Apparently, welding seems to be a powerful process that is used to join material. However, there are many types of welder out there of which some are good for joining thin metals while others are exclusively experts in joining thick metals. Today, we will especially learn about how to use a flux welder as a beginner and what are its precautionary measure will help you
How to Use a Flux Core Welder
As a beginner, it is recommended to use a flux welder with utmost safety measures and under supervision for obvious reasons. Mainly flux core welder is a dedicated gear that targets the thick metals for welding. Unlike core soldering, it is ideal for the commercial application of welding. Flux core welder aka flux core arc welder (FCAW) basically uses tubular wire that is filled with flux.
Gather the Prerequisite
For its process and welding approach, you need to gather all the essential tools as assistive things along with the flux welder such as:
- Safety Glass
- Welding Mask
- Gloves
- Leather Jacket
- Ear Protection
- Pliers
- Chipping Hammer
- Wire Brush
- Grinder with cutting/grinding/wire wheels
- Clamps
- Magnets
- Tape Measure/Metal Ruler
- Fume Extractor
Get the Metal Well-Cleaned
The next step for using flux core welding is to thoroughly and nicely clean the equipment that you are about to weld. You have the privilege to use the metal as it is but cleaning it will bring you the strongest and pretty reliable result. For cleaning metal/workpieces, use the wire brush, or a grinder along with the wire wheel. Carefully pay heed to the cleanliness of the rust as it adds to the welding later on. If you use the grinder for metal cleaning, you need to be assured of the fact that the metal is grinding- secure and not damaged.
Cut it accordingly
After that, cut the metal that you have just cleaned by the precise length. Cutting the metal is the real drill and if you are not experienced, take help from the expert welder in that matter. For utmost accuracy soapstone or a sharpie is used along with the straight edge.
Set Up Your Work Piece
Arranging and setting up the flux welder is the next important step to smooth tack-weld. Use the 90-degree angled magnet to ensure the container remains well-shaped and not into a trapezoid. Also in setting up the workpiece should be secured in position as the else material can cause the poor weld later on.
Adjust the Welder Settings
Now turn on the welder and set its settings. If the sheet metal is thin as about (approx. 1/16) use the low1 setting with the 7 wire speed. However, for thick metal, you can increase the voltage as well as wire speed.
Tack-weld the Metal
Before you actually weld the workpiece, tack-weld is an important step of the flux welder. So after setting up the flux core welder tack-weld each corner of the material works piece together nicely and securely. Make sure to well-blend the sides of metal while you tack-weld. This is especially important for durable and strong welding by using a flux core welder.
Conclusion
So that was it. Using the flux core welder is not too much of a difficult task however it is important to know how welding works in the first place so that you know the proper voltage and current measurement for setting the welder.