Bit of advice required...

[Blurk99]

Hello all - i've been playing and learning for about 4 months now (weather permitting) and today i seem to have encountered a new problem - smokey / burned welds that then contaminate the rest of the weld line i'm about to weld

i've got a cebora minimig thing (same as the small snap-on one... can't remember it's number...) a full bottle of Argon/CO2 mix (big bottle, proper regulator) running at 12-15 ltr/min the penetration of the weld seems good but i'm having to stop and regrind the metal after every few tacks just to clean the brown / black smokey crap off the surface otherwise it just spatters

so does anyone have an idea what i've changed without thinking... pretty sure i've not changed anything... what about a new shroud / tip? they're a bit dirty but not horrific, can crappy wire do this? i'm about half way through a 5kg roll but it doesn't look bad, what about the welder itself? will a fault with the machine cause this?

cheers

jim

 

[Chickenjohn]

Maybe the metal you are welding is contaminated, or if you are using scrap you could have inadvertently got some galvanised. Clean the surface of the metal off with a grinder and see if your welds are better. Welding ideally should be done on clean metal.

 

[redwine300]

I am no expert, but sounds like contamination in the joint, paint,grease etc' Post some pictures and some of the more experienced guy's will be able to be more specific.