WELDERS....what does it take to weld a MT family kit?

[Pierps]

Flux core is messy and it's harder to get a pretty weld. But I really don't see the problem with it, especially when the primary concern is penetration (advantage: flux core).

Flux core would be a harder to use on body work, where the primary concerns are burn through and aesthetics.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

we are speaking of 1/8 wall, which any cheap 110 will burn through. Maybe im spoiled with my Millermatic 350 w/Pulse. I speak to use the 90/10 mix gas because the following reasons:

1) Wall thickness is so light, penetration will never be an issue, so the strength is covered.
2) Clean up (weld splatter) will be close to nothing so loss of time is covered.
3) You will never need to grind down a weld to look good thus removing strength.
4) You show me a flux weld that holds and looks better than my gas weld and i'll buy breakfast for a week.

i wish you good fortune whichever road you choose. (get the gas)

 

[Weber Sarge]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with flux core welds , in fact we use them in the pipeline industry and on building sites on a regular basis . Flux core only creates a bit more clean up , if you want perfectly clean welds use a TIG - bring it up here and I'll use my Dynasty for free.....it's a bit of a drive .

That is another consideration : you could buy a decent ac/dc power unit for stick welding , gas powered or otherwise and later add one of the suitcase style mig attachments and either use flux core or hook up a gas cylinder (I prefer "gold"mix ) and run shielding gas . Once you have a good well-built 220v or gas powered base unit you can add other options later like the suitcase or even a spool gun/argon tank and weld aluminum . It's just a smart move to keep options open later instead of buying multiple machines or having to start over .

This thread has had almost 3k views , this cage should have been well done by now....

Sarge

 

[chicago]

I use nothing but flux core and do prefer it over gas.
The only disadvantage to flux core is the slag build up and spatter.
Aside from that, for me, no tanks and re fills to deal with is nice and you do still have to wire wheel a gas weld...

 

[duffontap]

You show me a flux weld that holds and looks better than my gas weld and i'll buy breakfast for a week.

i wish you good fortune whichever road you choose. (get the gas)

The quality of your work speaks for itself.

I'm actually set up gas welding, sans the bottle. I have a decent old Napa 135, 110v welder I grabbed off CL for $80, a regulator, 10lbs. of wire, and all the other consumables. When I went in to buy into the bottle exchange before my tub rebuild, I got sticker shock ($230ish for a 120cf I think) and bailed. The shop went out of business a couple months later. I ended up doing all my sheet metal welds with flux core and it worked fine (16 gauge steel is pretty easy to weld--it's not that thin). I would love to get a bottle and be able to do both, and someday I'm sure I will. At this point, I'm super happy to be welding at my current level of investment. It's one of the most useful things I've ever learned--it's almost hard to remember life before welding.

 

[Anvil]

we are speaking of 1/8 wall, which any cheap 110 will burn through. Maybe im spoiled with my Millermatic 350 w/Pulse. I speak to use the 90/10 mix gas because the following reasons:

1) Wall thickness is so light, penetration will never be an issue, so the strength is covered.
2) Clean up (weld splatter) will be close to nothing so loss of time is covered.
3) You will never need to grind down a weld to look good thus removing strength.
4) You show me a flux weld that holds and looks better than my gas weld and i'll buy breakfast for a week.

i wish you good fortune whichever road you choose. (get the gas)

X2 what burnttoast said! The ONLY advantage of flux core is in an uncontrolled environment (as in wind) . In a controlled environment, without question, gas is superior.

Of course there is one other (and cheap) option... You could always rent an oxygen/ acetylene rig, buy a brazing tip, and steal a few coat hangers from the wife for filler material! And once your done with the roll cage you could repair your muffler! A win win solution...

 

[TLC76]

One other cage welding consideration, don't weld anywhere near your windshield without protecting it. I would never do that but a friend did ...

There's lot's of talk about getting nuclear certified welders to do your cage, but anyone here have any first hand experience of failed welds on cages from rolls? Since my truck rarely rolls sitting in my driveway all the time I can't offer any data.