GraemeVW
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Good to know it is a rushed process.It does feel rushed and out of control.
I think the general consensus is you want pulse mig for anything below 5mm thicknesses, Spray transfer above that.
Travel/welding speed is at least 50% more than steel, if not 75%-100% more!
No need for preheat once you are going that I have found. Does make the starts a bit nicer but 5x material thickness or so in and there should be plenty of heat getting into it anyway. So much so that you will probably want/need to use a backing plate on thinner stuff.
Regarding feeling funny after using the argon, It might not be the argon (that's inert after all)
I don't have any problems using pure argon for tig for hours on end. When aluminium mig welding I use an air fed mask as if I don't have woken up a few times in the night feeling like I can't breath with a sort of metallic taste/smell in my mouth/nose.
I'm not sure if it's caused by the actual welding or the cutting/grinding/prep work?
I 'think' it's the welding itself as I cut/ground alloy before with no problems but it could just be some sort of intolerance I have developed?
I think I could run less feed for the same amps if I travel faster, just hadn't realised exactly how much faster I'd need to travel!
Yep, plenty of heat in it once going.
I was working on top of some vermiculite board to keep heat in the part, probably no need so won't bother next time.
That's how it makes me feel. And same, I have no reaction when working with aluminium, only when I weld it. That's why I thought it was the argon. I get a sort of slight metallic taste/feeling in the back/roof of my mouth and just feel ever so slightly rough.
Odd.
I've never experienced it welding steel, even for hours non stop. And I've never experienced it from solder fumes either, even when doing it 6 hours a day for work.
I think next time I'll open a window but just keep an eye on blowing the shield away.