The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Newb at welding. Flux core or gas?

If you are asking what to do, get a gas bottle of MIG mix and practice with that.

As far as wire, .030 is probably the best to learn with. Again, depends on what you want to do. Are you doing structural or sheet metal? If sheet metal, you want .023 and gas. For structural, .030 or .035, with .030 usually preferred unless you are doing something very thick (like half-inch).

The manual says less heat? No. Not sure that is true. Primary reason to do flux is if you weld outside or can't afford gas. No other benefit other than price. If they mean smaller HAZ (Heat Affected Zone), then go TIG, not MIG.

What is the amp range of your welder? How many amp settings does it have? Is it 120V or 240V?

Congrats on your purchase. Some good welding forums are at Hobart and www.shopfloortalk.com. Good luck with it.

Its been almost 30 years since I bought my first wire machine. I used .030 and didn't try to weld anything less than 14 gauge until I got used to the machine. If you start on thinner stuff, you will burn holes and get frustrated. I have welders from 135 amp up to 440 amp, and each has a purpose. When I work with my jalopies, I use a 140 Hobart that runs on 110 with .025 wire and CO2 argon mix gas. However, I would recommend starting with some heavier metal so you can learn to watch the penetration. And make sure you use a lens that is light enough so you can watch what you are doing. I wouldn't even try to use flux core because it will frustrate you. Once you have lots of practice, you can use flux where there is a wind. I am assuming you bought the machine to do some work on your vehicle. Once you become proficient, you will probably not use anything but .025 wire. I still practice on scrap similar to what I am going to weld to get my machine set at the right heat and wire speed.