Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down to
a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking was
that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that flux
cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find any on
Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused I saw
some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

--





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Just so you'll understand......

.....if you're buying a flux-core welder, you are NOT buying a MIG.......

The "G" in MIG stands for "gas"........



Gene T wrote in article
...
Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down
to
a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking
was
that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that flux
cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find any
on
Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused I saw

some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

--





This message has been scanned by Norton Anti-virus software

On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 04:01:39 GMT, "Gene T"
wrote:

Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down to
a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking was
that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that flux
cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find any on
Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused I saw
some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene


The above string of text looks like a bunch of phrases from Lincoln's
web site that were cut and pasted into a paragraph without
understanding what they mean. You ought to take an introductory
welding course at your local collage before you run out to purchase
any equipment.

--Ask again over at sci.engr.joining.welding and you'll get better
advice..

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Better an early adapter
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : than an early adopter..
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

There is such a thing as dual shield wire. It is a flux core wire that
requires a gas shield. The flux in the core works to produce a specific
chemistry in the admixture and provide a shielding effect as it burns off,
while the gas shielding prevents contamination to the weld puddle. There is
such a thing as flux core wire for stainless steel. A simple google search
will lead you to the myriad of companies that manufacture it.

I would recommend learning quite a bit more by purchasing some of the books
from the Lincoln Electric welding school and reading quite a bit more before
your purchase a machine. Try hanging around a welding shop, learn from the
old timers. Someome might teach you some basics. Then start thinking about
proper training. Lincoln Welding School, Hobart, Catepillar all have welding
schools.

Or you can be like the thousand of other people that watch Monster Garage,
go to Home Depot and buy a Weld-Pak 100, realize it's not as easy as Jesse
makes it look, they can't find any steel to build anything with, figure out
they don't like sparks and sell the machine on eBay in a year or two.

Most of the welders I know have spent thousands of dollars learning their
craft, months and years in training and work tirelessly to improve their
craft everyday.

Sorry if this seems like a rant, but I own a fabrication shop and answer
these same questions everyday from people that come in, waste 15 mins of my
time at a clip, get angry when I tell them that I won't set their WeldPak
100 up for use and teach them how to weld for nothing and that welding
lessons cost $50/hr, which is quite a bit cheaper that I paid at welding
school for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 months.

There is an infinite amount of information on the Internet, in librarys and
in schools. Read. Learn. Expend some personal effort. Please don't come here
and ask the same question that 1,000,000 other people ask. "Which MIG
machine should I buy?" Try searching the Usenet Groups archive and reading
the 100,000,000 answers to that same question. Too many people expect to be
spoon fed information.

Come here and ask which is better, a vertical up weave on a cover pass on a
1" bevel cut butt joint or a triangle vertical up. I'll be happy to have a
thorough and polite discussion of both techniques.


"Gene T" wrote in message
news
Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down
to a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking
was that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that
flux cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find
any on Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused
I saw some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the
gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

--





This message has been scanned by Norton Anti-virus software

Steamer,
Thanks for pointing me in the reight direction. I didn't realize that group
existed.
Gene
"Gene T" wrote in message
news
Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down
to a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking
was that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that
flux cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find
any on Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused
I saw some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the
gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

--





This message has been scanned by Norton Anti-virus software

James,
You made a lot of good points, however I'm not planning on opening a
fabrication shop nor have the desire to become a certified welder. In the
past I have taken classes on oxy-acetylene and arc welding but not wire feed
welding. I have been to two local welding suppliers and asked questions and
even tried out a Miller welder. I have purchased 2 books and a CD-rom on
welding and would like to take an adult ed class but I work two jobs so it's
kind of hard to schedule.

I would not have the gall to "hang out" at a shop and bother people while
they are trying to earn a living and especially wouldn't take my welder to
have you set it up for me. It seems this group is only for professionals so
I guess I don't belong here. I'm just a regular joe wanting to do a few
metal projects around the house. Please pardon my intrusion.
Gene
"Gene T" wrote in message
news
Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down
to a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking
was that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that
flux cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find
any on Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused
I saw some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the
gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

--





This message has been scanned by Norton Anti-virus software

Hello, Gene.
This newsgroup's name starts with "rec" which I think stands for
"recreational". Must be that some guys have a bad day from time to
time and need someone to talk down to. Don't blame the whole group.
And don't stop asking the questions.

Pete Stanaitis
------------------


Gene T wrote:

James,
You made a lot of good points, however I'm not planning on opening a
fabrication shop nor have the desire to become a certified welder. In the
past I have taken classes on oxy-acetylene and arc welding but not wire feed
welding. I have been to two local welding suppliers and asked questions and
even tried out a Miller welder. I have purchased 2 books and a CD-rom on
welding and would like to take an adult ed class but I work two jobs so it's
kind of hard to schedule.

