

The temptation to push comes in because this creates a flatter weld appearance. Unless otherwise specified, you want a generally flat weld appearance. Any more than that and the throat of your weld (the distance from the joint to the surface of the weld) will start to be too convex.

But you also don’t want to drag too much.Īnywhere between 15°–30° is an okay angle to drag the gun.

Since there is flux and slag that results, you have to drag to prevent the slag from going underneath the weld. The preferred travel angle for FCAW is a slight drag. You also won’t get as much penetration into the joint. If you weld them with DC+, you will produce considerable spatter since the wire can’t take that amount of heat. However, some wires, especially those that are self-shielded, are intended to be used with DC- which means direct current electrode negative. This means that 2/3 of the heat in the arc will be directed toward the wire. When welding dual shield flux core (flux-cored wire with shielding gas), most wires are DC+, which is direct current electrode positive. Our 7 Tips & Tricks for Beginner Flux Core Welding 1. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Nevertheless, there will still be a little bit of a learning curve. While flux core is a more unorthodox way of learning to weld (stick welding is usually learned first), you can learn a great deal about the principles of welding. It’s a lot easier than starting to learn stick, for example. The equipment is pretty user-friendly, and you can strike an arc with the pull of a trigger. It’s not a bad choice, especially for those just starting out. So, you’ve decided to take up flux core welding. 0 Flux Core Welding for Beginners: 7 Tips & Tricks to Get You Started
