If this video was helpful to you, consider donating a few bucks to help me keep the lights on and make more content just like this, THANK YOU! www.givesendgo.com/TheNightwrencher
I'm self taught, which means I'm horrible with thin wall, until I watched this.. I was beveling and blowing through nonstop, watched this and boom, my blow through problem solved.. thanks man.
You've got a great teacher.He patiently and gracefully teaches you everything from fabrication to welding.All the teachers who taught us while we were studying were very strict with us.Watching this video reminds our study time AWESOME
I’m glad as a non taught welder that when I watch videos like these teaching you that I’m doing things right or at least have the right ideas and directions to make my welds the best. How you explained is exactly how I did my exhaust with flux core. Thanx man
@@NightWrencher what's the exact amp, dials and the name of the flux used for thin metal? I need to build a exhaust for a generator so it's even thinner than your car exhaust pipe.
Kinda like you mate. Did some body work on my car. The thinnest plate was like 1/6... Put the welding in 13v/30-40A and minimum inductance. I tacked the corners, run a spot like on both edges to get'em closer together (I had ~1/10 missing) and then started the same spot weld technique but on the puddle in the middle and doing it much faster. Maybe I'll help someone.
That depends on the consumables used tbh. What he did was a "stitch weld" and you see that on auto body metals a lot. Cleaning slag is more important for thicker metal. If you have a wire that puts out next to no slag, like some do, and if your weld pool isn't getting too cold before the next stitch, then you won't see slag traps as much or at all
I just got started with flux core, 9+ times out of 10 I find the slag flakes off spontaneously on cooling, on rare occasions some gets a bit of purchase but welding on top of it seems to just melt it and add it to the pool. No inclusions yet. I'm absolutely hooked now, never suspected flux core would be so much fun.
@@lucasblizzard7261 says right in the title flux core, one of it's characteristics is leaving a layer of slag. Regardless of what welding procedure you are using you should always clean the weld between passes.
One question to ya all i have 0.30 wire and i need it fo car bodie panels 1 mm .will i ger better results if i buy thiner wire 0.30 is 0.8 mm and i can put thinner wire 0.6 mm
Very helpful video, I have a cheap (£100) gassless mig welder and I've been attempting to weld some thin metal pipes and blowing holes straight through, this vid clearly explains the correct procedure and concept
Key when welding exhausts is to weld onto weld. I.E stick a weld onto the old material both sides, not trying to join anything - then join your welds to each other. Once you get even a tiny bit joined - no matter how big the gap is - keep welding onto your weld, ignore the base metal. Weld onto weld. Using a long C as your weld pattern works great - just keep laying one C onto the next C, working around the whole pipe. The benefit of using big C's is when you're done, it looks real pretty too. :-) Like stacking dimes.
@@NightWrencher Flux core is also waaay better for "spot welds" - I.E plug welds to join panels. More especially so if you are using weld-through primer. Gas mig will sulk & spit, flux core will weld ahead & with better penetration. Filling big voids is also fast & easy with flux, plus it cares a lot less about "perfect" metal preparation.
This honestly made so much sense to me. I’ve been experiencing most of the issues you talked about here and I figured a few of these issues out on my own the extra input from you deff helped me thanks man.
Finally some real world welding help. Enough right on the money advice for a common sense person to do the job. First time using a yard sale mig and every single video I watched just made me panic. there was no way this was going to work. Every bad thing you described might happen did on my first try. Did what you said without cleaning anything once I started. Then hit it with the grinder once it was all put together. After that it was easy to make it all pretty just like the other videos show you. Thanks
Just use a coat hanger as a filler rod as you weld the seam with your wire feed welder. Lay the coat hanger along the seam and strike your arc on the coat hanger instead of on the thinned exhaust pipe. Works like a charm when welding thin metal, you ought to give it a try. .
@@bryanbisimotopinas345 : I know that well, lots of useless flux core 6’ long. The coat hanger is larger diameter, the arc blows the flux core wire away like thin metal, too small. It’s a shame because it would be a great way of using up those worthless scraps of flux core. .
Awesome video! This is the way. I've been welding exhaust with flux core for years. It's not show quality, but I've never had one come back, and my welds outlast the parts welded together.
Seems like good input. I love how with UA-cam i can watch multiple videos and accumulate the highlights of each one to approach something new with confidence like welding
@@NightWrencher did u ever do heat shields? I was thinking to tack hex head machined screws like cookies to a sheet metal sheet and cutting squares to tack them to the car body. Any tips on tacking to the body? Where should i ground. I got 2 shields to do with the exhaust repair
That can work, you can ground on any clean piece of metal on the body but you need to make sure the battery is disconnected and any computer is unhooked from the ground to prevent damage
@@NightWrencher okay i gotta do the exhaust this week so ill do the shields. I honestly wouldnt of disconnected the battery or the ecu but i will now. Makes sense to play safe. Thanks for liking my comment so i could ask this
I went 15y ago to a 2 week welding course. Now on youtube in 2 evenings watching for only few hours I learned a lot more. Thank you and your fellow creators. i needed to do a few repairs at home and now will use it also for more things
Welded piece of 16 gauge to fill a hole l created today. Got it done but I wish I had seen this earlier today cause I would grind down the weld then get cracks or see a hole start to form, reweld and do it all over again. Great video !
very useful information. will help a lot of people. you guy's gotta go ahead and actually essentially take it easy with the UA-cam lingo though. at least I didn't hear smash the like button, or hit that bell, or the link is in the description. but anyway, thanks for uploading and helping others, it takes time and allot of extra effort. Great tips, all on point.