I would not have the gall to "hang out" at a shop and bother people while
they are trying to earn a living and especially wouldn't take my welder to
have you set it up for me. It seems this group is only for professionals so
I guess I don't belong here. I'm just a regular joe wanting to do a few
metal projects around the house. Please pardon my intrusion.
Gene
"Gene T" wrote in message
news
Hello all, I have been considering getting a MIG welder for the last few
years for simple projects and repairs. I thought I had narrowed it down
to a cheap flux cored one because I have to work outdoors and my thinking
was that any shielding gas might get blown away. However it seems that
flux cored wire for stainless is not available or at least I couldn't find
any on Lincoln's website. Is this correct? Then to make me more confused
I saw some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the
gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

--





This message has been scanned by Norton Anti-virus software

Gene T wrote:
James,
You made a lot of good points, however I'm not planning on opening a
fabrication shop nor have the desire to become a certified welder. In the
past I have taken classes on oxy-acetylene and arc welding but not wire feed
welding. I have been to two local welding suppliers and asked questions and
even tried out a Miller welder. I have purchased 2 books and a CD-rom on
welding and would like to take an adult ed class but I work two jobs so it's
kind of hard to schedule.

Then to make me more confused
I saw some gas shielded- flux cored wire. Can this be used without the
gas?
Thanks for your help,
Gene

Since you have taken courses on Arc and Oxy-acet welding, I don't think
you need a course on wire feed welding. I bought a wire feed welder
and used it to build a trailer without ever taking a course on how to
use it.

The dual shield wire is great stuff for most welding. Just enough flux
in the wire that the metal can be less than perfectly clean. The dual
shield that I have been using lets me use spray mode with pure CO2 gas.
It does need gas to weld. I have forgotten to turn the gas on and it
is obvious that something is wrong.

Dan

On Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:11:17 GMT, "Gene T"
wrote:

James,
You made a lot of good points, however I'm not planning on opening a
fabrication shop nor have the desire to become a certified welder. In the
past I have taken classes on oxy-acetylene and arc welding but not wire feed
welding. I have been to two local welding suppliers and asked questions and
even tried out a Miller welder. I have purchased 2 books and a CD-rom on
welding and would like to take an adult ed class but I work two jobs so it's
kind of hard to schedule.

I would not have the gall to "hang out" at a shop and bother people while
they are trying to earn a living and especially wouldn't take my welder to
have you set it up for me. It seems this group is only for professionals so
I guess I don't belong here. I'm just a regular joe wanting to do a few
metal projects around the house. Please pardon my intrusion.
Gene

I think a lot of us are not professional welders. Perhaps it would
be best if those who consider a question as unworthy of their high
level of skill should just not bother to respond. I do get
impatient with guys who are just too lazy to do their own homework,
but you clearly are trying to find and peruse all of the resources you
can.

It is not difficult to learn to use a MIG machine acceptably, if not
certifiably or professionally well. A course would be a good way
to do it, but it really isn't imperative. I've never had a welding
course in my life. I'm sure my welding would not meet professional
standards, but I'm able to make pretty much whatever I want with MIG,
TIG and/or O/A. Pros routinely make difficult or critical welds
that we would never attempt and don't need to do. I was never able
to do decent vertical or overhead welding with stick. Didn't have to.
I just rearranged the workpiece. Vertical and overhead with MIG is
much easier; I do that routinely now. A pro can probably weld .015"
aluminum with TIG. I can't. So I do it with O/A because that works
for me. .

The little 110-volt MIG boxes are OK for thin metal up to 1/8". a
220-volt machine is better if you want to go up to 5/16" or 3/8". They
can also still do the thinner stuff, though for autobody I really like
the little Lincoln SP125.

I would encourage you to stay with name brands like Lincoln, Miller or
Hobart, used or new. I once had a small import MIG from Harbor
Freight. Then I tried the SP-125 at a welding store. World of
difference! Being a self-taught amateur, I couldn't tell where I
was limited by the machine rather than my own skill deficiencies. I
was able to make much better welds immediately with the Lincoln.

Miller's paperback book on MIG is quite informative and inexpensive.
Read the book, then start welding. Then read the book again. Repeat
as necessary. Welding is learned in the shop, not in the study nor in
front of a 'puter screen. The more you do the better you get, if
you're paying attention. There is no substitute for practice. A
course provides a good venue for scheduled practice with some
coaching, but you can also do it yourself as time permits.

Gene ,this is a place for everyone . Don't let it get to you I
have
been welding for 30 yrs on and off . forget the flux core if its
flux
core wire ,and runs through a MIG use gas .. thoses cheap 115 volt
mig junk boxes are not worth the money ,you can get small gas
bottles.
As for learning get some scrap set your speed and temp, kepp
practicing This message has been scanned by Norton Anti-virus
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