flux core wire for 110v migs, preferable clarke owners

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hey guys, after i bought my clarke welder it was shipped to me with a little bit of wire left in it, probably just so i can test it out. i think its .023 wire, the tip thats on the gun says 11-40 (i dunno what size that is, every tip i've seen has the .0- measurement on it) My question is what size wire do you guys like to run, the thinnest material i'll be welding (mostly) is 1/8 inch. thickest is of course 3/16. i've been thinking some .030 flux core should work pretty well. Or should i go .035? thanks in advance AHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:What's the amp output rating for the Clark?If it's 110V, I think the largest size is a 140.  If that's the case, 0,30 would be big enough.  For lighter sheetmetal, 0.23 might work better.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:the clarke is a 125en, i cant remember the exact amp, like i said i think i have 023 in it right now and i have to go super slow to get a nice looking bead, i figure with a little larger wire i could move a little faster since its melting more wire, it seems harder (for me) to weld a nice bead using thin wire (unless its on sheetmetal) but for the heavier stuff i do i'm tryin to decide on 030 or 035AHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:Is there a chart in the door to the wire feed?  It will give you suggested wire sizes & tap/wire speed settings.125A should be ok with 0.35, but I don't think I would do 0.35 unless the chart/owners manual said it was ok to use it.I use mostly 0.30 in my Hobart 175 & have a 4" spool of 0.35 in my Lincoln 175.  I'm trying to work the bugs out of my Lincoln, but the Hobart does a great job with 0.30.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:yeah the chart says 030 but i didnt know if i should try a little bigger, that flux core wire is expensive so i wanted some opinions first. thanks again, i'll probably go with the 030AHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:I just did a test on my new to me Lincoln 175.  It has 0.35 wire in it & it likes to run cold.  I used the chart in the door to make my settings, but it isn't near hot enough.  Although, I have had other issues with this welder since I got it a couple weeks ago, so it may not just be the wire.I'm thinking because it's a larger wire, it would carry more current, but also stay cold longer.  You should be fine with 0.30 wire for most everything you need to weld.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:excellent, thanks a lot man. much appreciatedAHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:I have a Hobart 140 and I run .035 flux core.  It has a gas set up, with it, but since I do a lot of my welding outside fixing gates and such around the farm. I decided to stick with the flux core wire.  It runs very well with .035,  I set the wire speed and amp rating to the chart inside the door.  I find that you do not have to vary your wire speed a lot when you change your amp setting.  If my memory serves me well, wire speed at # 3 setting is 30, and # 4 (highest amp) is 32  One thing I noticed when welding with any flux core, in order to get a nice bead when finished, you need to work the wire into the puddle a little more, and no matter the size of wire you have to slow down.  Unlike the bigger machines with more amps. and gas, you can move a little faster.     I get very good penetration on metal up to 3/8", when it's on high.  But I will usually use the mig to tack, and them bring out the stick welder to finsih the job.  Hope that helps you some. PackratLincoln 225 AC/DC, Hobart 140 Mig. Oxy/propane Victor torch.(2) Makita 5" angle grinders  one with zip disk, 14" chop saw.  and just about every other tool you can think of. Whoever has the most toys when he die's ..... Wins!
Reply:Also, if you're running flux core, I've heard that the knurled rollers work better.  Flux core is a stiffer harder wire, and sometimes smooth or grooved rollers don't get a good enough bite on it.It depends whether knurled rollers are available for your machine too.Long as it works, go with it."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by PackratI have a Hobart 140 and I run .035 flux core.  It has a gas set up, with it, but since I do a lot of my welding outside fixing gates and such around the farm. I decided to stick with the flux core wire.  It runs very well with .035,  I set the wire speed and amp rating to the chart inside the door.  I find that you do not have to vary your wire speed a lot when you change your amp setting.  If my memory serves me well, wire speed at # 3 setting is 30, and # 4 (highest amp) is 32  One thing I noticed when welding with any flux core, in order to get a nice bead when finished, you need to work the wire into the puddle a little more, and no matter the size of wire you have to slow down.  Unlike the bigger machines with more amps. and gas, you can move a little faster.     I get very good penetration on metal up to 3/8", when it's on high.  But I will usually use the mig to tack, and them bring out the stick welder to finsih the job.  Hope that helps you some. Packrat
Reply:Originally Posted by MarkBall2I just did a test on my new to me Lincoln 175.  It has 0.35 wire in it & it likes to run cold.  I used the chart in the door to make my settings, but it isn't near hot enough.  Although, I have had other issues with this welder since I got it a couple weeks ago, so it may not just be the wire.I'm thinking because it's a larger wire, it would carry more current, but also stay cold longer.  You should be fine with 0.30 wire for most everything you need to weld.
