My next bottle refill will certainly be a mix of CO2/Argon but even with Ar i am very pleased by the quality of my welds even though i think they are a bit on the cold side.
I tried some welds after altering the adjustments of the machine. The wire speed is now at 3.5 (from around 6-7), the power setting is 2 out of 4 and the gas is around in the middle of the pressure range (i don't remember the actual figure though).
The welds are less high now but i have lost a bit in terms of looks and i have noticed that around the weld there is a messy surface like microscopic spatter.
What do you think and what should i do now to improve my welds?
Do you think that by using a 75/25 Argon/CO2 mix my welds will look a lot better?
Aacch - mobile phone photos - why are they always blurry? Whatever happened to pencil sketches? ()
That microscopic spatter stuff around the welds only seems to happen with pure argon. I'm not sure what causes it.
The weld build up with argon can seem quite high (and the welds can be pointy looking). Yours seem quite smooth though. Do you have any sheet to butt weld where you could sketch the other side so we can see the penetration?
I once traded in a bottle of argon for argoshield when it was still only half empty. It's a pain for mild steel with MIG.
This is 3 out of 4 power setting and a bit higher wire speed. I think that pure Argon is very "cold" and need to uo the power a bit to achieve anything acceptable.
I recently had the same doubt about the power switch sequence on my "Sureweld" 140 Amp machine, and solved it by using a voltmeter. Connect the meter to the MIG torch tip and the Earth clamp, slacken the wire feed roller, and shut off the gas. Then cycle the welder power switches, noting the voltages.
( My sequence turned out to be 1min 24.5v, 2min 28.6v, 1max 33.6v, 2max 43.0v.)