Notice the wait he takes between each weld to when filling the gap? In my (year of) experience, that's because if you run for too long on really thin metals it'll melt through. Fight your stick welding urges until you've put in the root, then go back over it. It's just going to have to be ugly as sin the first time through.
This video makes tons of sense. Thank you so much. I am using a Lincoln electric quick weld 110 and trying to make it work but so far it has been ugly. I will try to employ your guidance and see if I can make something decent with this machine. Thanks again!
Thank you...that is what i needed to hear. I am a bit of a challenged welder,and i am building a drift trike with some friends and i was turning it into swiss cheese...lol...so thank youbagain
Just learning how to weld and my first job is exhaust on my project truck. I've been practicing on the old exhaust that I cut off and I've been burning through it and doing basically everything you said would happen. This video was a huge help. I can't wait to get home and try again.. Thanks!
"Drag it into the void". Thanks, I needed a cool name for my band... But seriously, I recently got a small flux core MIG from the Harbor Frought and it's way different from the 480V welders at work, so this helped a lot...
@@NightWrencher More than you can imagine. I just found my Land Rover exhaust has come apart at a flange. The metal looks good, it just looks like the manufacturer was very shy when welding on the flange and the two have parted company. I think I will mark up the alignment, take the pipe off and redo the flange weld. If it works the system should last me a few more years as the pipes all look fine.
@@NightWrencher Thanks for the advice. I will double check, but it doesnt look broken at first look, it seems to have just pulled out of the flange. Maybe it was only tacked. If I have to buy a new mid pipe its not a big issue. Thanks again.
Than you for this as it really will help .. can you advise me what wire to use as I wish to buy gas less and weld my exhaust and my bike frame aswell .. many thanks
Hey man, if you want to switch to gasless welding you will need a roll of lincoln innershield wire, prefferably .030 because thats the thinnest you can get for flux core
Good tips! Another method to welding super thin material is tack welding it 100% with all tacks over lapping 50% or run small beads 1 at a time then cool with air and continue on until joint filled!
Wish I had seen this 3 days ago. Was building an exhaust for my 78 Case 446 using the flange and first six inches of stock exhaust, and adding tubing to that. Big paper thin. Had to fill in more holes than I can count where it blew through
Good information!! Will stick welding work for body panels? I know tig is the correct way to go for body panels but curious if stick would work? Thanks
I don't think hardly any uses tig for body panels unless its really high end body work. Ideally you'd want to use mig wire and gas for body work. Minimal spatter and head distortion. Flux core works too but its not as forgiving as mig and also theres more clean up. Stick, I would not attempt unless you're really really good. Compare trying to melt a .025" thick wire to a .125 " rod. Itll take more heat to get it going and flowing. For body work, I would not recomment
I made my own pie cut exhaust, welded it with flux core. It looks awful, and my choice of crossover and "muffler" make it quite loud... I used an x pipe and a 2-in-2-out cherry bomb extreme "muffler" with a pair of pie cut turndown tips. Ahead of the Xpipe, I have a pair of high-flow mini cats(1 for each bank). This is all on my 1996 Audi A4 Quattro; 2.8L 12V V6. I've got essentially the whole process I took on my UA-cam channel under "Community" and I uploaded the 2 takes of me starting it after the exhaust was done. I tell a story better using pictures over a longer time vs videos... my ADHD can't handle that added difficulty setting(I lose enough tools as I'm working, I can't imagine the things I say being recorded lmao). Thanks for your tips, I will definitely keep them in mind next time I weld exhaust.
I built both turbo manifolds for my projects with a Lincoln flux core machine. The second obviously turned out better cause the learning is the fun part.
Thank You for the video. Question: Would you recommend setup using the negative lead on the weld gun, and positive lead on the ground for thin steel? supposedly it reduces spatter and the welds look better because negative goes to the positive work surface for a better weld. Is it necessary?
@@NightWrencher Straight polarity (+ve earth) for flux core, reverse polarity (-ve earth) for standard mig. Maybe I'm missing something but why would this matter less with an old style transformer welder? I'm no electrician but presumably for DC welding the method of conversion is different but the output is basically the same.
hi i got a galvanized steel pipe for fence and wanted to weld it i got a flux core 125 v but it was not welding it at all no spark or so what am i doing wrong
Sorry for the late reply! Galvanized and aluminized steel needs to be sanded to bare metal before it can be welded. Make sure the ground is connected to a clean part of the metal that has been sanded too.
