Lennies914 and I are welding up some AC holes the PO put all over my car and we are having a problem with blow through. We currently have it set at A 1.4 with flux core .035 #2 wire!

Lennie is almost to Harbor freight and wants to know what is the best used with our cars??

Thanks for any quick replies!!

Have him pick up a reg set and my bottle. That will help a bunch !

Shoot, i need a desk magnifying lamp they have....

He is doing that but we are out of wire so he needs to know what to get in both Flux and solid!

better stick with the .035, otherwise he will be looking for tips to.

I just hung up the phone with him and he will get you your magnifying light if you call him and tell him what you need ASAP!

He is planning on getting wire, tips & Regulator! We just need to know what is the best wire to use on our cars, we think the metal is 22g so if everything is ideal what wire is best?

Don't have his number with me, it doesn't matter. I need to make a trip over there anyway to get the bike hanging kit as well. Guess he'll be picking up my bottle tonight?

Call him at 1-###-###-####

Got it, now take his number off there !

I did ask him!!

I like .30 for stuff under 1/8" thick..

i use .023 wire on sheet metal. 75/25 gas. 15 psi for flow. the trick is to cut your nozzel back so it is flush with your tip.

Home Depot carries the Lincoln line of wire and tips etc. I use the .025 ER70S-6 super L-56 wire for thin sheet metal with the argon /co2 mix for gas. The flux wire doesn't seem to be consistent and makes a mess with the flux. Rmember: metal must be clean, clean, clean. Good luck.

I use .023 gas 30 is the lowest for flux i belive..

I have found ESAB Easy-Grind 0.23" wire and 75/25 gas to be the best. As mentioned above, the metal has to be uber-clean, too. Can't say which settings, since I don't have the same MIG welder that you have...

Where ever possible, also put a heat sink behind the weld. HF has a brass spoon that works pretty well. And weld in short bursts to keep from warping the metal and to avoid heat gain that can lead to blow-through.

Geoff

easy grind. thats the wire i was trying to remember. im going to try that for a rust repair on my boys ghia. do you think their is a difference? does it really grind easier?

30 is the smallest for the flux core.
One step from the bottom on power.
Bottom on amps.
Hold the handle back farther from the metal...its another way to regulate the heat...closer you are, hotter it gets...pull back almost an inch and you can weld very thin metal.

Rich

Thanks all!

Lennie got here today and we had an issue with the "upgrade" kit the guy sold him for the gas. It blew the solinoid as soon as the trigger was pressed. I guess he sold him the kit for the 125 instead of the 100!

Now we are on hold until we get the right parts! Lennie decided on purchasing both the .023 and the .031 for thicker pieces so we are set once we get the gas solinoid replaced!

Those solenoids have flow direction on them sometimes. The pressure helps them seat until energized, if backwards the pressure can pull them off the seat and leak out. Just something to check. And the voltage to the coil obviously.

The gas was not hooked up when it blew so even if the direction was wrong it shouldn't have been a problem.

We think the one that they sold him was for a welder that has a step down transformer to use 12v solinoids where the pak 100 uses a 120v solinoid!

I have some 120 solenoids if he cant get the right ones.

I will tell him!

I suppose so, but I never really did a side-by-side comparison. I bought it (on my second reel now) based on suggestions on this forum. I figured that other, more-skilled folks have endorsed it, so why not?

Geoff

Harbor freight has a regulator for CHEAP (under 30)

Ebay has solonoids for ~ 25.. but they tend to stick on (im using one now.. have to click the trigger to shut off the gas every once and a while)

Cutting back the nozzle makes all the difference in the world.

So i am over here at my buddys shop and he has a flux/gas set up but doesnt have the regulator has the hose and the tips but no reg.. Could he get one of those regs and bottles from harbor freight and start welding with gas mine was set for gas when i got it so i never had to convert it.. I know you have to switch the elect. Lines and wire.

Did you try backing the site up with a copper paddle? Works real well at absorbing the excess heat that causes the blow through. Commercially available, but I just use an 8" piece of 3/4" copper pipe pounded flat on the last 2". Just make sure to wear gloves and don't be grounded or you could get zinged.

You should buy the kit that includes the gas solinoid, wire, tip, regulator & hose! If you don't you will need to purchase the parts and put it together.

PS: the kit includes instructions

He is welding with gas his welder came with the kit but lost the reg. He can't belive how much smoother it welds with .25 and gas