Budget Welder for Exhaust?

[Markfothebeast]

About a year ago I picked up a Lincoln Weld Pack 120v flux core welder. I had never even touched a welder before that. I read and watched many different tutorials to learn about welding. Every one and their brother around my part of the woods has claimed to be the best welder around. Yet, nobody could give me a 5 minute lesson with their legendary welding skill.

I've been using the Lincoln 120v MIG wire feed flux core unit for about a year now on various projects. I seem to have better luck welding thicker steel.

The wire on this unit is like a thin pencil tip and immediately burns through exhaust piping. I can get a good tack weld on it but not a consistent bead. I'd like to purchase another style of welder that lays down a thicker bead.

Is a TIG welder with the rod/stick a better candidate? My neighbor borrowed me this tiny portable unit but I'm not quite sure how it operates without gas. Flux rods maybe? He said that he had welded stainless with it. I don't quite understand. But I see these stick welders at big box stores for cheaper prices than my wire feed. What are the advantages to these "stick welders"?

 

[GTA Matt]

Ditch the Flux core, get a gas machine. My shop has been welding exhausts for 25 years, we just have a Lincoln 145 with .024 wire. That's all you need for basic exhaust work. You definitely don't want a stick welder for doing exhaust and tig is better suited to building high end stainless systems where you have the luxury of building it on a bench or an open chassis.

 

[rsanter]

Welding on thicker material is always easier, but that does not mean you are getting a good weld. It's just easier to avoid burn through.

How rusted and thin is the exhaust tubing? Not all old metal can be welded, some is too far gone.

You say you can get a good tack, but you burn through when welding?
How long is that tack? You can weld an exhaust pipe with a series of tacks that will be from 1/2" to 1" long. You do this to prevent overheating the thin tubing. The overheating leads to burn though as you have experienced.

Advice. Get you hands on some old metal. Crash damaged fenders, old exhaust pipe, etc and use it to practice on.
The skil of welding is based on two primary things. The feel or knowing how the metal will react, and practice. Doing the second one will help,you learn the first one

Bob

 

[Markfothebeast]

Not sure on the gauge that the exhaust piping is but it is brand new - no rust. I'm just not that experienced of a welder. I can't really get more than an 1/8" tack before it burns through. I have to stop and start to let it cool and fill in the burn through. It could take hours. Especially when crawling underneath in sub zero temps.

I read that gas wire feeds are easier to work with and don't burn through as easily.

I planned on upgrading to a gas unit eventually. But my immediate need for a welder isn't as important as finishing our home remodel at the moment.

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[Superbec]

flux core is a pain mostly

the machine in the picture looks like stick /electrode/ smaw machine, it will weld stainless with the proper electrode, it will weld exhaust tubing also but not at your skill level.

there's so much information on the internet ... you just need to do some research first, at least learn the common welding processes names.

without knoledge you can purchase any machine outhere you'll still have the same luck.

 

[fergus]

Turn the amperage down, and the wire speed up until you can lay down a bead without burn through. Also, you'll have to change your travel speed - you probably need to move the torch faster on thin wall stuff. Flux core does ****, but it can be made to work...with enough technique.

 

[Showkey]

New ........aluminized exhaust pipe can also be tough to weld. The pipe coating of all kinds can be an issue.

 

[vettex2]

is the wire you are using compatible with the metal you are trying to weld?
flux core is not really made to weld thin metals either

 

[dogdog]

This is what I find when I was learning and doing my own exhaust after a few fun re-do-s.

Learn how to stitch weld, I think that is what it is called.... with your fluxcore welder... Basically it's just a lot of series of tack welds overlap each other a quarter of the tube at a time alternate opposite. Use the smallest gauge flux core wire you can buy, which is .030 for flux core common availability.... Flux core have more splatters.... so make your common sense safety judgements..and know your heat setting and wire speeds.

