flux core (returned)

[nicky]

Hi guys. I started with a free $80.00 flux core welder too. It belonged to my son in law. Well when I started working on my 56 Studebaker I found it wouldn't weld thin metal like body steel. I too bought the Hobart 140 and love it. It came with flux core wire but had all the gas equipment with it. I bought a roll of the thinest wire for the machine and a bottle of gas. It took a bit of getting used to. Played with a couple of pieces of tin on the bench and seemed to get the hang of it. The first floor pan I made was for the drivers feet. The worst spot to try to weld, under the dash and under the steering column. I did not clean the old floor first and struggled quite a bit to keep the weld going/and keep from burning through. We slowly got the hang of it although that first weld did leave a lot to be desired. Did a lot of grinding. Once I had the body off the frame and onto the rotisserie I sand blasted the bottom and re-welded it from the bottom. What a difference it makes when the metal is spotless. You can see that weld below and in the thread for the 56 Studebaker restoration. So that was a lesson hard learned. So besides the right settings a spotless metal is just as important. That Hobart is a nice machine.
For heavy metals I still use my old Lincoln stick welder the most. You can weld through rust and all kinds of junk with 6013.
Nick