First try at innershield

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Well I decided to try innershield yesterday in my Lincoln 175HD. I have an old car trailler that needed new light boxes and fenders and I thought this would be a good project to try it on. I did not have very much luck with the stuff. I was only able to put down 1 weld that I thought looked good. The rest were not smooth and defined like I thought they should be. Also the innershield seemed to not work well in areas with poor fit or gaps. I got really good penetration and the welds seem sound, but they were sure ugly.Maybe I will try on some other project.
Reply:Did you clean the slag off of them, especially between beads and before making another pass to fill a gap?Innershield or "Flux core" has the shielding gas on its inside, in the form of flux, that will make a slag coating to protect the weld until it cools!#1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!
Reply:I had a wire brush on my 4 1/2 inch angled grinder. I used it between every pass of the welder.
Reply:Don't feel bad, Flux just dosen't produce the best looking welds, although it is generally very forgiving and easy to work with. I tell the guys at my job when you run flux that while you can make the welds look good, you can't make them look pretty!
Reply:OK, was the polarity reversed to run Innershield (flux core)?Flux Core = DCEN (Direct Current Electrode Negative)MIG= DCEP (Direct Current Electrode Positive)Amperage and wire speed are critical, travel speed is nothing like MIG, allow the puddle to build. Slow down with your pass, more than likely the travel is to fast. Is the weld all pinholes? = to fastInnershield is my preferred process, Dirty is my name..... let a painter fix it !!!!!!!My Ignore List Hall of Shame:59halfstepBillyduaneb55jrw159mark8310Rojodiablo Sparky#1Stack of Dimes
Reply:For sure, check the Polarity first.I run a lot of Flux core, mainly because I like to weld outdoors whenever possible. But I find I can make beads just as pretty with Flux core as I can with Solid core, the only compromise cosmetically really is the splatter balls and of course in general the smoke and slag to deal with.
Reply:As mentioned, check the polarity.  If you didn't change the polarity from the GMAW aka MIG settings, you will get u-g-l-y welds.  Most FCAW wire is DCEN aka (DC -).Also when you say "Innershield" do you mean "Lincoln Innershield"?  And if so, -which- Lincoln Innershield wire?  Because Lincoln makes about 18 different Innershield wires, and they all have their own operating properties and uses.The Lincoln Innershield wire you can (easily) get at the big-box stores or that comes in/with the 'small' Lincoln welders is NR211-MP.My opinion is that Lincoln Innershield NR211-MP runs pretty easy and the welds come out looking pretty nice.  Not quite as nice as a nice GMAW weld due to the spatter and slag, but those usually clean up (except for some spatter).Oh, and the dirtier the base metal is, the more crud and spatter you end up with.  Clean it and grind it (wire wheel doesn't really get cruddy metal clean enough) before welding and the weld usually turns out better. If you used a cheapo or 'off-brand' FCAW wire, then a lot depends on that wire and not on the FCAW process itself.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Thanks for the replys.I did use the Lincoln NR211-MP and It did take me a while to figure out that I was going to fast. The polarity was reversed on the welder for FCAW. The welds and puddle looked good through the helmet but turned out ugly. The welds that looked best came from a zig zag motion that were pulled and not pushed. Guess I need more practice..
Reply:Ahhh, push-vs-pullGeneral kind of rule:If there's slag, then drag.  If the weld makes slag (SMAW or FCAW), then generally you want to drag or pull the weld.For GMAW, you generally want to push the weld.You don't have to zig-zag, just move in a straight steady line at the appropriate speed and watch the puddle of the weld and not the arc itself.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:MrF1sherAlso, pulling vs. dragging has to do with the direction of the wire with respect to direction of  travel, not the motion of your arm.  Pushing is wire pointing in direction of travel, while dragging is wire pointing opposite the direction of travel. Also, keep your wire in the puddle.I have been running that .045 lincoln 211-mp.  It really lays a nice bead with minimal spatter when adjustment and technique are proper.What size wire are using and what size metal are you welding?
Reply:Just to add to what everybody has posted already. Some Inersheild wires have a verry narrow sweet spot.