I don't follow all the new products for welding, but there always seems
to be something out there that surprises me.

GMAW or MIG is usually DCEP
C25 Steel / Tri-mix SS / Argon or Ar/He Aluminum --- and others.

FCAW
DCEP for dual shield
DCEN for gasless

Having my morning coffee and surfing YouTube videos this morning I ran
across a gasless flux core wire for stainless and it says to run DCEP.
Blue Demon WMS312LCF.

I use gas less flux core fairly regularly working outdoors. I do have
a DC power TIG supply that can run stick, but the little
Miller/Hobart/Weldmark (has all three names on the machine) 187 MIG
machine is a lot handier to drag outside. For steel I run DCEN with
FCAW wire. I was surprised by the DCEP call out on the 312LCF. I
haven't bought any, but it might be handy for quick and dirty jobs like
welding up replacement BBQ grills.

Have any of you guys run stainless FCAW gasless wire? What did you
think of it?

I watched a couple videos and the welds look cleaner than most FCAW
welds, but there was a shell of slag you need to pop off with your slag
hammer like burning stick. It also looked a little ropey like maybe
they were running a little cold, but I've only made a couple stainless
welds (304) in my life, and I did that with TIG.



--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff


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On 3/24/2025 2:13 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I don't follow all the new products for welding, but there always seems
to be something out there that surprises me.

GMAW or MIG is usually DCEP
C25 Steel / Tri-mix SS / Argon or Ar/He Aluminum --- and others.

FCAW
DCEP for dual shield
DCEN for gasless

Having my morning coffee and surfing YouTube videos this morning I ran
across a gasless flux core wire for stainless and it says to run DCEP.
Blue Demon WMS312LCF.

I use gas less flux core fairly regularly working outdoors.   I do have
a DC power TIG supply that can run stick, but the little Miller/Hobart/Weldmark (has all three names on the machine) 187 MIG
machine is a lot handier to drag outside.  For steel I run DCEN with
FCAW wire.  I was surprised by the DCEP call out on the 312LCF.  I
haven't bought any, but it might be handy for quick and dirty jobs like welding up replacement BBQ grills.

Have any of you guys run stainless FCAW gasless wire?  What did you
think of it?

I watched a couple videos and the welds look cleaner than most FCAW
welds, but there was a shell of slag you need to pop off with your slag hammer like burning stick.  It also looked a little ropey like maybe
they were running a little cold, but I've only made a couple stainless
welds (304) in my life, and I did that with TIG.

I have a couple of rolls of flux core SS , one is 309 the other is
missing part of the label so I don't know but I think it too is 309 . My experience was that the bead starts out cold and tall , but get a half
inch down the bead and it goes too hot . I was welding exhaust pipe so
that's probably not a fair test . That was also using my old 110V MIG
machine IIRC .
I've also got some 309L/.023 solid wire but I don't have the proper
shield gas for it . Neither straight CO2 nor argon worked well .
--
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On 3/25/2025 3:01 PM, Snag wrote:

On 3/24/2025 2:13 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I don't follow all the new products for welding, but there always
seems to be something out there that surprises me.

GMAW or MIG is usually DCEP
C25 Steel / Tri-mix SS / Argon or Ar/He Aluminum --- and others.

FCAW
DCEP for dual shield
DCEN for gasless

Having my morning coffee and surfing YouTube videos this morning I ran
across a gasless flux core wire for stainless and it says to run DCEP.
Blue Demon WMS312LCF.

I use gas less flux core fairly regularly working outdoors.   I do
have a DC power TIG supply that can run stick, but the little Miller/
Hobart/Weldmark (has all three names on the machine) 187 MIG machine
is a lot handier to drag outside.  For steel I run DCEN with FCAW
wire.  I was surprised by the DCEP call out on the 312LCF.  I haven't
bought any, but it might be handy for quick and dirty jobs like
welding up replacement BBQ grills.

Have any of you guys run stainless FCAW gasless wire?  What did you
think of it?

I watched a couple videos and the welds look cleaner than most FCAW
welds, but there was a shell of slag you need to pop off with your
slag hammer like burning stick.  It also looked a little ropey like
maybe they were running a little cold, but I've only made a couple
stainless welds (304) in my life, and I did that with TIG.

