Solid or Flux Cored on 1/2" to 1" Steel??

[70Chevelle]

I will be doing some work with 1/2"-1" thick steel and there has been some discussion on using solid or flux cored wire. The steel is clean, fillet welds, all indoors/ no wind, using an XMT450 machine with 84/16 gas (for the solid wire).

I would prefer sticking with solid wire.Is there any advantage to using flux cored in this situation? Disadvantages for solid wire?

Thank you,

[aametalmaster]

Code work? Myself I would use solid and run stringers and multi pass if needed. I run gas flux core all day everyday and 90% of what I weld can be welded with solid but this is what the company wants...Bob

[gnforge]

Solid or Flux Cored on 1/2" to 1" Steel??

Personally I like cored wire for 1/2" & up. In fact I run all cored wire everyday 11ga. Up to 1-1/2"
In shop I run metal core, in field I run flux core dual shield. Just my preference but is much more expensive.

[Bodybagger]

I'm assuming since you mentioned a mix for solid and no mix for flux core, you're taking about NR211MP?

[70Chevelle]

This is not code work. Mounting adapters for industrial equipment.

Basically we are going to be making parts in-house instead of having an outside vendor do the work. They currently use flux core. A couple guys here want to keep it the same, a couple want just solid wire, including me because that's just what I prefer.

Weld strength is priority here, and the flux core guys seem to think cored wire gives better penetration. Is there really much of a difference?

Wire types - I guess we will try both....045 ER70S-6 and .045 E70C-6M H4 just to appease both crowds, and see what comes out better.

[old jupiter]

I have nothing to add except to wish that welders and the industry could all agree on the terminology. Seems like "flux core" can mean "flux-core plus gas" or "flux-core, no gas" depending on who is using the term. I like the idea of using "dual-shield" and "innershield" for the two processes, but I guess those terms are proprietary to Lincoln, the way "heli-arc," the old common term for TIG (or do you want GTAW?) properly belonged to Linde. Anybody else feel this way, or am I whining?

[gnforge]

Solid or Flux Cored on 1/2" to 1" Steel??

70chevelle. Yes there is I difference. I also assume u mean there using dual shield, I really don't think anyone uses inner-shield in shop.
Dual shield uses spray transfer and generally that is better penetration. Also I'm using excell arc 71. Look up the specs on it and solid wire. The dual shield is higher tensile strength and also important higher in ductile give strength which is also important maybe more important in your application. That's why I use it. And if u get it dialed in and used to it u may like it better than solid, I do.
Also metal core is stronger yet and more efficient. The one wire I run in shop is very close to double the strength of solid wire.
In my opinion cored wire is the way to go and spray transfer is also the way to go, that's all I use in 90% of my work.
Just finished running 70 lb. dual shield most all was vert. up. Solid wire was laying in trailer where it normally lays.
Just my opinion.

[aametalmaster]

Just finished running 70 lb. dual shield most all was vert. up.

I didn't run 70 lbs of dual shield today but I did weld lots of joints of 32" black pipe all uphill. Not allowed to run solid in our shop...Bob

[Portable Welder]

I'm with Gnforge all the way 71 elite dual shield with 75/25 gas, you can also use a lower percentage of argon.

We run both solid and the dual shield, 1/2" on up we tend to go dual shield.

[gnforge]

Solid or Flux Cored on 1/2" to 1" Steel??

I don't run 70lb. In a day either. This job took me little over a week to run 70 lb. but I had to cut crossbeams out with plasma & weld new in. was all out side in sun and couple days in 90's.
That kicked my butt but still love my work.
Beats sitting behind a desk.