Welding Tips and Tricks

I have a Century 125 MIG welder. The recommended thickness of flux core wire is .030". Recently I received a box of .035" flux core wire for free and I was interested in running it in this welder. I have .035" contact tips for it. I am guessing I would have to turn up the power a little bit and turn down the wire speed somewhat. Could I hurt the machine at all? Has anyone done this before? Any thoughts on performance?

you'll need to get a new drive roller, or, if your machine has a dual-groove roller, flip your roller over. performance wise, it will weld a little hotter with .035" and put out a bit more metal. not quite as big a difference in flux core vs solid steel w/ gas in my experience, but there is some difference.

I have a similar issue... thought I'd reply here instead of starting a new topic... I have a Lincoln SP135 Plus... been using flux core .035 for the last several years as I only weld mostly 8th inch or thicker material... but cleaning the spatter and flux off the welds is a major bitch... just purchased some .035 solid wire and, for the hell of it, ran it in my machine, although there is no set-up for this wire on the machine, I still got it to work... the welds seem decent, though they are hot... and I'm running the voltage almost off the dial (turn it up to 11!!!)... I tried 1/4 inch and 3/16 inch mild steel, beat the crap out of them with a 48oz ball peen, and the welds were pristine (bent the metal, not the welds)... so I'm sure penetration is not an issue... I'm wondering if this gauge wire will over-load my machine or cause any damage... I'm thinking about going to straight CO2 and ditching the Argon/CO2 mix since I usually only weld thicker material... what does the peanut gallery have to say about this? any advise would be appreciated... thanks!!!

Ace

Just a couple of comments...

125 amps is a little light weight for running .035 flux core. I have hit the duty cycle limit (time out to cool down) on my Hobart HH180 running .035 flux core. I suspect that your welder also has an over heat protection feature so you probably will not risk damaging the machine. Have a look at the manual.

And as for running .035 solid... You did change the polarity when switching from flux core I trust. Solid wire requires DCEP or "reverse" polarity where the wire is connected to the positive side of the welder. Most flux core wire uses DCEN or "straight" polarity where the wire is connected to the negative side of the welder. If you try welding with the wrong polarity - well it just doesn't work.

Again, 135 amps is a little light weight for .035 wire. You might get better results with .030. CO2 is a better choice if you are pushing the limits of the machine. It will give better penetration than CO2/Argon all other things being equal.

If you must

usually only weld thicker material

I would recommend sticking to flux core. There may be some cleanup involved but it is easier to make a strong weld with flux core than to make a strong weld with solid wire when you are operating at the limits of your machine.

Ken

In my opinion I wouldn't run the .035 flux core in your machine. It would be pushing it to the limit for any extended welding and the heat would not be constant when it is nearing the end of the duty cycle. Why push it just to save a couple bucks. Use the lightest flux core when needed or better yet use .023/.025 solid with 75/25 or 80/20 and you will have a nice smooth running machine and a good looking weld that won't aggravate you as you weld. You will also be able to run longer welds by not topping out your duty cycle so quickly. Ed K.

I got mine working again...I have the same welder as yours...but mine jams up when I use .035