Reply:at work i use gas when i weld, i hardly ever welded with flux core before i got my new machine, but just from dickin around with it i realized that with that flux core wire you have to move slower to get a  consistant bead, thanks for all the great input guysAHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:.035 wire is what comes in the LE 100HD's and it seems to work okay. I agree with Mark, the LE charts are cold. They are good as a reference, but I always have mine at least one notch higher.That Clarke can handle .035 NR-211MP without a problem. If you are going to run good beads, you need good wire. use the lincoln wire and you'll be fine.Also, check your liner. It may not be the right size for .035. maybe it is, but either way, at least check it before you assume anything.Knurled rollers are also a must. When setting the tension, you want enough on there that you START to see little indentations on the wire as it comes out. Don't crush the wire (flux core is just that... A hollow tube, filled with flux.Other than that, plug it in and start doing some tests. Each welder will act a little different in different places due to input voltage and amperage fluctuations between locations. At a shop I used to wrk at, our 480VAC 3PH service was 473VAC on one leg, and ~510VAC on another. it varied through the day as power requirements changed in the city.-FluffyMiller TB302Miller Spectrum 1000Miller Spectrum 1251XMT 456 CC/CVCoolmate 4D-74D Dual Wire Feeder2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab (Cummins of course)
Reply:from what i understand everyone likes that lincoln wire? and thats what we use at work, i've never used anything but that, so i dont know if there is anything betterAHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:Limegreen,If the contact tip says 11-40 on it, that is a standard 'small' tip with an 0.040 hole.And that is the wrong size hole to use with any wire except generally 0.040 wire.Match the contact tip hole to the wire diameter.  Lincoln/Tweco 11-25 is an 0.025 hole.11-30 is an 0.030 hole.11-35 is an 0.035 hole.11-45 is an 0.045 hole.The Lincoln part numbers use a KP prefix, KP11-25 etc.  Tweco just has the numbers like 11-30 (unless you are getting a tapered or 'heavy-duty' tip, in which case there is a T or H after the 11 like 11T-30 or 11H-45).Lincoln wire is usually good stuff. YMMV.0.023 wire is a solid wire to use with gas.The 0.030 or 0.035 Lincoln NR211-MP wire is a self-shielding FCAW wire, no gas used.Your call, but usually a small 120V welder can drive 0.035 NR211-MP wire OK to use on 1/8 inch steel workpieces.A general sort of sizing relationship is that an FCAW wire is about 'equal' to a solid wire one size down, except the FCAW wire runs 'hotter'.  So 0.030 NR211 wire is about the same amount of metal as an 0.023/0.025 solid wire and 0.035 NR211 is about the same amount of metal as 0.030 solid wire.  Note that the wires each run their own parameters (voltage/amperage/wire-speed), this is just a 'sizing' relationship.So your comment about having to slow down the travel speed relates to that, as the travel speed is related to how much metal is being put into the weld.And yes double check your liner and feed roller sizes.  Generally on a small 'MIG' gun (GMAW or FCAW) with a relatively short gun cable/liner length, the 'standard' 0.035 steel liner can be used with solid or flux-core wire from 0.023 to 0.035 size.  The 0.045 wire needs a bigger diameter liner, which then can feed 0.035 or 0.045 steel wire OK but 0.023 might get a bit 'whippy' in the liner.Drive roller grooves usually have to match 0.023/0.025 wire, but 0.030 or 0.035 wires often use the same groove.  0.045 wire uses its own size groove/roller.Knurled versus smooth drive roller for flux-core wire is optional.  As said, don't -crush- the wire.  Just enough drive-roller pressure to feed the wire smoothly and JUST slip if the wire is fed into a hard surface (like a block of wood) and the spool tension set JUST enough to keep the spool from unraveling itself.btw, is that you or your 'honey' sitting on the hood in your avatar?    Either way, got a better/bigger picture?  We like nice pictures.       The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:thats what i though about the contact tip, the thing had 030 wire in it but an 040 tip...i dunno, i gotta go get some wire today so i'm gonna switch those tips around too. Yes thats my wife on my jeep, i dont have any bigger pics on this computer, lol.AHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:re: Contact tips.  If the current 11-40 tip screwed in just fine to the Clarke gun, then the threads and overall 'size' of the tip are just standard Lincoln/Tweco small tips.You can get them at a LWS or Lowes/HomeDepot.  Or order them by mail/phone/web.  That's just a standard tip.But get the right hole in the tip to match the wire diameter you are using.  Things work much better when the wire actually contacts the contact tip so that the current can flow properly and let you make an arc and weld.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:yeah i picked up a bunch of extra tips the other day and i just bought some wire, fixed everything all up and she welds like a dreamAHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:Show us some welds.and maybe a couple of the missus?MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Preeeeevert!!!!!!!!"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:That I am Samm.  Why else would a guy work in a predominately female oriented profession?MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:I usually use .030 fluxcore E71T-11 and T-GS in the Passport on both 110v and 220v power.   The job I'm working on now welding structural sheet metal stud framing for some commercial buildings the wire the contractor provides is McKay .035 fluxcore E71T-GS.  The .035 seems to feed a little better than the .030 in my 15' torch with .035 liner and knurled drive roll which accepts both .030 and .035 wire.   The Passport burns either size wire equally well and the .035 works fine for the 18 gauge metal studs.   I think I will stay with .035 wire after this construction job is done and I go back to my general repair and fabrication customer jobs.   I like running it and not as many feed issues as the .030.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I generally use 030 for most of my stuff, but sometimes 035.  I just use the Lincol Inner Shield because I can pick it up at Lowes.