Question about flux core vs stick for outdoor repair work

I used to swear by stick welding for all my outdoor boiler patch jobs, but after a buddy loaned me his Lincoln 140 with flux core, I flipped. Did a header repair last month at a plant near Gary, Indiana, and the flux core laid in cleaner beads with way less cleanup. The wire feed spooled easier on windy days too. Anyone else find flux core beats stick on thin wall tube up to 3/8 inch?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_jones9919d ago

Remember that time I was welding a fence gate and the wind was so bad it blew my slag hammer right out of my hand? I chased it halfway across the yard, felt like a real welder's version of a dog fetching a stick. But yeah, I gotta agree with you on flux core for thin stuff. I did a patch on a rusty old grain auger last fall and it actually laid down pretty decent, even with all the crud on it. The spatter was a mess though, looked like someone sneezed little metal BBs all over my jeans.

nora_walker5719d ago

That "less cleanup" part is what got me. I remember patching up a grain silo down in southern Illinois back in '18 with my old stick welder and I spent more time chipping slag than actually welding. The wind would whip the shielding gas away something awful too. I switched to flux core after that and I've never looked back, at least for anything under half an inch. There was one job though where I had to weld some rusty farm equipment and the flux core just spattered everywhere, so your mileage may vary depending on how clean your material is.