Trouble today with flux core

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I had one hell of a time today welding. I picked up some 1x1" 16ga steel to make my bed extender. Using my handler 140 and .30 flux core I had heat set on 2 and wire speed on 30 as per the chart. No matter what I did, I couldn't get a good bead without burning through the metal. Even turning the heat down to 1 I still was burning through. The other day, I was welding  bed frame metal the same thickness without any trouble. Today I had burn through, way too much spatter and heavy porosity. Very frustrating but any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Thanks Jim
Reply:well, double check your polarity, and go back to square one when it was working the other day, and retry it just like you did before.  has anything changed about your input elect in the two diff days
Reply:Probably a different joint configuration than you were using on the bed frame. Lets say you are welding a T joint, you will have the edge of the tubing butted up to one of the flats, the thin edge wont take as much heat as the flat side of the tubing. You want to start the weld on the thicker more solid part of the joint, or at least angled toward it.  Try that and move a little faster, keeping the heat on the thick and enough weld fusing and filling onto the thin. if you're doing a butt joint, it will take less heat yet. You will have to move faster yet. As far as heat adjustment goes, try playing with the wire speed before you change the tapped voltage when going off the door chart, Think of it as fine tuning.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:16ga sheet metal is pretty thin. 30IPM sounds high, though I've never had to use flux core to weld sheet metal. Definitely try dropping your wire feed speed down, and see if that helps. You may find that after reducing your wire speed, you'll have to reduce your voltage a commensurate amount. Welder door charts are not to be relied upon, if you ask me; they may provide a "jumping off point" if you will, but they're by no means the most accurate method of determining welder settings. Play around with the settings and see what you can get to work. As a previous poster said, double check your polarity too.
Reply:Thanks for the replies. I'm pretty new to welding and I didn't think of the joint type being the possible culprit. I'll keep experimenting.
Reply:Solid wire with gas would be a better choice for 16g sheet metal.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Im working on getting a bottle. Im actually using 1x1 16 ga tubing. Not sure how much different that is than welding sheet metal
Reply:Originally Posted by toojayzThanks for the replies. I'm pretty new to welding and I didn't think of the joint type being the possible culprit. I'll keep experimenting.
Reply:Yes, 16 ga is pretty thin for flux core, even for an experienced weldor, but not impossible.Especially on butt welds, or if there is even a tiny gap, try what I call the squirt, squirt, squirt technique.Pull the trigger long enough to make a decent tack, release, and then, before the red goes away, pull the trigger again, repeat. With practice, it can come out real pretty. Until then, once you get some meat in there, you can go over it with a slightly hotter, single pass.Don't give up.16ga tubing can smell fear.Last edited by geezerbill; 01-12-2016 at 09:24 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by geezerbillYes, 16 ga is pretty thin for flux core, even cor an experieced weldor, but not impossible.Especially on butt welds, or if there is even a tiny gap, try what I call the squirt, squirt, squirt technique.Pill the trigger long enough to makd a decent tack, release, amNd thsn, before the red goes away, pull the trigger again, repeat. With practice, it can come out real pretty. Until then, once you get sone meat in there, you can go over it with a slightly hotter, single pass.Don't give up.16ga tubing can smell fear.
Reply:Grab a bottle from harbor freight. They have cheap small ones that you trade.Sent from my iPad using TapatalkMillermatic 211Everlast 200DX Thermal Arc 181iKlutch ST80i lunchbox stick welderLincoln Weld-Pak 100Century Stick welderPowermax 30 plasma cutterHenrob 2000 torchLogan 200 lathe (60 years old)Clausing 6339 Lathe (for sale)