Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey guys and girls hope your having a great weekend. I own a Lincoln 350MP and I’m welding a 1 inch HSLA 80 steel plate to a excavator bucket. The guy that helps me some at my shop has been welding for 28 years. He wants to use Flux core while I want to use ER70S-6 pulse with 90/10 mix gas. Plus he also said I don’t need to bevel the plate which I KNOW better. So in this I want to know who is right? I prefer Pulse Mig he wants Flux.


Jeremy Council
Buckwild Fabrications
Lincoln 350MP
Lincoln square wave
Lincoln 210 MP
Lincoln 4800

There are many kinds of flux core wire. Which one specifically are you referring to?

I'm assuming he's referring to dual shield flux core. I've heard some criticism that running that in flat position is prone to getting slag trapped underneath. I've done some testing myself and I have seen it on occasion. Dual shield is awesome for out-of-position welds, like vert up and overhead. Personally, if it's mostly flat, I'd crank up the hardwire and spray it in. Pulse or even just straight spray transfer.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

Well today I was welding pulse 045 Er70s6 about 415 wire feed and 1.3 on the trim with a CFH of 35 90-10 and it was rolling in good there’s a couple vertical joints but nothing long gated. My problem is why do I keep getting black spot on the weld. I sprayed it with acetone then took the map gas torch over it after I wire wheeled it and sprayed it again and wiped it off. And some of the welds looks like potholes after welding I don’t get it. I know it’s clean


Jeremy Council
Buckwild Fabrications
Lincoln 350MP
Lincoln square wave
Lincoln 210 MP
Lincoln 4800

All respect, Buck, I side with your shop mate. FC that thing hot and deep. Hard to beat DCEN for penetration. I would bevel it though (+1 to you, +1 to him).

Yes spray transfer can be a great process too, but I would not opt for it on a used excavator bucket repair (material contamination is too likely).

I would say neither. A good metal core wire will put down more weld metal faster, and is plenty hot for penetration. As to the bevel are you winging this or is there a WPS you are following? Something like a Lincoln Metalshield 110 works on low alloy steel, has a low level of hydrogen diffusion similar to a 7018 welding rod, and in an 052 wire size your machine can put down about 12 lbs of weld an hour. Flux core would be my second choice. It's hotter than pulse MIG

Honestly either will work. The Dual shield might have better elongation properties, good for this application, but they both would have the same tensile strength, in theory. Don't over think it. Crank it up so to speak and weld it.
-Jonathan

You have got take extra steps to weld HSLA wire. HSLA can be prone to cracking and other weld defects. I don't think a standard ER70s-6 or E71T-1 wire is going to be the right choice when HSLA is involved. See this https://www.hobartbrothers.com/news/246 ... lding-High