Help - Extreme Nubie Flux Core

[Spike56]

Hi all, Could use some Very Basic advice. Purchased a Miller 142 (not even setup yet) and want to practice with Flux Core. Two things I am uncertain about:
1.) When you load the wire, I see mention on U-Tube the machine will go into "jog" mode to help feed the wire. Once the wire is out the tip, how best to adjust the drive-roll tension ? Guess when you do this, the wire is "hot" as you pull the trigger ? I have 030 Lincoln wire.
2.) For practice, I need to purchase some flat steel to run beads on. Any suggestions on thickness of metal or does this matter ?

I doubt seriously I will ever get gas for welding, just a hobby.

 

[ArlyA]

The wire will only hot when you actuate the trigger but not when you are jogging the wire out. Gee, I didn't realize they made flux core that small!

 

[JimRB]

https://www.millerwelds.com/files/owners-manuals/O291596A_MIL.pdf

 

[Tinhack]

According to the specs, you'll be able to weld up to 3/16" mild steel. Whoo-Hoo! I suggest you buy 1/8 mild steel to run beads on. Do not buy the zinc plated stuff or you'll make yourself sick.

Stop watching YouTube until after you've read the manual. Then you'll see what BS they have to say.

 

[BlueKnife]

Hi all, Could use some Very Basic advice. Purchased a Miller 142 (not even setup yet) and want to practice with Flux Core. Two things I am uncertain about:
1.) When you load the wire, I see mention on U-Tube the machine will go into "jog" mode to help feed the wire. Once the wire is out the tip, how best to adjust the drive-roll tension ? Guess when you do this, the wire is "hot" as you pull the trigger ? I have 030 Lincoln wire.
2.) For practice, I need to purchase some flat steel to run beads on. Any suggestions on thickness of metal or does this matter ?

I doubt seriously I will ever get gas for welding, just a hobby.

I've never heard of a flux core or mig machine that had a "non-hot" mode for feeding wire. Not sure why they would do that. So yes, it's probably hot when "jogging" (I've not heard that term either) the wire out. For drive roller pressure, refer to page 21 of the manual provided by @JimRB and and that (hopefully) came with your welder. For steel, purchase what you need for whatever project you'd like to do first, just get a bit extra. Obviously the first project should not be a highly critical part. Don't try to build a dump bed or a hitch to start with. Find some scrap steel to practice on. Old lawn mowers are often readily available for free.

 

[yomax4]

I think the wire is hot while on jog for loading wire. The idea is just super fast wire feed speed to hurry up the loading of the gun. Usually the jog stops just before the wire comes out so you often have to trigger again to finish. Often it's best to remove the contact tip prior to feeding through the gun. At least that's what I do.

 

[WranglerX]

Never heard of JOG, but then again I use a Hobart and that term is not in any instructions.... Wire is alway HOT when trigger pulled..... Wire feed tension setting should be in manual.... Without welders manual you are just spitting into the wind.....And be sure you have polarity correct for FCAW..... And for metal to weld on, for practice any CLEAN "scrap" that is not galvanized should do, after all you are just learning.....

Funny statement that you will probably "never use gas"... After dealing with sloppy FCAW I went to GAS/Solid Core Wire (GMAW) almost exclusively, think I still have introductory partial roll of FC in a bin somewhere....

See getting started video here in "RESOURCES" ...

Millermatic® 142 MIG Welder | MillerWelds

MIG and flux cored 120 V welder that welds from 24 gauge – 3/16 in. mild steel.

www.millerwelds.com

Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info

Down and Dirty Welding tips and tricks , No PhD's allowed

weldingtipsandtricks.com

Think you are just beginning on your learning curve....Be aware there is a lot of good on Youtube and there is a lot of BAD that should be ignored..... Best to learn from local person who has your best interest in mind.....

 

[California]

Notes for a newbie starting out, from a flux core 20 year amateur:

For flux core you need the type of drive wheel with 'teeth' in the groove (because the hollow wire is easily crushed with too much pressure), and the proper size wheel, the size is stamped on it.

Avoid the beginner mistake of too much clamp pressure at the feed wheel. From the owner's manual for another welder: You have enough clamp pressure if a 4" extension of wire will bend when you aim it down at a piece of wood. And from experience: any more clamp pressure than needed can distort the wire so it won't feed out of the contact tip.

Be careful when you unwrap the new spool of wire. It will want to unwind and make a birds nest. Get the wire installed with the spool brake rather tight, then loosen just to the point where the wire will sag a little when you let go of the trigger.

People who do pretty welds scorn flux core, its smoky while welding and flings tiny beads of metal near the welded bead so it requires more cleanup. But with experience, the quality of the weld is the same. It is widely used where you can't weld indoors with ideal conditions.

Lesson 2: Watch the puddle, not the arc.

Lesson 3: Practicing on scrap you will soon see that welding dirty metal causes uneven beads, with porosity and maybe skips. So grind to clean metal before welding. And bevel so that the weld goes into a V, where this is practical.

Lincoln wire is top quality but if you are buying small 4" spools it costs twice as much because there's only one lb on the spool, everyone else has 2 lb on that size spool.

I think you're going to enjoy learning welding.

 

[California]

I doubt seriously I will ever get gas for welding, just a hobby.

Flux core works for me. Mostly farm repairs and occasional fabrication. Strength is important, appearance less so.

 

[California]

Purchased a Miller 142 (not even setup yet)

I just looked on Amazon. $1,150.

For a 50 lb 110v MIG welder.

