How to Weld Steel with a Flux Cored Welder

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Cut the steel to size.

   The steel must be free from any rust, paint or other contaminants.
   
   Clean it with a carbon steel wire brush.
   
   You can use a stainless brush to clean with if that is all you have.
2. 2

   Step 2: Gather all your equipment.

   This includes a flux cored welder, welding gloves, a welding mask, safety goggles, slag chipping hammer and a spool of flux core wire.,, This is the mask, safety goggles and gloves.
   
   Wear goggles under the mask to protect from hot slag and debris.
   
   If the mask is the handheld face shield type, set it aside until you need to weld.
   
   Then hold the face shield with one hand over your face and the welding gun in the other.
   
   Make sure to wear safety goggles at all times, even during cleanup.
   
   Always wear welding gloves, even during setup and cleanup to prevent cuts from metal edges., Clean the area the clamp contacts the workpiece with a wire brush.,,,,, Keep squeezing the trigger as you move the gun along the steel.,,, A spring handled hammer is easy to grip even with gloves on and reduces shock for long periods of work.,, This guide is quite useful to determine if the weld is good or not: http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/68000-68999/Q68887.pdf.,, Butt weld two scrap plates.
   
   Clamp them in a bench vise and apply force with a large adjustable wrench.
   
   You can also use a pipe wrench.
   
   The weld should bend, but not break.
   
   If it breaks, then the weld is brittle.
   
   Weld another test piece and clamp it in the bench vise.
   
   Hit it hard with a hammer.
   
   The weld should also bend and not break.
   
   If the weld fails either one of these tests, you need more practice., Then try again! Remember, practice makes perfect for welding.
3. 3

   Step 3: Load the wire into the machine by following the proper instructions that came with your machine.

4. 4

   Step 4: Put on all of your safety gear.

5. 5

   Step 5: Connect the grounding clamp to the workpiece.

6. 6

   Step 6: Clamp the workpieces together with C-clamps

7. 7

   Step 7: locking pliers or magnetic squares.

8. 8

   Step 8: If you are on a MIG welder

9. 9

   Step 9: change the cables from DCEN to DCEP.

10. 10

    Step 10: Squeeze the wire feed trigger until the wire pokes out about 13mm from the tip.

11. 11

    Step 11: Set the current and wire feed according to a weld chart.

12. 12

    Step 12: Tap the wire to the steel and quickly pull back

13. 13

    Step 13: striking an arc.

14. 14

    Step 14: Move at the right speed for the steel

15. 15

    Step 15: this will take some testing on your part.

16. 16

    Step 16: Unplug the welder

17. 17

    Step 17: but keep your safety equipment on.

18. 18

    Step 18: Using a slag chipping hammer

19. 19

    Step 19: chip all of the slag off of the weld.

20. 20

    Step 20: Brush the weld with a nylon wire brush to get the little bits of slag out.

21. 21

    Step 21: Inspect the weld.

22. 22

    Step 22: If you like

23. 23

    Step 23: you can paint the finished weld once it is cleaned.

24. 24

    Step 24: Before you weld on anything structural

25. 25

    Step 25: test your welding technique.

26. 26

    Step 26: Keep welding more scrap steel if your welds failed the test described above.

Detailed Guide

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