When you were starting on top of the weld and draging into the void over and over, I never saw you chip or brush any slag before the many restarts. Didn't the flux leave slag where you restarted? How did you prevent slag inclusion? I'm trying to learn. Thanks.
You only need to worry about that if its something structual like a building or chassis. When doing exhaust work, fabricating brackets or even body work. The small inclusions don't matter. This is all to help you do DIY stuff. In a professional setting, they use gas welders or dual shield wire which is a different ball game entirely.
Very good information. Way better than your half drunk neighbor who has a harbor freight welder and that makes him a aerospace grade underwater pipeline welder. Hid welds look like a piece of swiss cheese got in a fight with a porcupine, holes and wire everywhere.hahaha. But seriously that guy lives near my house.
For a booger welder like me, this was a great video on not just exhausts, but other thin metals too. If using gas or dual, is it pretty much the same techniques?
Aluminum wire can only be welded to aluminum. Copper colored solid wire is what you would use for MIG but I used flux core which is a grey/silver wire.
Yes but no. The weld wont start on slag so if you start it on the clean metal and pull it into the existing tack, the slag that was on it will float to the top. Depending on what youre welding, you can clean it all off, and then weld a bead accross the whole joint. Thicker metal thats ok but thinner metal youll be fine with just the tacks
@@NightWrencher thanks, I'll try leaving it next time. It's very time consuming to wire brush it each time before striking the next arc. I appreciate the quick response and good information, I'm still learning
Do you have any advice on welding thin muffler pipe overhead? Just got done with an extensive project and had material buildup and some dripping off and on.
Overhead upside down is a little hard. I like to start from the top and work my way down. Usually I turn down the wire speed a hair to keep it from balling up. Once you see it start to form a large puddle, let it cool and restart the weld at the base of the previous bead. Sometimes it pulls material off the mound and levels out the bead
I can tell you but if you dont have the same machine, same wire, same metal thickness and same hand movements, it wont do you any good. I will say, go with the lowest settings and move slower. If the weld doesnt lay over flat, keep going hotter until it does.
It depends, you can do it without cleaning it and it will still weld. You'll get a little porosity but if its sheet metal, it doesnt matter, the weld will be strong enough and most of the junk will float to the top anyway. If you want a cleaner job, clean the weld up before running the second pass. It will strike easier and should buzz along.
I wish I had seen this video a few months ago when I built my exhaust and decided to weld it all together. I kept blowing holes in the pipe like crazy so I abandoned the welding and used band clamps.
I was thinking of trying my luck (but with great hesitation) on wire welding my db killer insert (thin metal) to my M4 exhaust; Would this work? Also I don’t plan to take it off the bike but curious on what I should hook the ground cable on to. Also what wire should I use?
It should weld fine but use anti spatter spay and just put a few tacks all the way around. .030 wire would work well. Also, make sure to disconnect the battery if it has one and hook the ground on a bolt head or something directly hooked up to your exhaust.
Preferably I like to use .030 I couldnt find any in a 10lb spool and 1lb spools run out too fast and are too expensive so right now I'm running .035 lincoln wire. It takes a little more heat to get going smooth but for thicker stuff it works really well.
@@NightWrencher i'm using some NR211MP 0.045" from lincoln. usually I go with some ESAB 0.030 but ran out of it :) the ESAB is somewhat cleaner i think....
Thank you for this sir. I'm an avid tradesmen and always looking to upgrade my skills, and I'm learning welding diy. I've built a set of 12 foot gates using 2"x2"x1/8" steel. I kinda impressed myself with those results but Im getting worked over trying to learn how to weld even thinner stuff like 1/16" etc. Subscribed my friend
Haha I know it’s months since you posted this but when you say you turn your welder all the way down, what’s all the way down? I’m using a yeswelder mig 205ds. It has gas and fluxcore option. I’ll be going fluxcore. So where do you recommend starting? 50-60?
I installed it like how I have it in the video and then installed it in my truck, then I clocked the second one and tacked it in place. After that the rest is easy. For the center I just weld it on the inside and do my best on the outside
@@NightWrencher thank you I'm going to weld in side of the flange like that. The turbo weighs a lot so I put a bracket on it So it doesn't break the welding 🥽 on the flange. My motor is solid mounted to the frame no rubber mounts the vibration shook and broke the welds on the last one. Thank you 👍🏽📹
Hey, thanks for the video. I'm a very very new welder, ie, I wanted to modify my Bike exhaust so went and bought a Unimig Viper 120 to learn with and do the job, my first ever welding. I found even with the settings way down I blew through and got to learn that I needed to tack as you say here. My question is my welder came with .08 flux core, would .06 be better to use and not blow through so quickly? Thanks, really useful video, especially about being able to build on top of the tacks.. Thanks
@@NightWrencher Awesome thanks... Sadly the wire speed and power are integrated on this little welder... I'll swap to the thinner wire though, I figured it'd probably be the thing to do.. Thanks pal...
