now I’m running the Hobart multi pass wire it’s ok but overall I think the forney ran better. Somebody said you can’t really compare multi pass wire to single pass wire. Thanks for the video.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Yeah the single pass wire has some solid performers and most of the multi pass are decently. What’s weird is forney welders are everywhere around me but nobody sells their wire or rods. I have run their rods before and thought they were ok.

[@Psalms19.1]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg I got it at ace hardware. I’m not sure if you have ace hardware up north. Where are you from btw?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

@@Psalms19.1 I live in Wisconsin, we have ace hardwares here but I have never seen welding stuff at them. I did buy a pack of screws there 2 days ago for 8.50 for 20 screws 😅. Some things they tax, others are cheaper than Amazon lol.

[@Psalms19.1]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Yeah don’t blink or you’ll miss the welding shit… One of the other guys I watch on here said he liked the forney. I saw it passing through ace hardware for something else and grabbed it.

[@bryanthornton6787]

Thanks for the video! Have you any experience with the Blue Demon E71T-11?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I have used a bunch of their wires but not their Gasless flux core. The only issue I had was with a dual shield wire from them, it was wrapped weird which caused some feeding issues. The wire itself was solid.

[@bajafishtaco]

Can i run .035 flux core wire on my easy flux 120? I heard you say it wasnt a good idea in the video. Im welding some some truck frame notches and wanted bigger beads . Will the .035 give me bigger beads? Whats your thought ? Can my easy flux 120 run the .035 well?

[@bajafishtaco]

Easy flux 125 I meant

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

You can run .035 flux core in the machine. If I were you I would do a test weld on the same thickness/position of material before you attempt it on a truck. There are a lot issues with flux core and heat input. If the weld isn’t hot enough (aka cools too fast) the solidifying weld will be full of porosity. The 125 runs better with .030 wire in my experience. If you do a few tests and break them open to see what’s inside, and you don’t have porosity, you should be good to go 👍

[@bajafishtaco]

Thank you I was going to do a bunch of tests and practice with the same 3/16 material. I just wanted to know before I bought the .035 wire . It sounds like I just need to do a bunch of tests and determine the best route. I know I'm getting good pentatration with the .030 I'm running now . I just thought the .035 will give me larger bead ?

[@carlholm2765]

If anybody sees this in time, Menards has the US Forge welding wires on a buy one get one free sale. That's 1/4 the price of the Lincoln wire for Flexcore wire!

[@tsl7881]

From comments here I think the trickery of the US Forge name has worked on most of...us. The US Forge company, with the American flag on the packaging, imports theirs from china and india. The last 10lb roll of Lincoln I bought was made in Usa, but in the 140 I have 0.030 HF made in Italy GS wire and 0.035 Best Welds e71t-11 from Wesco made in USA in my bigger neverlast. I think Best Welds was about $15-20 cheaper than TSC retail for Lincoln. These import wires from china and india should be much cheaper, If they are not , the store is pocketing the extra markup. Which is why retailers like imports more, they make more.profit and give a us in US a little bit of the "deal"

[@harleyghost]

Very interesting.

[@paulradford4100]

It does look like your travel speed wasn't consistent - something that seemed to get better as you went on. Seeing the spools at the end with the stickers - maybe this was the root cause. If the spool is binding the wire speed will suffer. Though you may think adjust the travel speed, this would be difficult in real time. Maybe the hot tip is to use a blade to trim the sticker away from the centre, no matter the spool, so the inconsistency is cured at the possible source.. Also, many youtubers (some welding turors) have said the same thing about the appearance looking like 7018. When you think about it flux core (though different) does have some similarity to mma - that the wire and flux is combined. The biggest difference is the gauge of the wire compared to the stick and the fact you don't have to keep changing sticks and making restarts.

[@2CabrasLocas]

I was most impressed by the look of the Lincoln welds. 🤷

[@ralphmitchell4579]

U S Forge looked the best to me.

