I Hate Slag!

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Did some fab work today on the shifter mechanism I've been asking questions about for a while now.It actually turned out "fairly decent" for my limited amount of ability, patience, or skill.All the welds seemed to "take" very well as I spent a little more time on prep and fit-up. Also finally beveled some edges, which helped produce some more presentable looking welds.But, alas, I digress. I cannot defeat the flux/slag monster that is flux-cored welding. I'm forced to weld flux-core until I get the leak in my argon tank settled. Below is a shot of a weld I burned. You can clearly see the slag (correct me if I'm not using the correct term) intertwined with the bead. The only way to get this stuff off is by chipping at it directly with the top of a drift set or fine awl. Going back to my impatience, I cannot spend hours sitting away chipping at this thing like I'm friggin Michaelangelo working on a scultpure.My girlfriend even mocked me mildly with a "Are you making that out of granite" comment, that almost bought her a hammer to the toe.Is there any trick to eliminating or reducing this substance, and if not, what is the best method of removal. I know my welds look nice underneith this, I spent a fair amount of time cleaning one weld just to make myself feel better. Thanks for the help,Ender. Attached Images
Reply:Slap  W/ THE HAMMER  twice  then use your wire wheel on your grinder.........takes  two seconds..... weld it like you own it
Reply:Never thought about the wire wheel on the grinder. I've been thinking about just going at it with a grinding disk and making everything smooth. But I like the look of the beads. Is it too late now that it hasn't been beat or since its now cooled to attack it with the grinder?
Reply:This needle scaler is the easy way to remove stubborn flux:http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=1108WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:Quit your     Thats the way fluxcore is..A nice sharp chisel and small hammer will wipe that out in no time.. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Gut you gas setup working...  Me!
Reply:Originally Posted by 69 chevyThis needle scaler is the easy way to remove stubborn flux:http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=1108
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterQuit your     ...zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by EnderThanks, I'll definately look into that if the wire wheel on the grinder doesn't work.
Reply:make sure your dragging the gun and use a "C" motion. You do not want to do circles with flux core.  Kevin
Reply:Originally Posted by mopar74make sure your dragging the gun and use a "C" motion. You do not want to do circles with flux core.  Kevin
Reply:Originally Posted by lewraySlap  W/ THE HAMMER  twice  then use your wire wheel on your grinder.........takes  two seconds.....
Reply:I'm doing what I would assume is a stringer pattern, as welderboy pointed out. I drew up in paint real quick my method, moving from side to side and down.Attempting C's or circles resulted in my dipping back into the cooling pool and sometimes hitting some slag and loosing my arc. Then it would pop and all hell would break loose until I moved out of the area quickly.I'm going to try the wire wheel on the metal first. If it doesn't work, to the girlfriend's feet it goes.
Reply:anti spatter spray might helpChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:I use anti-spatter by Weld-Aid.  Sprayed almost an entire spiral stair with it prior to final welding.  I make the spatter come off easily.
Reply:Try some experementing with angles and tip to work distance, when i used self sheilding wire i knew when i had it right, the light bulb went on and the big OH!!!! was said with a grin. if i remeber correctly there was very little drag angle and not that messy. good luck, on the right track youll get itNothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:You can buy an anti spatter spray which will stop those sputter balls from sticking.  Pam or WD40 works fine too355# Hay Budden3# Hofi HammerPropane ForgeIdealarc TIG 300/300AllStates Oxy Propane torchSmith Little Torch