I would also imagine the wire you use has to be rated for multi-pass use. I believe the Lincoln wire is rated as such, but Vulcan and many others are not. Excellent tips. Thanks.
yes indeed. I couldn't find a muffler for my sentra 2005 with correct size pipe. Had to make repairs myself, welding old one back on. had to spot weld and then build on top of that.
If this video was helpful to you, consider donating a few bucks to help me keep the lights on and make more content just like this, THANK YOU! www.givesendgo.com/TheNightwrencher
Some people are just born to be great teachers. You’re one of them.
Thanks man, the means a lot! 👍
Finally someone who explains how to weld thin wall metal. Your the man! Thanks so much
Thank you! I really appreciate it!
Watch Fitzee's Fabrications. He does a lot of bady work with 20-18 ga. I've welded quite a bit on my Jeep thanks to him.
Don't do this
I'm self taught, which means I'm horrible with thin wall, until I watched this.. I was beveling and blowing through nonstop, watched this and boom, my blow through problem solved.. thanks man.
Thats awesome! I'm happy its working for you!
You've got a great teacher.He patiently and gracefully teaches you everything from fabrication to welding.All the teachers who taught us while we were studying were very strict with us.Watching this video reminds our study time AWESOME
I’m glad as a non taught welder that when I watch videos like these teaching you that I’m doing things right or at least have the right ideas and directions to make my welds the best. How you explained is exactly how I did my exhaust with flux core. Thanx man
Thats awesome!
@@NightWrencher what's the exact amp, dials and the name of the flux used for thin metal? I need to build a exhaust for a generator so it's even thinner than your car exhaust pipe.
@@BOREDANDWELLBOREDif it is even thinner, you might be better off with oxy acetylene and soldering.
@@BOREDANDWELLBORED❤😂😮
Kinda like you mate. Did some body work on my car. The thinnest plate was like 1/6... Put the welding in 13v/30-40A and minimum inductance. I tacked the corners, run a spot like on both edges to get'em closer together (I had ~1/10 missing) and then started the same spot weld technique but on the puddle in the middle and doing it much faster. Maybe I'll help someone.
You have to clean the slag off between each layer. The tack method is a good idea, but clean it before your next pass.
That depends on the consumables used tbh. What he did was a "stitch weld" and you see that on auto body metals a lot. Cleaning slag is more important for thicker metal. If you have a wire that puts out next to no slag, like some do, and if your weld pool isn't getting too cold before the next stitch, then you won't see slag traps as much or at all
I just got started with flux core, 9+ times out of 10 I find the slag flakes off spontaneously on cooling, on rare occasions some gets a bit of purchase but welding on top of it seems to just melt it and add it to the pool. No inclusions yet. I'm absolutely hooked now, never suspected flux core would be so much fun.
@@lucasblizzard7261 says right in the title flux core, one of it's characteristics is leaving a layer of slag. Regardless of what welding procedure you are using you should always clean the weld between passes.
@@idabomb00 I'm a welder
One question to ya all i have 0.30 wire and i need it fo car bodie panels 1 mm .will i ger better results if i buy thiner wire 0.30 is 0.8 mm and i can put thinner wire 0.6 mm
Very helpful video, I have a cheap (£100) gassless mig welder and I've been attempting to weld some thin metal pipes and blowing holes straight through, this vid clearly explains the correct procedure and concept
After 20 videos, I finally found what I was after. Great video!
Thanks man, I hope it helps!
I just started welding. I'm currently restoring a 1973 Jaguar XJ12 and the exhaust was TOAST. Your instructional videos have helped me tremendously.
Thats awesome man! I hope your restoration goes well!
Key when welding exhausts is to weld onto weld. I.E stick a weld onto the old material both sides, not trying to join anything - then join your welds to each other. Once you get even a tiny bit joined - no matter how big the gap is - keep welding onto your weld, ignore the base metal. Weld onto weld. Using a long C as your weld pattern works great - just keep laying one C onto the next C, working around the whole pipe. The benefit of using big C's is when you're done, it looks real pretty too. :-) Like stacking dimes.
Thats what I do too. welding in a C is uncommon in other welding processes but for flux core it works great
@@NightWrencher Flux core is also waaay better for "spot welds" - I.E plug welds to join panels. More especially so if you are using weld-through primer. Gas mig will sulk & spit, flux core will weld ahead & with better penetration. Filling big voids is also fast & easy with flux, plus it cares a lot less about "perfect" metal preparation.
I expect this is not the only bit of wisdom this young man has to offer. Darn right I’ll subscribe
Thank you! I really appreciate it!
This honestly made so much sense to me. I’ve been experiencing most of the issues you talked about here and I figured a few of these issues out on my own the extra input from you deff helped me thanks man.
Thats awesome man, I hope you get it
What brand mig welder do u use ?
