Al-GMAW 6000-series

I forgot to say - GMAW wire is 1.2mm (0.047")

5356

Hi again - what I'm finding on 6000-series alloys (typically extrusions) is that as soon as you get into a real spray arc the arc gets feisty - vivid colours, spitting and rasping, and if welding

6000-series to 5083, kicks sideways off the 6000-series onto the 5000-series. Oh yes - and huge condensations of black powder around the welds ?? If you are in a lower power condition so you see Al depositing almost like a stack-of-dimes, even if 5000-series to 6000-series, calm arc, no misbehaviour and shiny silver welds metal and little condesation / sooting around the weld. But - not much fusing power and you can be left with re-entrant weld toes which look excessively like you are risking cold laps. ??

For what it's worth - moved on further. Getting things behaving well, doing Al-GMAW Using 1.2mm wire 5183 wire (Al-Mg-Mn), Spray is good - "just" at 10m/min, clean at around 12.4m/min and smoothly in it goes for long runs at 15m/min. Less than 10m/min - pulse. Totally sweet. 5000-series to 6000-series no problem. Come a long way. Trust the synergic in pulse - easily going from 5m/min to 8m/min for different thickness combinations and joint geometries. Getting into happy space. This is talking about good industrial machines in a high-end metal fabrications shop, by the way...

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The black powder may be oxidized alloying elements. A quick test is to heat it in the reducing portion of a propane flame. Copper oxide will revert to the colored metal.