Learning something that’s totally new is very exciting for me. There’s a sort of adrenaline rush that’s not always there for other activities that I do. I guess it has more to do with the excitement of learning an entirely new thing, where you are still discovering a ton of things about it, with the understandable and inevitable missteps and mistakes. And of course, I just love it because I simply love learning new stuff and continuously adding to my knowledge. In my book, nothing beats being knowledgeable and well informed. Add to that gaining new skills and I believe that I’m set for life and ready to face any challenge that might happen to come my way.
So imagine my level of excitement and wonder when I started learning the basics of welding. Yes, welding metal sheet and other similar materials really caught my attention, and so I endeavored to find the time to learn its basics. And I even up to the challenge of learning most of the major techniques involved in welding. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I certainly welcome the challenge. So far I’ve already started with my lessons, and fortunately for me, a friend who is an expert welder agreed to teach me the ropes of the process. And so far I’ve been learning all about Fluxed Core Arc Welding (FCAW), an arc welding process that can be either automatic or semi automatic.
Flux Core Arc Welding: What about It
Learning Flux core Arc Welding (FCAW) has been both a joy and a challenge. It is an arc welding process, which means that it is one of the more commonly used welding process out there. It requires a continuously fed consumable tubular electrode which contains a flux and constant voltage. It could also be a constant current welding power supply. This particular process is favored in construction because of the high welding speed and the portability of the flux wire welder. Another reason that it is highly favored is due to the fact that it does not need any shielding gas, which makes it perfect for outdoor and even windy conditions.
Those who are wondering what is a flux wire welder used for, it is actually used on the following alloys: stainless steel, mild and low alloy steels, some wear facing and surfacing alloys, and high nickel alloys. Some advantages that its use presents is the metallurgical benefits that the flux provides what with the weld metal being protected until the flux is finally chipped away. There is also precleaning needed for the metal, and of course the high speed is always desirable.