Tweet
I have a new mig welder with spool gun feeding 100% argon gas. This is my first time welding aluminum and I am concerned by the amount of soot that is formed around the weld. I dont know if this is to be expected or not? I have tried cleaning the weld site with stainless brush and acetone with no visible improvement. I tried switching to 75%-25% argon-CO2 and it gets worse. Is the coal black soot a natural byproduct of the weld?
-
-
Soot
Plyler
On aluminum you should always use 100% argon. Its sound like your argon is getting blown away. What is the CFH you are using, I usually start fron 10 CFH & go up from there. If you are pushing too much gas it could cause turbulance which can cause contamination. Also is your machine set up on positive connection since it is a new machine it could be on negative connection. Hope this helps
Welcome to the board there are alot of qualified people on this board with a wealth of knowledge & expirience that will help you out
Last edited by rangerod; 05-12-2003, 08:48 PM.Rangerod
Power MIG 300, Prince Spool Gun, Precision TIG 275, MM 210, Dynasty 300 DX, Dynasty 200 DX, Ranger 8 Engine Drive, Victor O/A, Ready Welder 10000 ADP, Hypertherm Powermax 1000 Plasma Cutter, Bridgeport 4 HP Series II Manual Mill, Leblond 15" X 54" Regal Servo Shift Lathe & various other doodads...[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE] -
that black "soot" is iron contamination in the air. steel shops always get this from dust in the air. you'll have to clean all equipment, walls, etc to remove all contaminants.Comment
-
Always push your gun,and I would run about 25/30 cfm at least.I run 35 cfm sometimes with my powermig/python,and I really don't get soot.Comment
-
I get a lot of soot if working outdoors, no matter how much you push the sheilding.
I sometimes use my curtins to block the wind from my work area, or you just have to live with the soot.
Good Luck
BernieComment
-
PLYLER...........WELCOME ABOARD ........... ARGON IS THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER USED ON ALUMINUM.........I PREFER MY GAS A LITTLE HIGH.......... THAT IS A PERSONAL PREFERENCE OF MINE......... DO WE KNOW HOW THICK THE ALUMINUM IS AND WHAT GRADE........... LONG RUNS, SHORT RUNS....... ETC........ WE CAN HELP YOU OUT A GREAT DEAL BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS ALSO...................... ENJOY THE SITE AND HAVE SOME FUN NOW......................ROCK..................... .
[email protected]Comment
-
Soot
Rock
We use argon/helium mix for thick aluminum applications to help with penetration. Has anyone else used this mix? The only problem is the helium gas goes realy fast with the mix required
Rangerod
Power MIG 300, Prince Spool Gun, Precision TIG 275, MM 210, Dynasty 300 DX, Dynasty 200 DX, Ranger 8 Engine Drive, Victor O/A, Ready Welder 10000 ADP, Hypertherm Powermax 1000 Plasma Cutter, Bridgeport 4 HP Series II Manual Mill, Leblond 15" X 54" Regal Servo Shift Lathe & various other doodads...[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE]Comment
-
Frank Armao recently addressed this problem and deserves full credit for the explanation but, hopefully, he wont mind if i summarize his response.
the soot is called smut and it occurs with aluminum alloys when welded. what you see is the results of the boiling of the al and mg[most al alloys have mg in them] with the heat of welding and then condensed as al and mg oxide on the edge of the weld.
it occurs more in gmaw than gtaw because the filler is transferred across the arc in gmaw so the filler gets a lot hotter and "boils" more.
it's confused with carbon soot because it appears black. the reason for this is the particle size of the oxides in the smut is so small that it acts as a light trap and appears black.chipComment
Comment