new to the forum, and new to MIG

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Hey guys & gals,First time over to this side of the street.  I am a member of Lawnsite and Plowsite so familiar with the way the forums work.  Any way, I just picked up a little MIG welder for my shop, main purpose is for quick fixes, small projects, typical handyman stuff.  I have some experience with stick welding, actually did a fair bit of it as a kid, but I'm new to the MIG.  Haven't picked up the welder yet but hopefully will get a chance to swing by and pick it up by this weekend.  The question I have for now is, when do I use the regular wire and when do I use the flux core?  I'm assuming the reg. wire is for new steel and the flux is maybe for rusted material?  I'm all ears, any info or advice is appreciated, thanks!BuckUp North Yard & Drive
Reply:Welcome, You'll want the solid wire mainly unless you're doing alot of work outside where the wind will blow your gas away.  What type of gas are you running, what type of welder did you get?  Also there have been posts on here about painting over stuff welded with flux-core wire saying it corrodes the paint no matter what steps are taken in the prep work.  I don't have first hand experience as I mainly use solid wire.  Main thing is be comfortable and practice.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Originally Posted by littlefuzzWelcome, You'll want the solid wire mainly unless you're doing alot of work outside where the wind will blow your gas away.  What type of gas are you running, what type of welder did you get?  Also there have been posts on here about painting over stuff welded with flux-core wire saying it corrodes the paint no matter what steps are taken in the prep work.  I don't have first hand experience as I mainly use solid wire.  Main thing is be comfortable and practice.
Reply:If you're not using flux core you have to use gas.  If not you'll only have porosity (porous welds, holes all in it).  So you'll either have to get a bottle or run flux core.  Solid wire and gas weld better in a windless environment, it's cleaner, & no slag to chip off.  I use mixed gas CO2 and argon, some folks use straight CO2.  After you get used to using a mig you'll be glad you got one.  Assuming you got a machine big enough to handle what you're wanting to do.  Machine size and material to be welded will also have a part to play when you're deciding on wire size.  If you decide on the gas alway get a bigger bottle than you think you'll need, bigger is always better.  Sounds like your supply guy is a typical salesman and don't know what he's talking about.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:In my opinion you'll want to use gas, it is much, much cleaner. Easier to see the weld pool too, you don't have all that smoke from the flux in the way.With a little mig (such as my 110v unit), the flux core wire has better penetration if you are approaching the upper end of the welders limit. The polarity is switched when using solid wire vs. flux wire - in one configuration your electrode is positive, in the other it is negative. I don't remember which is which though - John
Reply:how do the bottles come?  20lb, 50lb, 100lb?  And what kind of cost is involved?  Thanks again for the info guys.BuckUp North Yard & Drive
Reply:Negative ground for MIG, positive ground for flux.   Solid wire and sheilding gas is so much cleaner and nicer to weld with than flux core .
Reply:Bottles are measured in cubic feet.   60 cu.ft is about the smallest size I've seen.   They're pretty small and dont last long.   I use the 250 cu.ft size for argon/co2.  It's about the biggest bottle I can fit on my machines cart.   I think it cost about $280 new but that was a long time ago.   My 300 cu.ft argon bottle was about $380.
Reply:You can get smaller that 60cu.ft. but I wouldn't go lower than 80.  I think the biggest one you can buy in my area is 125 but you can lease bigger ones.  As far as filling them it all depends on where you go.  I think next time I'm gonna switch to CO2 instead of mixed.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33Negative ground for MIG, positive ground for flux.   Solid wire and sheilding gas is so much cleaner and nicer to weld with than flux core .
Reply:do some guys run mixed gas such as co2 and Argon and some run straight co2?  Boy...maybe I should have stuck to a stick box...  Think I'll pick up my unit on Thursday, kind of anxious to get it home and try it out.  It's the Clarke 130EN Gas or No Gas, I've been told by some it's a pretty decent little welder, is this true?  Picking it up as a kit, couple rolls of wire, cart, helmet, tweco (?) gun, regulator, extra tips, for $379 out the door including tax.BuckUp North Yard & Drive
Reply:Originally Posted by riley mcmillanAre you sure?  I'm thinking that solid wire and gas should be positive electrode and the fluxcore negative.
Reply:Originally Posted by Up Northdo some guys run mixed gas such as co2 and Argon and some run straight co2?  Boy...maybe I should have stuck to a stick box...  Buck
Reply:I have a 130EN for plucking around the shop and it works great for everything I've hit it with.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:well...I'm about to head out to the shop and lay down my first welds with it.  Picked it up last night and got it set up in the shop, was late so didn't attempt any welding.  I'll let you know how it goes.BuckUp North Yard & Drive
Reply:Sounds good, if you need advise on settings, shoot me a PM or give me a call.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33Ha Ha, we are both right.  I wrote 'negative ground', for solid wire & gas, which means the electrode (torch) is positive.   We are talking the same thing, just said it two different ways .
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneSounds good, if you need advise on settings, shoot me a PM or give me a call.