MIG rocks!

[flyboy71]

I finally got around to the weld shop and picked up my MIG bottle for my Hobart 125. Tonight I installed the wire and set everything up to give it a try. I started out with the settings in the users manual just to know where to begin (flow at 20 CFM, Current at #4, feed at 55, for 1/8" steel using .030 wire). Holy cow! Im very impressed. The welding process itself was so steady and clean and very forgiving. I dinked with feed speeds a few times but it didnt make a huge difference. MIG seems to be more forgiving of adjustments than flux core. I wasnt even trying very hard and got nice looking welds. The welds on the left are the flux core, rough, hard to keep consistant. The welds on the far right are my first MIG strikes just to get the intial feel. The middle welds are when I finally got serious and actually tried to lay a bead. Im sold!

[hazelnut]

those middle welds look good, no splatter balls spitting out everywhere. i got a mig welder about a month ago from harbor fraight that i havent tryed out yet and im hoping it will lay a bead like your machine dose. My old machine took a permanate nap so i hope the HF will make it 15 years

[fireguywtc]

...And you will never look back. I havent, shield gas is fantastic!

[flyboy71]

Its a whole different ballgame. The flux core is spit and spatter and is so hard to get a nice clean bead plus the cleanup afterwards is a mess with all the residue and balls of molten spatter all around. The weld penetration on flux was really tough also, move the gun too fast and it was on the surface and too slow and it became a pile of poop. I didnt even try with the MIG, just ran it along and made little circles as I went along and when I flipped the steel over it penetrated nicely. The arc is steady too so you can actaully see what youre doing. I always had trouble because the arc flash changed too much and it was tough for me to actualy see what was going on. And yeah it sounds like frying bacon when you weld too. Makes me hungry just thinking about it. Just my observations but you really need to try it to appreciate the difference.

[Happy_Camper]

I like them both, but for different uses.

If I'm doing an "emergency fix" in the field with dirty / oily metal, I prefer flux core. It burns hotter, and kind of "cleans" (for want of a better word), the metal. This allows me to get good penetration, where using CO2/O2 the bead wants to lay on top of the metal.

If the metal is clean, or thin, then the bottle works great, because solid wire burns at a lower temp.

To minimize spatter with flux core, I keep the tip about 1" away from the surface. This allows a nice gas bubble to form around the puddle, greatly reducing spatter. I also try and keep the tip as close to perpendicular to the weld line as possible, and I use "spatter-wax" on the tip.

We keep a bottle, and flux core just for the flexibility.

[flyboy2610]

I weld with MIG whenever I can, and not just at work either!
But if I have to weld outside, and there is any kind of a breeze, I do flux core, because the wind will blow the shielding gas away, and then the weld has porosity, and that ain't good!
As was mentioned, when doing flux core, keep the nozzle about an inch from the work, and try to stay as perpendicular from the weld bead as you can. And no matter which style you are using, do not focus on the arc. Focus on the weld puddle, and make it go where you want it to. Once I learned that tip and applied it, my own welding improved a lot!
Have fun with your welder. It'll serve you for a long time!

[R.Smith]

Wow...it's like you made your way onto the next level of a video game...except if this were a vidoe game you be a doooooshbag with vasilaline slathered palms instead of a guy who's learned something thats actually useful!

[1982 flareside]

MIG is great it is the best for automotive stuff. I really like flux core welding thourgh.

[papabug71]

Congrats on your new welder. I love my mig welder.

If you're welding indoors with no breeze/wind you can turn your gas down a little lower. Saves you gas in the long run. Just remember to turn it up if you're outside or in a windy condition