I have a weld test for utlx this thursday. I've been mig welding for about 3 years now, just no flux core. I'm very good at mig welding is it pretty much the same?

 

Is it the same motion back in fourth or circular, I've heard just drag it. Is that the same for bigger stuff like half inch plate?

 

pretty similar but with slag you must drag the puddle. you can do a slight whipping motion but keep it small because too much manipulation will cause lack of fusion or slag inclusion both of which are bad.

 

Is the slag kinda like 7018?

 

Also does anyone know what kind of test the do for flux core? Its for a train company.

 

I doubt it has any relevance to you as I'm on the other side of the world, but our "standard test" is a horizontal single bevel and a vertical V-butt. Or you can just do an overhead V-butt in the place of the two others.
Over here we'd use R56 wire on a test, in which case the slag flows nicely and just falls off.

 

Well... thats something you do not want to be doing... well at least not with a rutile or a basic flux cored wire since there is much more risk of slag inclusion.

What kind of flux cored are you welding. Metal filled flux cored, rutile flux cored or Basic flux cored ?

Metal flux cored is pretty much the same as your normal solid wire although it does smoke a bit more, it has a bit different penetration, it often is a bit more thin liquid so a standing fillerweld will be sagging a bit quicker.

It really depents on which flux cored wire and also when its for instance an rutile.... which one it is.

Since you are writing about slag, I assume its a Rutile flux cored one. I've used them welding S960QL (sorry for the european codes... im from holland)..on a track. This went perfect.. no problems at all but it was a simple buttweld. I hardly had any problems with the slag. These where longitudinal seams on beams for telescopic cranes.

When welding flux cored wires as in a filled weld, I've found that most welders have problems with slag inclusion. You'll have to find the best way for yourself but basically you will want keep your torch a bit more like welding GMAW. very important is your travel speed. Do not go to slow so you will end op welding on your own puddle and get slag inclusions.
Only experience i have with rutile flux cored wires on filled welds are "black-white" welds. 50mm Mild steel on 30mm AISI304. welded with a 309L. Our welders really had to practice to have no inclusions anymore. You can make a macroscopic cut or a break test to check that. The slag will most probably sit on the root of the filletweld wen welded not correctly.

Regarding the qualifications... i only know the EN standards not the ASME. For welders performance qualifications it depends on the position you're welding in. Normally when welding in the 1G or 2F position in the EN287-1 you would have the qualify a Butt weld and a fillet weld. The tests are (out of my head) buttweld: MT-test X-ray and bend test and fillet weld: MT-test Macroscopic examination, and a break test

For the welding procedure specification would be in europe according to the EN15614-1 and this would be a fillet weld and a butt weld. with the following tests:
- MT-test
- X-ray
- Tensile test
- Face bend test
- Root bend test
- Side bend test
- Impact test (3x)
- Hardness test
- Macroscopic examination

I don't think the ASME has much different tests although it will probably differ in validity ranges

I'm supprised that you can just weld on railroads without this knowlege... when welding for the railroads overhere you will need much and much more qualifications. (expecially shop qualifications)...

 

Since there's less motion with the flux core shouldn't hard wire be a little harder than flux core? My test is tomorrow at 10 in the morning, so I'm starting to get very nervous! I really need this job bad, I have a 18 month baby and I wanna give her everything she wants...and build my ej8 the right way!

 

Sorry i didn't read very well i see.... your not a shop owner... you just need to do a test weld. Well, than u don't have to worry about the procedure qualifications etc etc.. Welders qualification will probably be a butt weld and a filled weld. Nothing special.

About the wire on a train company... i probably think you will have to weld a metal filled flux cored wire. Its not very different than your solid wire. A good flux cored wire has less spatter and is a bit more relaxed... you do want to weld a flux cored wire on its max power to get any decent result but they will probably have a welding procedure ready for you...

 

My "standard" for a metal filled flux cored wire for mild steel..
1,2mm wire --> 260-280A power... eehh about 25,5 - 26V (guess).. and travel speed of about 350 - 400 mm per minute travel speed which gives u about 1 - 1.2 KJ heat input (this is all from my head so its just a guideline)..

This way you probably get a low spatter spray-arc which is good for a decent filled weld of about 4mm a-height

If your welding metal cored flux wire you should not worry to much. We use it allot in the shop for thick materials (30 to 200m thick) with really big fillet welds because with a metal flux wire you can get very high travel speeds which saves allot of time in production. On our track we get about 1meter per minute of travel speed and by hand about 500mm per minute since most welders cant weld faster. And there is less spatter than with solid wire which also reduces production costs....

So therefore i think you will have to weld a metal cored flux wire... not one with slag like the rutile or basic... they are most of the times used in other applications

One other tip.... please don't go back and fourth.... i hate it when welders do that. A good welder has a steady hand and he welds with the correct speed forward !! Problem with back and fourth is the risk of lack of penetration on a fillet weld.

