Thin weld bead

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Hey guys!, Ive been welding for about 5 months and have a mig welder that I am running flux core in. but every bead I get is really narrow.. How do I fix that??, any answers will be greatly appericated!-Liam
Reply:Sounds like you may be moving to quickly and possibly have the settings wrong. To really know we would need to see a few picts of the weld/s along with the machine used, wire size, voltage and wire speed settings and material thickness. The more we know, the better we can answer your question..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:What DSW said and practice on joints, not just flat plate.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:thanks guys!, Ill get the infoLast edited by Liamc; 08-08-2013 at 03:46 PM.
Reply:Im using a Jobsmart 120amp mig/flux welder at 120 amps with .030 wire 1/4 in plate wire speed at 5
Reply:1st thing your welder is way under powered  for 1/4" material no matter what the manufacturer might say. Expect the max thickness you will get decent welds on will be roughly 1/8".I'd still guess that part of your issue is going too fast. That's a typical issue with new welders. For 1/8", I'd set the heat or voltage to max and adjust your wire speed accordingly. I'd probably start at 6 out of 10 and adjust from there myself without suggested settings. with .030 wire your wire speed will be slightly higher than if you were using say .035 wire so you get the same deposition.Again picts will tell the story..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Okay thank you!, I get full penetration on 1/4 material tho??
Reply:that's the bead! Attached ImagesLast edited by Liamc; 08-08-2013 at 04:08 PM.
Reply:Way too cold. Go to thinner material and up your voltage.No you will not get full penetration on 1/4" with a 120 amp unit. You won't even get good penetration welding both sides of a 1/4" piece with a machine that small. The problem is one of mass. The 1/4" will suck up too much energy so your fusion into the base material will be poor. The weld material will simply just sit on top and not bond well to the base material. You'd be maxing out a 180 amp mig to be getting decent penetration on 1/4" and even then with but joints you'd need a good bevel and decent prop to get good welds. A 200 + amp class mig would be a better choice for a steady diet of 1/4". With only 120 amps max to work with and a short duty cycle, 1/8" would be pushing that machine. You shouldn't have issues with penetration on 14 ga. Small 110v machines are sheet metal units. The problem is lack of input power.One other issue you have is poor prep. Don't try to weld over paint and rust, especially if you are under powered to begin with. You need to grind down top shiny steel. A power wire brush won't cut it as all it does is polish the rust, not remove it. Granted if you have enough amps you can weld thru some rust and scale, but it's a bad habit to get into. All those contaminants will give you a poor weld..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Okay thank you! and okay I will do thinner matetrial!, and I didn't clean it because I bought it new so it had no rust just that dark coat. but thank you for your advice!
Reply:I was trying to weld together heavy wall exhaust pipe with a 110v mig and it would barely penetrate enough.
Reply:I'd check your polarity. For physical reasons I don't pretend to understand, fluxcore needs wire at negative potential (DCEN) whereas mig needs the opposite. IMHO, using the wrong polarity results in scrawny looking beadsFluxcore should be able to blast through thin walled tubing EASY PEASEE. Takes a lot of practice to avoid doing so!Last edited by wirehead; 08-08-2013 at 05:33 PM.XMT304 (school)SP125+ (home)HF 4x6 BandsawGood judgement comes from experience and much of that comes from bad judgement.