Finally some real world welding help. Enough right on the money advice for a common sense person to do the job. First time using a yard sale mig and every single video I watched just made me panic. there was no way this was going to work. Every bad thing you described might happen did on my first try. Did what you said without cleaning anything once I started. Then hit it with the grinder once it was all put together. After that it was easy to make it all pretty just like the other videos show you. Thanks
Glad it helped!
Ive watched heaps of these vids on youtube, this is the easiest to understand.
Thank you! Hope it helps!
Just use a coat hanger as a filler rod as you weld the seam with your wire feed welder. Lay the coat hanger along the seam and strike your arc on the coat hanger instead of on the thinned exhaust pipe. Works like a charm when welding thin metal, you ought to give it a try.
.
Thats really interesting! I'll try it!
@@NightWrencher : Had my own bodyshop for years prior to retirement, works like a charm.
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@The globe is DEAD how about using flux core wire? I have lots lying around that are left when changing spools.
@@bryanbisimotopinas345 : I know that well, lots of useless flux core 6’ long. The coat hanger is larger diameter, the arc blows the flux core wire away like thin metal, too small. It’s a shame because it would be a great way of using up those worthless scraps of flux core.
.
@@ATinyPillow so what if you wrap several pieces of flux making it larger diameter?
Awesome video! This is the way. I've been welding exhaust with flux core for years. It's not show quality, but I've never had one come back, and my welds outlast the parts welded together.
The best budget friendly, practical, just get it done coz it ain't for Instagram, beginners mig welding video I've seen. Thanks !
Thats what flux core is for!
Your videos on thin metal wielding are very helpful. We all think you for your presentations
I appreciate it! You're welcome!
Seems like good input. I love how with UA-cam i can watch multiple videos and accumulate the highlights of each one to approach something new with confidence like welding
Exactly right!
@@NightWrencher did u ever do heat shields? I was thinking to tack hex head machined screws like cookies to a sheet metal sheet and cutting squares to tack them to the car body.
Any tips on tacking to the body? Where should i ground.
I got 2 shields to do with the exhaust repair
That can work, you can ground on any clean piece of metal on the body but you need to make sure the battery is disconnected and any computer is unhooked from the ground to prevent damage
@@NightWrencher okay i gotta do the exhaust this week so ill do the shields. I honestly wouldnt of disconnected the battery or the ecu but i will now. Makes sense to play safe. Thanks for liking my comment so i could ask this
My man, thank you, finally a thorough explanation on welding thin metal. Whether it be speed and size etc. Thank you!! 💯
Thank you! I appreciate it!
Very well explained. As an amateur welder I have come to the same conclusions as explained in this video. All the tips are important.
Thank you! I appreciate it!
I went 15y ago to a 2 week welding course.
Now on youtube in 2 evenings watching for only few hours I learned a lot more. Thank you and your fellow creators. i needed to do a few repairs at home and now will use it also for more things
Welded piece of 16 gauge to fill a hole l created today.
Got it done but I wish I had seen this earlier today cause I would grind down the weld then get cracks or see a hole start to form, reweld and do it all over again.
Great video !
very useful information. will help a lot of people. you guy's gotta go ahead and actually essentially take it easy with the UA-cam lingo though. at least I didn't hear smash the like button, or hit that bell, or the link is in the description. but anyway, thanks for uploading and helping others, it takes time and allot of extra effort. Great tips, all on point.
It takes me an hour per minute of video posted so it is indeed a lot of work! Thank you!
Did not know I can ground the cable to the angle iron thank you for your knowledge and experience
As long as you have a clean ground to a metal surface that touches your metal, you can have the ground anywhere!
Notice the wait he takes between each weld to when filling the gap? In my (year of) experience, that's because if you run for too long on really thin metals it'll melt through. Fight your stick welding urges until you've put in the root, then go back over it. It's just going to have to be ugly as sin the first time through.
Exactly right!
This video makes tons of sense. Thank you so much. I am using a Lincoln electric quick weld 110 and trying to make it work but so far it has been ugly. I will try to employ your guidance and see if I can make something decent with this machine. Thanks again!
Well done, you explained the procedure very well.
Thank you...that is what i needed to hear. I am a bit of a challenged welder,and i am building a drift trike with some friends and i was turning it into swiss cheese...lol...so thank youbagain
Hope it works out!
Just learning how to weld and my first job is exhaust on my project truck. I've been practicing on the old exhaust that I cut off and I've been burning through it and doing basically everything you said would happen. This video was a huge help. I can't wait to get home and try again.. Thanks!
Thanks for this tip I am a beginner welder and self taught welder so this tip really helps me!
Good luck man! All it takes is practice!
"Drag it into the void". Thanks, I needed a cool name for my band...
But seriously, I recently got a small flux core MIG from the Harbor Frought and it's way different from the 480V welders at work, so this helped a lot...
super helpful guidance for how to weld thin materials...thanks NWrencher
I appreciate it!
Excellent video. This information is exactly what I was looking for regarding flux core. Thank you.
Thank you! I hope it helps!
