Hello all
I know previous comments, but - does anyone have any ideas here?
I have done Ali-MIG welds considered "top level". I am aware that in those cases I was an agency worker walking up to a fully set-up machine. Maybe the "troubleshooting" is obvious to folk here used to having to do everything about the task?
The arc is "fiery" and "fierce". The effect is particulary seen with "Bead-on-plate (w-1.6mm)" and "Pad-weld "2" (w-1.6mm)" It as if, whatever depth penetrated to, something got in and made the molten metal separate from and be repelled from what should be the fusion boundary...? There's a lot of "soot" - usually evaporation of Magnesium (Mg). I mean, you will get at least *some* sooting - about 3mm from the weld, where the shielding gas is "running out" - and it will be like a pencilled-on line. But this...
I'm hit by so much at once here...
It seems clear the machine does better with 1.2mm wire rather than
1.6mm wire. However the duty-cycle of the torch is much higher with 1.6mm wire. So I want to succeed with 1.6mm wire.
The machine will run 6mm (1/4-inch) "7018" SMAW rods on my single-phase supply in its Constant Current (CC) mode - promising! But something is "out-of-kilter" here.
Ideas welcome...
Best wishes, Rich S