 

I have shop qualifications we did very big stuff, I've done aluminum nozzles on tanks with no leaks and everything looked amazing. I've welded whole stainless tanks with 308er...I believe it was. It was on the mig and never had a leak or complaint it was perfect. Just not welded with the flux core. Also we shot out pipe like crazy and never had a leak. They said they were going to train me also and seemed more worried about safety. I told him safety is like sex, you just can't get enough was our saying cause we've been in plants a crap load of times. It made him laugh his *** off I think that's what prob got me the job.

 

Well that's good I mean its mostly visual right? The guy who showed me how to weld said its 80% visual 10% attitude and 10% just knowing what the eff your doing...but I believe he was just joking. He taught me everything a little tig I can walk the cup just can't set a root on a 8" pipe without rolling it. Also I can stick rod pretty good just don't think I'm qualified enough to go take a weld test for it. Even though now I'm feeling more comfertable taking a stick rod test than flux core. But if you say the metal filled is kinda the same than I shouldn't be too bad off. My mentor says I'm like a spounge I take in everything right off the bat.

 

So its just I'm just going to drag it instead of a weave motion and just watch the puddle fill up. I'm sure I'm going to need to have the right angle what 45-50 degrees to keep the puddle behind me?

 

See I can weld pretty good

 

Oh and thank everyone for all the advice I really apreciate it very much! I just hope I do well tomorrow and get the job!

 

Well with the metal cored you can weld the same as with the solid wire no problem also u dont have to pull. With the slag cored rutile or basic.. you would probably want to weld about neutral...+/- 15 degrees.

About the picture...this was welded in the upright position ?? From the bottom up as i see ?

 

That piece I was rolling it with my shoulder and welding on top of it while rolling it out while it was on saw horses. We had a bunch of pieces of pipe and I did them the fastest I knew how.

 

That day I think I had 8 pieces of 12" pipe that had flanges on both sides. On the inside I had to put two passes to make it round and flush with the face of the flange so they could put a plastic liner inside the pipe. Here's a picture of the face of the flange on a 8" pipe they all had to be welded like this.

 

Sorry for the big pictures, I'm using my blackberry and the internet suck's for boost mobile. But hey maybe you can see the welds better with the bigger pictures.

 

Took my weld test today thank everyone for giving advice cause it payed off. I did stick rod vertical and stick rod over head and passed those. Then I did stick rod with stainless rod vertical and over head then passed those. After that they gave me flux core vertical and overhead and passed those the only thing I messed up on was my gouging I went off track. The tester gave me two options either I can be on the assembly line making 17 a hour or take there welding school making 12 a hour. Before he could even finish talking I said give me the school I always want to learn more! He told me with me taking there school I'm going to make 20-28 buck's a hour! I start school at 7 in the morning tomorrow!!

 

nice.. now what kind of flux cored was it actually ? Metal, rutile or basic ?....

 

Belive it was basic it had some kind of gray blackish coating on it I didn't ask ill ask them tomorrow the guys that give the test also teach the welding school. There was a guy next to me and he didn't even get past the stick rod part his welds were like 3/4 of a inch wide and the guy on the other side of me got the same options that I got and he took the assembly line instead of waiting a few weeks for the school. I said eff it I want the big money and to keep welding. He said he was glad I took the classes cause then I learn there process and make more money.

 

Well if it had quite some slag that came of easily... it was probably rutile. Basic has less slag and its more glass-like (brownish).. Metal cored does not have any slag. Just some sillicates as with normal solid wire.

The grey "coating" is probably just graphite. It's very common with flux cored wire and sometimes its so bad that it kinda messes up your liner if you don't clean it now and than. Its something that most wire producers haven't gotten stable yet. The coating is there when the wire is made as a closed tube which has been filled with flux and than pulled to a smaller diameter. The graphite is there to lubricate during the process and to prevent it agains rust afterwards. We had quite some problems with the SAF-FRO Innoxcored 309L in the past. the graphite of the wire really clogged the liner of our machines which are normally powerfull enough to push tru it (Fronius transpulsesenergic 5000).... It got better with later batches.

With folded wires you don't really have this problem but then again folded flux cored wires attract much more hydrogen.

 

all of the welding that i do is 3/32 flux on a rotating positioner. i weld wheels for the us military its a basic filled wire along with that i use .045 spray transfer metal core wire with a 95/5 mixure gas. all of the 3/32 is done with 100% co2 all in the flat or horizontal position. i can .045 flux in every position but i managed to land this job that im at where everything is done in the flat.

 

this is just some of the stuff i have...phones arent allowed in the shop so i had to take a couple of quick shots...none of these are miitary wheels these are earth mover stuff and CAT wheels