@@NightWrencher ipĺp
@@NightWrencher More than you can imagine. I just found my Land Rover exhaust has come apart at a flange. The metal looks good, it just looks like the manufacturer was very shy when welding on the flange and the two have parted company. I think I will mark up the alignment, take the pipe off and redo the flange weld. If it works the system should last me a few more years as the pipes all look fine.
I've had to the same thing on rusty subaru exhaust and as long as you go wide, you should be ok. The broken ends will be very thin
@@NightWrencher Thanks for the advice. I will double check, but it doesnt look broken at first look, it seems to have just pulled out of the flange. Maybe it was only tacked. If I have to buy a new mid pipe its not a big issue. Thanks again.
Than you for this as it really will help .. can you advise me what wire to use as I wish to buy gas less and weld my exhaust and my bike frame aswell .. many thanks
Hey man, if you want to switch to gasless welding you will need a roll of lincoln innershield wire, prefferably .030 because thats the thinnest you can get for flux core
I can't thank you enough for sharing this video. Great tips !!! This is a video to save !!! Keep up the great videos... Please !!!
Thanks Scott! I appreciate it!
Good tips! Another method to welding super thin material is tack welding it 100% with all tacks over lapping 50% or run small beads 1 at a time then cool with air and continue on until joint filled!
Exactly! Very tedious but it works!
I love this kind of video. Super helpful and informative. THANK YOU!
I really appreciate it! Thank you!
Picked up a welder and starting practicing, thanks for the video
Wish I had seen this 3 days ago. Was building an exhaust for my 78 Case 446 using the flange and first six inches of stock exhaust, and adding tubing to that. Big paper thin. Had to fill in more holes than I can count where it blew through
That rough man, I know the feeling, its a pain. Once you blow through, you tend to keep doing it and it gets worse and worse
Super descriptive video, appreciate it man! Just bought my own flux core welder that I’m going to be learning on
Good luck! Its all just practice!
@@NightWrencher 💪🏼💯
Thanks for the excellent video! Very specific, clear and complete! Awesome!
I’ve found that stick out length can greatly help with bridging less than ideal gaps on thinner gauge steel on gasless wire
There's a lot of little tricks, maybe I'll do a video on it on of these days.
Good information!! Will stick welding work for body panels? I know tig is the correct way to go for body panels but curious if stick would work? Thanks
I don't think hardly any uses tig for body panels unless its really high end body work. Ideally you'd want to use mig wire and gas for body work. Minimal spatter and head distortion. Flux core works too but its not as forgiving as mig and also theres more clean up. Stick, I would not attempt unless you're really really good. Compare trying to melt a .025" thick wire to a .125 " rod. Itll take more heat to get it going and flowing. For body work, I would not recomment
@@NightWrencher thank you, I appreciate it!!
I made my own pie cut exhaust, welded it with flux core. It looks awful, and my choice of crossover and "muffler" make it quite loud... I used an x pipe and a 2-in-2-out cherry bomb extreme "muffler" with a pair of pie cut turndown tips. Ahead of the Xpipe, I have a pair of high-flow mini cats(1 for each bank). This is all on my 1996 Audi A4 Quattro; 2.8L 12V V6. I've got essentially the whole process I took on my UA-cam channel under "Community" and I uploaded the 2 takes of me starting it after the exhaust was done. I tell a story better using pictures over a longer time vs videos... my ADHD can't handle that added difficulty setting(I lose enough tools as I'm working, I can't imagine the things I say being recorded lmao). Thanks for your tips, I will definitely keep them in mind next time I weld exhaust.
Very helpful clear explanation. Thanks for making this video.
Thank you! I hope it helped you!
A lot of great tips NW. I haven't welded any exhausts yet but will definitely use these tips when needed. Thanks for sharing and take care!
Thank you! Always a pleasure 👍
If you've never done it before it is tough. So easy to blow through. This video has enlightened me, after having made all of the mistakes
thank you, man! you are an excellent welder I need to learn A LITTLE.
Practice makes perfect 👍
Game changer when welding body panels.
Once you know all the tricks, fluxcore becomes invaluable.
I built both turbo manifolds for my projects with a Lincoln flux core machine. The second obviously turned out better cause the learning is the fun part.
I know exactly what you mean XD
Haven't heard anyone recommend this yet. I've been having issues blowing through .065 tubing so I'm going to try this!
Always appreciate your welding videos. Great tips, thank you.
Thank you! Have a new one coming up soon!
Thank You for the video. Question: Would you recommend setup using the negative lead on the weld gun, and positive lead on the ground for thin steel? supposedly it reduces spatter and the welds look better because negative goes to the positive work surface for a better weld. Is it necessary?
Most modern machines are set up that way. Its the acceptes method for inverter style welders. Conventional welders won't benefit as much
@@NightWrencher Straight polarity (+ve earth) for flux core, reverse polarity (-ve earth) for standard mig. Maybe I'm missing something but why would this matter less with an old style transformer welder? I'm no electrician but presumably for DC welding the method of conversion is different but the output is basically the same.
