porous weld

[deadsfo]

I recently switched from arc welding to mig I used pure co2 and we got along fine after awhile,my supplier is an idependent gas supplier and he started supplying argon (farramix7) I thought I would give it a try and see if I could produce a better looking weld ,I purchased a brand new set of guages and set about welding but I keep getting very porous welds as though the weld is not being shrouded properly ,the gas is coming out ,I can hear it and feel it,I have tried pushing the ltr/min up changing wire feed rate and power, I am now lost and confused and would like some info such as a good place to start regarding settings of wire feed ,power and gas flow .I weld gates and railings ,no big runs 8-12mm thickness
Thanks in anticipation
Deadsfo
'you dont ask you dont learn'

 

[Sparkey]

Hiya deadsfo! welcome!
At how many lpm are you now?



ps:i'm sure the mods will be kind enough to put us in the right section of the forum...

 

[deadsfo]

about 30l/m

 

[Sparkey]

about 30l/m

Wow!
10 lpm is enough for DIY, i'm at 20 lpm at the plant where i work....

That's weird!
Do you know the percentages in your gas bottle? it should be a mix of Co2 and Argon?

 

[deadsfo]

I'm told farramix 7 is around 70arg/30co2

 

[Sparkey]

Can you post any pics of your welds?

 

[deadsfo]

can do tommorrow, farramix 7 is 90.5arg 7 co2 2.5oxy just checked

 

[Hitch]

30lpm! You need about half of that. about 12-15lpm is where you want to be aiming for that.
Sometimes too much gas will have the same effect as not enough.

 

[madkayaker]

check the shroud is nice and clean splatter will reduce the flow

 

[deadsfo]

I will try all these suggestions tommorow, thanks very much for the help

 

[Omniata]

Not too sure why you've been supplied "Ferromax 7", the usual for DIY less than or equal to 4mm is "Cougar 5"...
It's the same for basic commercial use too...

Are you working at/as a specialist business? Perhaps the Ferromax range is for high end commercial use for higher speed

It has a slightly higher O2 level, albeit 0.5%...

 

[madkayaker]

it is the BOC version of coogar isn't it?

 

[Hitch]

Nothing wrong with ferromaxx, although for that thickness 15 might have been better
No MK, its also AP, just a 'premium' gas.

 

[deadsfo]

Im not doing anything special plain old mild stl. gates and railings ,my supplier is an independant supplier ,take him your bottle he fills it up,no rental or out like that,he has just started to supply argon mix he buys a huge crate of perhaps 30large bottles from air products and then he fills yours up from them, I don't think he knows a lot about it.I am getting the loan of a mates bottle which I know is ok and I am going to try it on my welder
this should eliminate a few possibilities(including me)

 

[Omniata]

Ok then, as others have said try turning the gas down a little...

Again 10 to 12lpm should be fine...


Hitch, I'd missed the bit about 8-12mm thickness, I was thinking thin stuff based on the gas type...
Deadsfo may be better with a gas that has a little more CO2...

I was wondering if it may help connecting a pub bottle bottle of CO2 into a splitter on the gas hose to introduce a little extra CO2?

 

[Uniqueusername]

Ferromax 7 is good stuff on anything from 1 to 10mm
I use it at 10 LPM in a draft free workshop, 15 LPM in general and whatever it takes outside.......
But as said, too much can be just as bad as not enough.
Is the tip adaptor and the shroud nice and clean ?