  I have a couple of rolls of flux core SS , one is 309 the other is missing part of the label so I don't know but I think it too is 309 . My experience was that the bead starts out cold and tall , but get a half
inch down the bead and it goes too hot . I was welding exhaust pipe so
that's probably not a fair test . That was also using my old 110V MIG
machine IIRC .
  I've also got some 309L/.023 solid wire but I don't have the proper shield gas for it . Neither straight CO2 nor argon worked well .

Yeah, generally MIG stainless takes tri-mix.


--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

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Bob La Londe <none@none.com99> writes:

On 3/25/2025 3:01 PM, Snag wrote:

On 3/24/2025 2:13 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:

...

Yeah, generally MIG stainless takes tri-mix.
...
Bob La Londe

Tri-mix - contains helium?
You seem to get / use much more He in the USA.

I once got to try a mix with He on stainless steel - rubbish welds at
their "house" conditions in "dip". But when no-one was looking I
flipped it into "spray" and the foreman returning jumped backwards and
his his jaw dropped, and recovering a bit he asked "Did you just do
that?!". To which I answered "Yes. Here's the weld you want."

For most stainless MIG here we use Ar-1%O2. Never tried it.

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On 3/26/2025 8:55 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

Bob La Londe <none@none.com99> writes:

On 3/25/2025 3:01 PM, Snag wrote:

On 3/24/2025 2:13 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:

...

Yeah, generally MIG stainless takes tri-mix.
...
Bob La Londe

Tri-mix - contains helium?
You seem to get / use much more He in the USA.

I once got to try a mix with He on stainless steel - rubbish welds at
their "house" conditions in "dip". But when no-one was looking I
flipped it into "spray" and the foreman returning jumped backwards and
his his jaw dropped, and recovering a bit he asked "Did you just do
that?!". To which I answered "Yes. Here's the weld you want."

For most stainless MIG here we use Ar-1%O2. Never tried it.

Yes, He seems to be the proverbial magic sauce in some welding
operations. The USA used to have a HUGE strategic reserve of helium,
but I do not know how that stands today. Helium is still expensive.

I've heard of O2 in welding, but I always wondering how it worked since
O2 is the primary reactive gas in "air" that you shield from with
welding gases.

--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

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MIG stainless - you have to "hot-up" the arc and give fluidity. 1% O2
in Ar is the best economically achievable for MIG stainless.
MIG stainless with 100%Ar is next-to-useless - no penetration and little fluidity (I have tried putting TIG gas (100%Ar) on a MIG welder with
stainless wire - that is the limit of my experience).
TIG is inherently penetrative - runs perfectly on 100%Ar, as you know.

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On 27/03/2025 07:47, Richard Smith wrote:

MIG stainless - you have to "hot-up" the arc and give fluidity. 1% O2
in Ar is the best economically achievable for MIG stainless.
MIG stainless with 100%Ar is next-to-useless - no penetration and little fluidity (I have tried putting TIG gas (100%Ar) on a MIG welder with stainless wire - that is the limit of my experience).
TIG is inherently penetrative - runs perfectly on 100%Ar, as you know.

I did the same with steel and MIG some years back when BOC were out of Argoshield light and the guy thought it would be OK, 100% Ar not good, fortunately the local depot got the Argoshield back in stock and swapped
the bottle FOC. I use the Argoshield light on stainless from time to
time and find it fine, IIRC 93/5/2 Ar/CO2,O2.

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David Billington <djb@invalid.com> writes:

On 27/03/2025 07:47, Richard Smith wrote:

MIG stainless - you have to "hot-up" the arc and give fluidity. 1% O2
in Ar is the best economically achievable for MIG stainless.
MIG stainless with 100%Ar is next-to-useless - no penetration and little
fluidity (I have tried putting TIG gas (100%Ar) on a MIG welder with
stainless wire - that is the limit of my experience).
TIG is inherently penetrative - runs perfectly on 100%Ar, as you know.