Great video you just helped me a lot on a little trouble I've had before thanks
Thanks man, hope it works out!
Awesome information brother.
Soaking up all the information you give us. Nothing but respect brother.
Thank you sir! I really appreciate it!
hi i got a galvanized steel pipe for fence and wanted to weld it i got a flux core 125 v but it was not welding it at all no spark or so what am i doing wrong
Sorry for the late reply! Galvanized and aluminized steel needs to be sanded to bare metal before it can be welded. Make sure the ground is connected to a clean part of the metal that has been sanded too.
When you were starting on top of the weld and draging into the void over and over, I never saw you chip or brush any slag before the many restarts. Didn't the flux leave slag where you restarted? How did you prevent slag inclusion?
I'm trying to learn. Thanks.
You only need to worry about that if its something structual like a building or chassis. When doing exhaust work, fabricating brackets or even body work. The small inclusions don't matter. This is all to help you do DIY stuff. In a professional setting, they use gas welders or dual shield wire which is a different ball game entirely.
Verry good tips! Thank You for sharing. 👍
There are more videos to come so I hope you enjoy!
Very good information. Way better than your half drunk neighbor who has a harbor freight welder and that makes him a aerospace grade underwater pipeline welder. Hid welds look like a piece of swiss cheese got in a fight with a porcupine, holes and wire everywhere.hahaha. But seriously that guy lives near my house.
You did a great job giving information. Your tips will help me improve. Thank You!!
Thank you! I hope it helps!
Thank you been searching and searching so rad thank you again
Hope it helps!
Great video so much to learn i am new to welding and this makes so much sense
Great video and it's perfect as I have to fix my exhaust tomorrow
Thanks for the tips
Hope it helps!
Thanks, going to check out the flux core playlist!
Awesome! Hope it works out for you!
@@NightWrencher Thanks, I need all the welding tips and help I can get!
Really good video bro just what I needed when I needed it. Thanks again
Thank you! I hope it helps you out!
For a booger welder like me, this was a great video on not just exhausts, but other thin metals too. If using gas or dual, is it pretty much the same techniques?
Its similar but not exactly the same. Positioning is much more crucial when using gas.
Fuck sake "booger welder" that's the funniest thing I've heard in awhile, sincerely another booger welder.
@@Buttermyrocket AvE taught me "A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't"!
I had to turn wire speed up and heat down and increase travel speed... worked pretty good
Great video series! I know I'll be referencing back to many of them.
I really appreciate it! More to come soon!
I feel this, i personally like to chip every tack if i weld that way so i dint have an slag inclusion and am able to have a stronger weld
Should you use the copper wire or aluminum wire?
Aluminum wire can only be welded to aluminum. Copper colored solid wire is what you would use for MIG but I used flux core which is a grey/silver wire.
@@NightWrencher so copper wire is a good wire for exhaust pipes?
This was very helpful. I'm about to weld a test pipe together using a new exhaust piece on some old flanges that I will sand blast.
Is it necessary to clean the slag off of the previous tacks each time before adding a new tack, in order to avoid porosity?
Yes but no. The weld wont start on slag so if you start it on the clean metal and pull it into the existing tack, the slag that was on it will float to the top. Depending on what youre welding, you can clean it all off, and then weld a bead accross the whole joint. Thicker metal thats ok but thinner metal youll be fine with just the tacks
@@NightWrencher thanks, I'll try leaving it next time. It's very time consuming to wire brush it each time before striking the next arc. I appreciate the quick response and good information, I'm still learning
Brilliant way to explain how weld a rotty exhaust. 👌
Gotta work with what we have! We cant all afford titanium tig welded exhaust XD
@@NightWrencher I can appreciate your skills 👍
Do you have any advice on welding thin muffler pipe overhead? Just got done with an extensive project and had material buildup and some dripping off and on.
Overhead upside down is a little hard. I like to start from the top and work my way down. Usually I turn down the wire speed a hair to keep it from balling up. Once you see it start to form a large puddle, let it cool and restart the weld at the base of the previous bead. Sometimes it pulls material off the mound and levels out the bead
100% well done and well explained.
Well explained, great video 😁💪🏼👍🏼
Awesome video. Thanks for the tips. Beginner and looking for all the info I can get to help along the way
Thanks you! I hope it helps you out!
Thank you for this video! Something I've been struggling with. Will attempt to improve!
Good luck! I hope it helps!
Now that there is some very useful information. Thanks! 😀
Thank you! Much appreciated!
Whats the lowest setting do you use to weld that pipe together?
I can tell you but if you dont have the same machine, same wire, same metal thickness and same hand movements, it wont do you any good. I will say, go with the lowest settings and move slower. If the weld doesnt lay over flat, keep going hotter until it does.
What welder were you using
A cheap harbor freight one
Did you chip the slag before running the 2nd bead? If not, why and will the bottom slag be up under the 2nd run???