That's over 10x more than the cheapest equivalent.

Did you win the lottery? That's real top quality pro grade equipment, while for just amateur puttering around I think something similar on Amazon around $200 will do flux core nearly as well. And weigh under 20 lbs. And have dual-voltage to get the maximum out of it.

I wish I were rich like that!

 

[WranglerX]

I just looked on Amazon. $1,150.

For a 50 lb 110v MIG welder.

That's over 10x more than the cheapest equivalent.

Did you win the lottery? That's real top quality pro grade equipment, while for just amateur puttering around I think something similar on Amazon around $200 will do flux core nearly as well. And weigh under 20 lbs. And have dual-voltage to get the maximum out of it.

I wish I were rich like that!

As for dual voltage I think in concept something like the Hobart Handler 210MPV is a really good option for home and small farm and comes in at about the price of the Miller 142.... If I had as good foresight as my hindsight I would have gotten a dual voltage machine, but when I was looking around who would have thought there would be instances where I needed a bigger machine.... Seems welding mid range on 240 volt machine is better than at top end of a 120 volt machine... Since I am a Hobart fan I wish they would come out with a inverter version of the 210MVP...

 

[etpm]

I have a couple 120 volt Lincoln MIG welders. They are both easily 30 years old and still work like new. Lincoln makes good machines. For practice if I was you I would buy some 1/8 and 3/16 material just start laying down beads. You will notice as the metal heats up it starts to weld differently. But before you try to weld anything that matters just start laying beads. Watch Welding Tips and Tricks on YouTube and compare your beads to what is shown on YouTube. It doesn't matter if your practice material is a little rusty, you are just laying down beads to get comfortable and learn how to make good beads. Weld a lot, burn 5 pounds of wire. And more. Get confident and add to your skill set. After you think you can weld flat then try fillet welds. Then, when you think you are making good welds try to break them. MIG welding is the easiest type of welding to make what you think you are good welds because they look good but the weld really has lousy penetration. So make fillet welds and try to bend and break them. MIG welding is easy but like anything it takes practice so don't think you are going to make strong welds right away. Since MIG welding is so much fun it should be no problem to practice a lot. As a side note, some folks, me included, use MIG welding as a generic term, whether it is flux core, which uses no gas, or actual MIG welding which does use gas. I should really say wire feed welding which encompasses flux core, gas shielded, and dual shield which is a flux cored wire that must also be used with shielding gas. Just to be more pedantic, MIG, Metal Inert Gas, is an obsolete term.The welding you will be doing is called FCAW, which stands for Flux Core Arc Welding. MIG is now called Gas Metal Arc Welding, or GMAW. And GMAW is actually more accurate because not all gasses used for shielding wire feed processes are inert. CO2 is an example. It is called an active gas because it participates in the welding process, it doesn't provide just shielding.
Eric

 

[FullMetalBucket]

Grats on your new welder. I bought a hobby welder during Covid. Had not welded since shop class in high school and that was stick. I got the Century FC90 inverter welder which is an off brand of Lincoln. I chose FCAW because I weld outside and it’s more tolerable than MiG with wind. The beads may not be as pretty as MIg, but they’re not terrible by any means. It’s a great way to get into welding without having to buy gas. I found some old bed frames in the attic and turned them into little work tables. Good luck !

 

[5030]

decades ago, I started out with O/A and coat hangers for welding rod.

O/A is a good lead up primer for TIG which is my now favorite process.

Still have a soft spot for a glue gun however and own 2 Hobart transformer machines that just keep on ticking. Both run shielding gas.

You can do light years more with TIG, but it's a slow process and takes a lot of skill and time to master.

One thing about TIG and that is, if it conducts electricity and you have the correct filler rod and shielding gas, you can weld just about anything metal.

Just TIG welded a cracked magnesium chainsaw case the other day.

 

[Spike56]

Thanks to all for the comments. To California: I am sure I could have purchased a much cheaper welder ! But, we have a local dealer who I know and it was a retirement gift to myself.
I *believe* the manual says JOG mode is 3 seconds without the machine detecting contact to weld. Shuts off the gas and goes cold.... I think
Again thanks to all. Now just need some time to set things up and try out.

 

[Spike56]

https://www.millerwelds.com/files/owners-manuals/O291596A_MIL.pdf

Thanks for the link ! Was looking online for the manual to print. Of course I have one, but like to print a copy for the shop and keep the good one in the file cabinet.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Still a flux wire newbie of 6 years. I use blue devil brand, and they make a single pass wire and multiple pass wire. I was using single pass for multi pass. When I discovered that, I changed. Didn't make me a better welder, but looks better.

 

[5030]

In my way of thinking, cheap and good welders are not synonymous with each other at all. You get what you pay for and cheap Chinese machines are poorly built, have poor duty cycles and are prone to inaccurate controls and their torch heads are also poorly made. I'd never buy a new Hobart anything... all made in China now.

 

[BlueKnife]

In my way of thinking, cheap and good welders are not synonymous with each other at all. You get what you pay for and cheap Chinese machines are poorly built, have poor duty cycles and are prone to inaccurate controls and their torch heads are also poorly made. I'd never buy a new Hobart anything... all made in China now.

I agree that you get what you pay for with welders, generally speaking. My newest Lincoln machine is made in Mexico. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any welders that are made in the US any more.

 

[5030]

I believe Lincoln Electric in Euclid, Ohio still assembles larger commercial units there using parts and components sourced 'worldwide' of course. I know they do still draw their wire there and produce SMAW electrodes as well.