[@Festerman50]

They all look and worked well but I’m the future I’ll be using US Forged

[@StephenScherr-eq9wp]

Thank you.going to build exhaust system cat back need to fish eye a drone tube it is a j tube cap on the end math done to tune out loudest exhaust noise you video thank youkindly

[@edped79]

Thanks greg

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

You’re welcome 😀

[@byronperry6014]

I wish you had shown the welding passes in real time, to teach us the correct welding speed.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

So I actually did that in numerous videos, but it’s been a long time. This video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXaTk5RrltaigqMsi=a23cF_6nQ2Bq7wPJ I covered it to a certain extent. Part of the problem with weld width is it’s completely dependent on the material thickness and joint. 1/16th material needs a much narrower weld than 1/4. What you need to focus on is producing a consistent in width/height weld and then adjust how much weld based on the thickness of material. This video kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIfCqX57ecioh80si=SxGjR2dhla8_1KpO will help you dial in things better. The video is on gas shielded mig but it’s still relevant to flux core.

[@TheJudy79]

If you get spatter turn the wire speed up I have no problem with HF wire

[@mikeingeorgia1]

I haven’t had my Flux 125 for very long, but when I bought it I got a spool of the Vulcan .030 wire with it. I’ve been getting decent looking results, but it’s taken some time of just slowly adjusting the settings to get it just right. My Dad gave me a spool of the Lincoln, but that’s premium priced so I don’t want to use it all up just practicing just yet. My friend gave me an older 2 lb spool called Chicago Welding, which came from Harbor Freight and was also made in Italy just like the Vulcan so I think it’s the same stuff. Cost wise, if I wait until there’s a sale, the Vulcan can be had for $7.50/lb vs the Lincoln at $25/lb. That’s a pretty significant difference

[@bobd.fletcherjr4912]

👍👍👍👍👍👍🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

[@vojislavcar6157]

Ouch…..You made huge mistake just in the beginning…. AWS A5.29 standard for FCAW wires says that E71T-11 (Lincoln Electric) is designed for single and multipass welding and E71T-GS (other wires You used in videoclip) are wires for multiple passes. They are not designed for single pass welding. If You do not believe, please, consult AWS standard.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Every manufacture of -gs wire says the same thing, this is verbatim per Washington alloy, us forge, and forney: “Usage should be limited ot single pas welding. a second pass may be suitable in some applications, but multiple passes should be avoided”. -GS produces a weld that becomes brittle when you layer it. The gs wire in most cases have very limited testing requirements, in no way does the -gs wire meet the same requirements as a t11. Edit: per AWS: E71T-11 must meet certain mechanical properties and must be capable of multipass . A GS and G suffix means that properties are "agreed upon " so it can be anything. There is NO mechanical testing required ( tensile , yield, impact, elongation etc ) It does not mean that the electrode is no good , it just means it does not have to to through any testing and meet any criteria. If a -gs wire is capable of multi pass a manufacture could say that, but I am unaware of a single manufacture that claims you should use their wire for multi pass.

[@vojislavcar6157]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg in Standard GX stays that this type wire is multipass wire. Amen. What Youexplained is opposite. Also, when You are comparing E71T-11 and E71T-GS than You are comparing 2 different classification designed wires, or, we said apples and pears. Very unprofessional. And, as a standard says, mechanical properties can be anything agreed between producer and customer - I just haven’t seen that any customer made for those wires. But that is for mechanical properties only, not for type of passes, and that is multiple, not single pass.. Producers are, therefore goingarround the customer and declare the wire in wrong class. In other words , they are laying the customers. That comes specially true when Chinese stole the FCAW-SS formulas and started with uncontrolled production.looking to mechanical properties, that can be „anything“, who said that bigger or smaller values of strength is not due to only penetration, but also with mech. Properties of another wire? Who said that cross area on all the samples is the same? Who says that bright of samples are the same size, and in what tolerances? And , I like to see really , in written from GS wire producer that wire is for single pass only, because than the customer can sue the producer that wrongly declare the class of wire against the Standard….

[@FranciscoMartinez-oh6wx]

Looks like US Forge is a better wire thank you again for your teaching. I am learning very much. I am a beginner. I need to buy one of those machines.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem. Any decent wire and even a simple flux core machine can give decent capability. It’s worth it to start with one 👍