Hi everybody, I hope you don't mind my first post being a question. Although I do weld in work it's mostly tig and I'm not the world's best mig weldor, also my technical knowledge is patchy at best. The Clark 150 TE that I use at home has always given me far more problems than the industrial job at work but I had finally got it working alright.
When the pub gas I has been using ran out I had trouble getting anymore, so was persuaded to switch to an argon mix (93%Ar,5%CO2,2%O) and was looking forward to tidier welds. But I can't get the new gas to work for me, I'm getting a lot of bubbles in the weld, as though the gas was off. I've checked all the obvious stuff, I can hear the gas, and feel it on the back of my hand. I've tried all the gas flow rates from flat out to off, only off made any difference so it is getting gas.
The wire isn't rusty and the work piece is new (cleanish) metal. Just occasionally it produces a good weld for no obvious reason.
The wire's 0.8 mild steel and the regulator's a sealey twin gauge, and although the flow gauge is broken, I think I've got enough experience to judge it by ear.
So I'm stumped as to what's wrong, any ideas please.
When the pub gas I has been using ran out I had trouble getting anymore, so was persuaded to switch to an argon mix (93%Ar,5%CO2,2%O) and was looking forward to tidier welds. But I can't get the new gas to work for me, I'm getting a lot of bubbles in the weld, as though the gas was off. I've checked all the obvious stuff, I can hear the gas, and feel it on the back of my hand. I've tried all the gas flow rates from flat out to off, only off made any difference so it is getting gas.
The wire isn't rusty and the work piece is new (cleanish) metal. Just occasionally it produces a good weld for no obvious reason.
The wire's 0.8 mild steel and the regulator's a sealey twin gauge, and although the flow gauge is broken, I think I've got enough experience to judge it by ear.
So I'm stumped as to what's wrong, any ideas please.
)