[SuthnCustoms]

Sorry for gettin WAY off subject and"spilling my guts out"..lol.

Im still goin to do like i said and run a few passes with pics and purposely run a few the wrong way,not enough gas flow,run too fast..wire speed too fast and slow,etc and run a few the correct way...
Im just goin to be honest,were in a bad heat wave right now,my thermometer in the shade in my kitchen window is 103 daily and im just hibernating in the central air,my better 1/2 has a "honey do" list for me but she kind of forgets about it when i tell HER i'll do it if she goes outside and weeds the garden,that lasts about 3 minutes and she's back in the house without griping about the "honey do's"..lol

[SuthnCustoms]

Any news on the soot problem Dewey?

[cboy]

Originally Posted by SuthnCustoms

Any news on the soot problem Dewey?

No change. The welding I've been doing the last couple days hasn't involved stuff (like sheet metal) where the soot really shows up. I'm tending to think the conjecture about not keeping the gas surrounding the weld at the end of the weld (or when tack welding) might be on the right track. When I just lay longer beads on heavier stuff and high amps, I don't notice the soot as much.

I'm not disregarding the symptoms...just taking a bit of time to see if I can work them out with just some alterations in technique, welder settings, etc.

[willys36@aol.com]

Here is an interesting shot. My son-in-law brought me this promotional trailer hitch plug that is in the shape of a Chevy bo-tie to maybe use somewhere on my '53 pickup. It is a really nice 1/2" thick piece of aluminum, well machined. I noticed the wire feed weld they did on the back of this piece. Seems the pros have the same problem you do! Note the black follows the welding metal - all the pops leave a carbon trail wherever they land.

[oldred]

Not at all unusual for MIG welded Aluminum and in addition to the soot cboy has all that abnormal spatter. There are definitely some problems with the welds that are the subject of this thread (in all probability something minor) and the cause of these problems needs to be identified and corrected. A minor problem can sometimes be a major PITA until it is corrected and if ignored it may very well lead to big problems.

[SuthnCustoms]

First..that weld is FAR from a professional quality weld,just because a weld is made by someone selling something to the public doesnt qualify it to be a professional weld,its just another "good enough to get by" weld.
Second..as oldered stated,aluminum and steel welding are 2 TOTALY different animals.

#1..In the start of that weld in the picture,its not even penetrating both sides,like its rolling up to the right side,about 30% of that bead is junk,a PRO welder would of ground that out and started over,he would of NEVER let it out his sight before it was fixed correctly,its HIS reputation.
#2,even for a MIG weld thats quite a bit of spatter for aluminum,if you've ever welded aluminum the first thing you'll notice is the puddle is nothing like a steel weld puddle,its almost like a jelly puddle,any spitting causing that spatter is a BIG NO NO.
#3 even if a good welder gets alot of spatter and smoke soot and satisfied with the weld itself,he would NEVER leave all that there,he would clean up all that spatter and wire brush it clean BEFORE it leaves.

Thats the big difference in being a "PRO" in anything..just being picky and doing everything the correct way and best to his ability to make it "right"..not just a "ahhhhh,thats good enough"..a pro welder's weld is his signature..and..his career reputation

[willys36@aol.com]

Didn't mean to impugn the reps of expert welders. Just referring to this weld as pro in the loosest sense of the term. The guy who did it evidently makes a living doing it which makes him a pro. I realize aluminum and steel welding are dissimilar, just pointing out that the carbon tracking is more prevalent than just on C's projects. Also, the weld im my photo is inside a 2"x2" C-channel so would be difficult for the average hobby welder.

[Youngster]

Well said SuthuCostoms, there are "Pro" welders and there are "pro" welders. We sometimes forget that when we buy welded parts. There is a lot more to welding that just being able to lay down a bead! Youngster

[oldred]

Years ago I worked with a guy who had a little saying about sub-standard work - "There are truck drivers and then there are drivers of trucks".