Been welding 18 years and just now switched to pulse MIG for field repairs

I used to run straight flux-core on every outdoor job because I thought pulse MIG was just for the shop guys. Tried it on a boiler repair in Kansas City last month and the spatter reduction was unreal. Has anybody else made the switch late and felt dumb for not doing it sooner?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosebennett12d ago

Has anyone else run into issues with the gas coverage on windy days since making the switch? Because I tried pulse MIG on a bridge repair in Oklahoma last spring and the argon mix got blown all over the place. The spatter was way less for sure, but I had to go back to flux-core on half the welds just to keep porosity out of it. Your mileage may vary depending on where you're working, but I'd say pulse MIG shines best when you've got some kind of wind break or you're working inside a structure. Just something to think about if you're mostly doing outdoor field stuff like me.

christopherj6311d ago

Rosebennett's Oklahoma wind story reminds me of a job I had patching an old grain silo in Kansas last fall. I brought a pulse MIG setup and the wind was dead calm that morning, so I got cocky and skipped the wind screen, then the gusts picked up around noon and I spent two hours grinding out bad beads. After that I just kept a roll of flux-core in the truck for when the weather turns, which is pretty much every day on the plains.