AND GOOGLE "MIG LIKE TIG"

Mig wires that uses gas smallest is .024 better for thinner metals, but uses gas


as far as if tig is better, not really, it burns through as well if you are not careful or familiar with the welder you are using, and it is very difficult to tig if you try to **** weld a gap larger than 1/16"

I usually flux core stitch weld first then run over with the tig if it looked ugly.... because with the tig welder it is very sensitive to fit ups... and clean metal..

The pic you shown look like a relabel of that Cheap 80AMP HF tig/stick welder or both relabel of something else. I think they used to sell this with a manual tig torch....

http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-dc-120-volt-inverter-stick-welder-61749.html

Requires a Manual Gas torch and Argon gas/regulator if you want to do DC tig with it.... I think I saw a few youtube videos of that.... otherwise it's just another cheap inverter stick welder.....


You can google that youtube video of people using it as tig welder and manual tig torch....

 

[MoonRise]

FCAW (Flux Core Arc Welding) is a decent welding process, but it is generally NOT the first choice welding process for welding on 'thin' sheet metal thickness items.

Like exhaust piping/tubing.

GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) aka MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding is generally a 'better' process for welding on 'thin' sheet metal things.

For now, don't worry/bother/etc with TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) aka GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding). You'd need a different (generally more $$$$ too) machine to use GTAW.

SMAW (Shielding Metal Arc Welding) aka 'stick' welding. A generally versatile welding process, but again not usually the go-to for welding on thin metal.

Oh, and FCAW is sort of SMAW turned inside-out. SMAW (aka stick welding) has a metal rod coated with some flux 'goop' that burns in the welding arc and makes a small 'cloud' of smoke (among other things) that blocks the molten metal from the air. FCAW wire is a hollow tube of metal with the flux 'goop' inside the metal tube, where the burning 'goop' makes a small 'cloud' (among other things) that blocks the molten metal from the air.

The WeldPak machine is probably 'best' for welding on about 12 gauge or 1/8" thick steel. Thinner than that and it is very easy to blow right through, thicker than that and you might not have enough energy/power in the arc to adequately melt into what you are trying to weld. YMMV a little bit there.

Use that machine within its 'limits' and it is just fine. Try to go outside those 'limits' and you will have difficulty (to varying degrees).

GMAW (solid wire electrode with gas shielding, preferably C25 gas) is generally the go-to for welding sheet metal type things.

Not counting 'critical' places like NASA or NHRA or food/dairy/pharmaceutical/ etc industries, where more often GTAW is king there (for the possible additional control that a skilled welder has with the ability to adjust the arc amperage on-the-fly during the weld). But GTAW is generally a slower process and usually takes a little more skill and practice to be 'good' than GMAW.

Practice some more.

Hmm, Lincoln WeldPak with some 0.035 inch diameter Lincoln NR211-MP wire? Practice on some 1/8" steel. Watch the puddle of molten metal and how the arc melts not just the wire being feed into the arc but also the base metal that you are welding on (if the base metal isn't melting, you are not welding but are just squirting the molten wire on top of your base metal).

Practice some more. And than practice some more.

 

[Tim37]

Weldingtipsandtricks.com watch his videos Jody knows his stuff
Gas MIG is the easiest thing to learn but if you learn tig and stick also you will be able to weld anything

 

[Ign]

As said, flux core + thin = bad.

Go solid wire w gas shielding (MIG) and clean the material well before welding. Low voltage and corresponding relatively low wire speed

 

[454ragtop]

Can you convert your current welder to gas shielded, or is it flux core only? If flux core only, can probably find a small mig on CL setup for gas.

 

[Markfothebeast]

"The WeldPak machine is probably 'best' for welding on about 12 gauge or 1/8" thick steel. Thinner than that and it is very easy to blow right through, thicker than that and you might not have enough energy/power in the arc to adequately melt into what you are trying to weld. "

"Hmm, Lincoln WeldPak with some 0.035 inch diameter Lincoln NR211-MP wire? Practice on some 1/8" steel."
[emoji481]

My first assumption when I bought the entry level Weld Pak was that it was best for thin metal. But what you mentioned about it burning through is absolutely true. I can make a perfect weld all day long on 12g steel. It is awesome on thicker steel. It's butter smooth. But anything real thin, even on the lowest output settings still burns through.

