HTP's Flux Core (gas less) Stainless Steel 308L Mig Wire

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Anyone have any experience using this HTP/Washington Alloy wire and some photos too?  Just curious.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/035-308L-FCO...item2eb897979cAgape GuyEverlast Power I-MIG 200 (dual voltage)Everlast PowerArc 200 stickHarbor Freight Titanium 125 Easy FluxHypertherm Powermax 30Way too many power tools
Reply:Originally Posted by Agape GuyAnyone have any experience using this HTP/Washington Alloy wire and some photos too?  Just curious.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/035-308L-FCO...item2eb897979c
Reply:Originally Posted by GamblePretty sure last time you said this Jeff from HTP corrected you that HTP wire is NOT washington alloy wire.Buy it and let us know how it is. I never mig welded stainless, but I have stick welded stainless and the results were surprisingly good.
Reply:As promised, here's a quick experiment with HTP's oddball wire.  For this experiment, I used the .035" flux core stainless steel mig wire, some scrap stainless steel pieces (.078" thick piping), and my Harbor Freight 90 Amp Flux Core mig welder.  I cut up the 14 gauge stainless steel piping, grinded/smoothed down the edges, and put it in a vise for tacking, before completing the weld.  But before that, I did experiment by first putting it on the welder's MAX setting and then adjusting the WFS until I got good-penetrating (but not blow through) beads.  I blew through some of the stainless steel scrap initially when I had the heat setting on "MAX" and the WFS set at "4"--whatever that is in inches per minute.  I ended up keeping it on the "MAX" setting and turned down the WFS to "1.5"  (I did not check what that is in inches per minute, not yet anyway--but will do, in the near future). So what happened?  There's slag you have to brush off with a dedicated stainless-steel wire brush, but it was not a lot of slag.  So nothing profound.  I have to say that this mig wire works pretty good, at least on a scrap piece of thin 14 gauge stainless steel.  In the future, when I get some more stainless steel, I'll do some lap welds with thicker pieces, use a more powerful welder, and then cut it up to analyze the cross section view of the weld.  By the way, it was no surprise on my end, because I expect good things in general from HTP, made in America!  See the photos: 1 - parts, 2 - welder setting, 3 - tack weld, 4 - the completed weld, and 5 - grinding down the weld.  That's all folks. Attached ImagesAgape GuyEverlast Power I-MIG 200 (dual voltage)Everlast PowerArc 200 stickHarbor Freight Titanium 125 Easy FluxHypertherm Powermax 30Way too many power tools
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749I've used some up on the farm. Don't recall the brand, but it works ok.It's better than TIG or solid wire when the stainless is dirty, you got to get in plus done fast & you don't have access to gas. Not going to give you the picture perfect bead, but it gets the job done.Now we burn some solid SS wire with the TA 181i using tri mix. Crown alloys wire.Get the settings dialed in & it's slick, clean & looks great.IMHO of course
Reply:pssst, if the wire being used is not a solid wire, then it is not MIG aka GMAW.  There is no such thing as 'fluxcore MIG wire'.A fluxcore wire is used for FCAW.  If the wire does not need an external shielding gas and just uses the fumes from the burning flux to shield the weld, the process is the FCAW-S process (self-shielded flux core arc welding).  If the flux core wire also uses a shielding gas, then the process is FCAW-G (gas-shielded flux core arc welding) (often called 'dual-shield', but that is like calling a photocopy a 'xerox' or a facial tissue a 'kleenex', etc).The label right on that HTP wire spool says "Gasless Flux Cored", so you were using the FCAW-S process.Double-check to make sure you had the polarity correct, as most of the time FCAW-S and GMAW use 'opposite' polarities.  Most FCAW-S wires run DCEN (a very few 'industrial' FCAW-S wires run DCEP though) and GMAW wires run DCEP.  So RTFM and make sure you had the correct polarity.You HF welder says right on the front "Flux Wire Welder", so your polarity should have been correct for the FCAW-S HTP stainless wire.Also remember "If there's slag, then drag."FCAW is a slag process, so drag the puddle (aka backhand technique, point the electrode 'back' at the puddle as you weld.  A righty would point the electrode to the left and then weld from left to right.). GMAW is generally a 'push' technique (aka forehand technique, point the electrode 'forward' as you weld, A righty would point the electrode to the right and weld from left to right.)  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRisepssst, if the wire being used is not a solid wire, then it is not MIG aka GMAW.  There is no such thing as 'fluxcore MIG wire'.A fluxcore wire is used for FCAW.  If the wire does not need an external shielding gas and just uses the fumes from the burning flux to shield the weld, the process is the FCAW-S process (self-shielded flux core arc welding).  If the flux core wire also uses a shielding gas, then the process is FCAW-G (gas-shielded flux core arc welding) (often called 'dual-shield', but that is like calling a photocopy a 'xerox' or a facial tissue a 'kleenex', etc).The label right on that HTP wire spool says "Gasless Flux Cored", so you were using the FCAW-S process.Double-check to make sure you had the polarity correct, as most of the time FCAW-S and GMAW use 'opposite' polarities.  Most FCAW-S wires run DCEN (a very few 'industrial' FCAW-S wires run DCEP though) and GMAW wires run DCEP.  So RTFM and make sure you had the correct polarity.You HF welder says right on the front "Flux Wire Welder", so your polarity should have been correct for the FCAW-S HTP stainless wire.Also remember "If there's slag, then drag."FCAW is a slag process, so drag the puddle (aka backhand technique, point the electrode 'back' at the puddle as you weld.  A righty would point the electrode to the left and then weld from left to right.). GMAW is generally a 'push' technique (aka forehand technique, point the electrode 'forward' as you weld, A righty would point the electrode to the right and weld from left to right.)