It depends, you can do it without cleaning it and it will still weld. You'll get a little porosity but if its sheet metal, it doesnt matter, the weld will be strong enough and most of the junk will float to the top anyway. If you want a cleaner job, clean the weld up before running the second pass. It will strike easier and should buzz along.
I wish I had seen this video a few months ago when I built my exhaust and decided to weld it all together. I kept blowing holes in the pipe like crazy so I abandoned the welding and used band clamps.
I did the same thing! Ha.
It happens to all of us!
Real good practical advice my guy. Will go back to garage and use it right away. Todays practice welds got me real depressed haha
Would 1.0 mm flux core makes a better option to fill gaps compared to 0.8mm?
The thinner the wire, the easier it is to manipulate
In the old days , we used to learn oxy acetylene welding , this is the right situation for this . Much better control of the heat issue .
I was thinking of trying my luck (but with great hesitation) on wire welding my db killer insert (thin metal) to my M4 exhaust; Would this work? Also I don’t plan to take it off the bike but curious on what I should hook the ground cable on to. Also what wire should I use?
It should weld fine but use anti spatter spay and just put a few tacks all the way around. .030 wire would work well. Also, make sure to disconnect the battery if it has one and hook the ground on a bolt head or something directly hooked up to your exhaust.
This would have helped me big time on my last botched mig weld. However, this is not flux core wire correct?
Ooops. Ok. I see it was. I thought after every tack/ run I had to remove the slag. I should have tried doing it just as you demonstrated.
You're supposed to remove the slag but honestly for small projects, its not a big deal
nice, i do the same thing ! what diameter wire u using ??
Preferably I like to use .030 I couldnt find any in a 10lb spool and 1lb spools run out too fast and are too expensive so right now I'm running .035 lincoln wire. It takes a little more heat to get going smooth but for thicker stuff it works really well.
@@NightWrencher i'm using some NR211MP 0.045" from lincoln. usually I go with some ESAB 0.030 but ran out of it :) the ESAB is somewhat cleaner i think....
@@jay1st1st I havnt used the ESAB wire before but Ive tried others and the .030 lincoln is my favorite. Less spatter and the slag flakes off easier
Theres a whole flux core welding playlist here on the channel full of videos like this so check it out!
Thank you for this sir. I'm an avid tradesmen and always looking to upgrade my skills, and I'm learning welding diy. I've built a set of 12 foot gates using 2"x2"x1/8" steel. I kinda impressed myself with those results but Im getting worked over trying to learn how to weld even thinner stuff like 1/16" etc. Subscribed my friend
Thank you! Aside from my playlist, I have a whole series of videos coming out soon!
Thanks in deed
Extremely helpful Great way to explain ty
what heat range should I use for thin metal .
As low as you can and then work your way up. I was welding 22ga sheet metal today. 85 on the wire speed at 13 volts
What kind of welder did you use in this video?
I this video I believe I was using my omnipro 220 or my yeswelder 205DS. Probably the omnipro
Haha I know it’s months since you posted this but when you say you turn your welder all the way down, what’s all the way down? I’m using a yeswelder mig 205ds. It has gas and fluxcore option. I’ll be going fluxcore. So where do you recommend starting? 50-60?
for .030 wire I use 105 at 16.5 volts.
How do you finsh the turbo flange
Got one I'm doing for my 56 GMC truck
For a 383 sbc the turbo is two like that.
I installed it like how I have it in the video and then installed it in my truck, then I clocked the second one and tacked it in place. After that the rest is easy. For the center I just weld it on the inside and do my best on the outside
@@NightWrencher thank you I'm going to weld in side of the flange like that. The turbo weighs a lot so I put a bracket on it
So it doesn't break the welding 🥽 on the flange. My motor is solid mounted to the frame no rubber mounts the vibration shook and broke the welds on the last one. Thank you 👍🏽📹
Hey, thanks for the video. I'm a very very new welder, ie, I wanted to modify my Bike exhaust so went and bought a Unimig Viper 120 to learn with and do the job, my first ever welding. I found even with the settings way down I blew through and got to learn that I needed to tack as you say here. My question is my welder came with .08 flux core, would .06 be better to use and not blow through so quickly? Thanks, really useful video, especially about being able to build on top of the tacks.. Thanks
Thinner wire will definatelt help! Also turn down the wire speed if you can
@@NightWrencher Awesome thanks... Sadly the wire speed and power are integrated on this little welder... I'll swap to the thinner wire though, I figured it'd probably be the thing to do.. Thanks pal...
I would also imagine the wire you use has to be rated for multi-pass use. I believe the Lincoln wire is rated as such, but Vulcan and many others are not. Excellent tips. Thanks.
can you please do a vid on patching holes in thin sheet metal (e.g. 18 gauge) using flux core?
Its coming up 👍
yes indeed. I couldn't find a muffler for my sentra 2005 with correct size pipe. Had to make repairs myself, welding old one back on. had to spot weld and then build on top of that.
Glad you were able to fix it!