I had someone that has been welding for quite some time attempt to use it. He gave up real quick. His weld looked far worse than mine. I think this welder is much more difficult to use than first thought.

My buddies that started out welding with expensive gas units try to explain to me how to use my flux core without ever having used this particular one (or any flux core). I like to hear input from those who have tried the Weld Pak. It sounds like a "no-go" with exhaust piping. I'm sure it is aluminized also.

 

[Markfothebeast]

Can you convert your current welder to gas shielded, or is it flux core only? If flux core only, can probably find a small mig on CL setup for gas.

There is a conversion kit. It's a bit pricey. I'm quite a barterer and I always find a deal so I'll keep watching for a decent 240v/gas unit. I need to find something that suits my needs and preferably welds most metals.

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[Markfothebeast]

Is the Lincoln AC225 welder a good unit? I seem to run in to them frequently for around $200 used.

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[454ragtop]

Is the Lincoln AC225 welder a good unit? I seem to run in to them frequently for around $200 used.

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Not for exhaust, or sheetmetal it isn't.

 

[ed_v]

Get yourself a Hobart Handler 190 or used 187 if you have 220v available. Great welder for the money and will serve you well for many purposes.

As others said, skip the stick welder and get a gas mig. Practice a lot on scrap.

Ed

 

[ed_v]

btw,

the wall thickness on exhaust tubing is somewhere around a 16 gauge (possibly 18) as I recall. You should be able to weld it just fine with a lincoln 120v machine. It needs gas and I would recommend about a .030 wire

 

[Superbec]

FCAW (Flux Core Arc Welding) is a decent welding process, but it is generally NOT the first choice welding process for welding on 'thin' sheet metal thickness items.

Like exhaust piping/tubing.

GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) aka MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding is generally a 'better' process for welding on 'thin' sheet metal things.

For now, don't worry/bother/etc with TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) aka GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding). You'd need a different (generally more $$$$ too) machine to use GTAW.

SMAW (Shielding Metal Arc Welding) aka 'stick' welding. A generally versatile welding process, but again not usually the go-to for welding on thin metal.

Oh, and FCAW is sort of SMAW turned inside-out. SMAW (aka stick welding) has a metal rod coated with some flux 'goop' that burns in the welding arc and makes a small 'cloud' of smoke (among other things) that blocks the molten metal from the air. FCAW wire is a hollow tube of metal with the flux 'goop' inside the metal tube, where the burning 'goop' makes a small 'cloud' (among other things) that blocks the molten metal from the air.

The WeldPak machine is probably 'best' for welding on about 12 gauge or 1/8" thick steel. Thinner than that and it is very easy to blow right through, thicker than that and you might not have enough energy/power in the arc to adequately melt into what you are trying to weld. YMMV a little bit there.

Use that machine within its 'limits' and it is just fine. Try to go outside those 'limits' and you will have difficulty (to varying degrees).

GMAW (solid wire electrode with gas shielding, preferably C25 gas) is generally the go-to for welding sheet metal type things.

Not counting 'critical' places like NASA or NHRA or food/dairy/pharmaceutical/ etc industries, where more often GTAW is king there (for the possible additional control that a skilled welder has with the ability to adjust the arc amperage on-the-fly during the weld). But GTAW is generally a slower process and usually takes a little more skill and practice to be 'good' than GMAW.

Practice some more.

Hmm, Lincoln WeldPak with some 0.035 inch diameter Lincoln NR211-MP wire? Practice on some 1/8" steel. Watch the puddle of molten metal and how the arc melts not just the wire being feed into the arc but also the base metal that you are welding on (if the base metal isn't melting, you are not welding but are just squirting the molten wire on top of your base metal).

Practice some more. And than practice some more.

see what happens when you give all the info?
they don't read it !

Is the Lincoln AC225 welder a good unit? I seem to run in to them frequently for around $200 used.

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it's a good machine to have around