I did the same with steel and MIG some years back when BOC were out of Argoshield light and the guy thought it would be OK, 100% Ar not good, fortunately the local depot got the Argoshield back in stock and
swapped the bottle FOC. I use the Argoshield light on stainless from
time to time and find it fine, IIRC 93/5/2 Ar/CO2,O2.

By the way - never tried it but - stainless flux-cored-wire runs on any
argomix - Argon with some CO2.
Guess the wire isn't going to rust if you keep it hung from the roof in
the shed... (ie. if kept in a bag to keep it clean, it should feed just
fine)

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"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:m1r02fa6ab.fsf@void.com...

By the way - never tried it but - stainless flux-cored-wire runs on any argomix - Argon with some CO2.
----------------------------

Does it run with either gas alone? I have Argon for TIG and CO2 for
autobody MIG, and free stainless flux-core that I haven't tried yet. I modified my old 75A Century machine to allow changing polarity. If I
had a good reason a neighbor might loan me his Hobart 140.

Simple answer - don't know (pure Ar or pure CO2).
Ask the Co. who makes the wire?
Look up in spec-sheets from the likes of Lincoln, Bohler, etc?

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On 4/2/2025 2:56 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:m1r02fa6ab.fsf@void.com...

By the way - never tried it but - stainless flux-cored-wire runs on any
argomix - Argon with some CO2.
----------------------------

Does it run with either gas alone? I have Argon for TIG and CO2 for
autobody MIG, and free stainless flux-core that I haven't tried yet. I
modified my old 75A Century machine to allow changing polarity. If I
had a good reason a neighbor might loan me his Hobart 140.

Simple answer - don't know (pure Ar or pure CO2).
Ask the Co. who makes the wire?
Look up in spec-sheets from the likes of Lincoln, Bohler, etc?

Not if its mystery wire as atleast one poster in this thread has posted.

I generally run pure Ar on the TIG machine for everything and on MIG for
Al. I run C25 for Mig steel. For most things it just works. I had a
bottle of trimix when I first started learning to MIG weld because the
gas supplier said it would run stainless or steel. I hated it, and it
probably added years to my learning curve. I don't weld all that much,
and welded even less back then.

In order to remember basics I have written some of them on the top of my
Miller 212 with a black paint marker. (In spite of my gripes about
things he didn't follow through on, Gunner's suggestion of a Xylene
based paint marker was excellent.)

As to xylene based paint markers, I don't buy any other kind now, and
then get lost long before they quit working. The markings hole up
fairly well. The markers last a long time. They seem to mark on stuff
other markers won't leave a readable line for long. They have one
issue. Markings take a long time to dry. I can live with that.






--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

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On 02/04/2025 20:14, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:vsk0ik$2h1ms$1@dont-email.me...

On 4/2/2025 2:56 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1r02fa6ab.fsf@void.com...

By the way - never tried it but - stainless flux-cored-wire runs on any
argomix - Argon with some CO2.
----------------------------

Does it run with either gas alone? I have Argon for TIG and CO2 for
autobody MIG, and free stainless flux-core that I haven't tried yet. I
modified my old 75A Century machine to allow changing polarity. If I
had a good reason a neighbor might loan me his Hobart 140.

I've found many different answers, perhaps they all work. This says
straight CO2 is OK. https://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/Products/hpg-na-stainless-fcaw "Economical choice, as 100% carbon dioxide can be used as the
shielding gas"

As I understand it here in the UK CO2 usage at pubs went up quite a bit
with the introduction of cheap MIG welders as a mate down the pub could
swap a bottle on the side, apparently the brewers now track usage much
more closely to make sure it tallies with drink sales. No idea what
happens on your side of the pond. I've never tried straight CO2 but I
know a few people that have in the past and rebuilt a few cars with pub gas.

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On Wed, 2 Apr 2025 21:24:17 +0100
David Billington <djb@invalid.com> wrote:

<snip>

I've never tried straight CO2 but I
know a few people that have in the past and rebuilt a few cars with pub gas.

Interesting CO2 source😄️

I've always used 75/25 mix... Was told by weld supply and have since
read numerous times that CO2 will give better penetration but
also more splatter than 75/25🤷️

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI

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On 4/2/2025 3:24 PM, David Billington wrote:

On 02/04/2025 20:14, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:vsk0ik$2h1ms$1@dont-email.me...

On 4/2/2025 2:56 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1r02fa6ab.fsf@void.com...

By the way - never tried it but - stainless flux-cored-wire runs on any >>>> argomix - Argon with some CO2.
----------------------------

Does it run with either gas alone? I have Argon for TIG and CO2 for
autobody MIG, and free stainless flux-core that I haven't tried yet. I >>>> modified my old 75A Century machine to allow changing polarity. If I
had a good reason a neighbor might loan me his Hobart 140.

I've found many different answers, perhaps they all work. This says
straight CO2 is OK.
https://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/Products/hpg-na-stainless-fcaw
"Economical choice, as 100% carbon dioxide can be used as the
shielding gas"

As I understand it here in the UK CO2 usage at pubs went up quite a bit
with the introduction of cheap MIG welders as a mate down the pub could
swap a bottle on the side, apparently the brewers now track usage much
more closely to make sure it tallies with drink sales. No idea what
happens on your side of the pond. I've never tried straight CO2 but I
know a few people that have in the past and rebuilt a few cars with pub
gas.

I've been using straight CO2 on my MIG machine since I bought it .
Leaves more spatter* than C25 , but most of my projects are function
over form and looks ain't near as important as function .
*I've been told that a spray of PAM lessens the difficulty of spatter removal . Haven't tried it so ...
--
Snag
We live in a time where intelligent people
are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

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On 4/2/2025 3:36 PM, Leon Fisk wrote:

On Wed, 2 Apr 2025 21:24:17 +0100
David Billington <djb@invalid.com> wrote:

<snip>

I've never tried straight CO2 but I
know a few people that have in the past and rebuilt a few cars with pub gas.

Interesting CO2 source😄️

I've always used 75/25 mix... Was told by weld supply and have since
read numerous times that CO2 will give better penetration but
also more splatter than 75/25🤷️

My first CO2 bottle started life under a fountain head ... and
they're right , better penetration but more cleanup . I've used CO2 from
the time I bought a MIG machine . Tried C25 at first with a tiny bottle
and it was OK ... then Bill gave me the CO2 bottle . And the rest is
history .
--
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We live in a time where intelligent people
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stupid people won't be offended.

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On 4/2/2025 3:21 PM, Snag wrote:

On 4/2/2025 3:24 PM, David Billington wrote:

On 02/04/2025 20:14, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:vsk0ik$2h1ms$1@dont-email.me...

On 4/2/2025 2:56 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1r02fa6ab.fsf@void.com...

By the way - never tried it but - stainless flux-cored-wire runs on
any
argomix - Argon with some CO2.
----------------------------

Does it run with either gas alone? I have Argon for TIG and CO2 for
autobody MIG, and free stainless flux-core that I haven't tried yet. I >>>>> modified my old 75A Century machine to allow changing polarity. If I >>>>> had a good reason a neighbor might loan me his Hobart 140.

I've found many different answers, perhaps they all work. This says
straight CO2 is OK.
https://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/Products/hpg-na-stainless-fcaw
"Economical choice, as 100% carbon dioxide can be used as the
shielding gas"

As I understand it here in the UK CO2 usage at pubs went up quite a
bit with the introduction of cheap MIG welders as a mate down the pub
could swap a bottle on the side, apparently the brewers now track
usage much more closely to make sure it tallies with drink sales. No
idea what happens on your side of the pond. I've never tried straight
CO2 but I know a few people that have in the past and rebuilt a few
cars with pub gas.

  I've been using straight CO2 on my MIG machine since I bought it .
Leaves more spatter* than C25 , but most of my projects are function
over form and looks ain't near as important as function .
  *I've been told that a spray of PAM lessens the difficulty of spatter removal . Haven't tried it so ...

I have never used PAM, but I do use anti spatter spray when I am working
on the welding table to minimize surface damage.


--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

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...

Trimix for "black" (carbon-manganese steel) doesn't sound like it would
be a happy experience.
As it would be more expensive than Ar-CO2 MIG steel gas, never got to try it.

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