Please critique these beads

[JohnT]

I think they are getting better, but I need some input. Especially concerning the black area. Im pretty sure I did not dip the tungsten.
Pics show my setup. Tungsten is 3/32 that purple E3 stuff.
I know this is pretty thick aluminum but its all i have right now.
All input is appreciated.
Thanks, John

[Rambozo]

What size cup are you using? Looks like you might want a little bigger one. That thickness will take a little pre-heat to get by with only 160A. After the first bead or two, the metal should be hot enough as long as you don't take a long break between beads. The pic is not easy to see detail in. Try not to take them at an angle. A straight overhead shot with plenty of light. It's hard to see the cathodic etching (cleaning) band, which is why I wonder about the size of cup, or maybe torch angle. Looks like you are @ 40% AC balance, so there should be a pretty good sized band, as long as there is good argon coverage. Also make sure your arc length is as short as possible. 1/16" - 3/32" from the top of the puddle. Keep the torch stickout to a minimum, too. A pic of the tungsten in the torch would say more than just the bare tungsten. That also makes it easier for the camera to have something to focus on. But from what I can see it looks like you are pretty close. Probably just a little more fine tuning and technique practice.

[TheGary]

From what I can see it looks like you did not clean the surface of the aluminum before you welded it. I think that is why you have so much black around the welds. I would clean the area with a stainless wire brush that you use only for cleaning alum. Then you can also use a chemical cleaner on it after word. There are several on the market. Or you can mechanically clean the area with a sanding disc to take the oxidized surface off the metal. That should help a lot. I can not help you with the machine settings because I do not have an ac inverter welder. On a side note , I would try to use 5356 wire as much as possible because it has considerably more strength than 4043. But is harder to mast a good weld but it is worth the effort. Not to say that 4043 is bad , it flows better but does not have as much strength.

[JohnT]

thanks guys,
i am using a #6 cup (the largest i have) but i can go buy a larger one.
as far as cleaning, i did not mechanically clean because i understood thats pretty much what the ac balance does. I did wipe thoroughly with acetone.
i"ll practice some more later and get better pics
one other thing... gas lens kits..are they good for all jobs or are there circumstances when a regular cup is better?

[Rambozo]

thanks guys,
i am using a #6 cup (the largest i have) but i can go buy a larger one.
as far as cleaning, i did not mechanically clean because i understood thats pretty much what the ac balance does. I did wipe thoroughly with acetone.
i"ll practice some more later and get better pics
one other thing... gas lens kits..are they good for all jobs or are there circumstances when a regular cup is better?

That all adds up. You do need to clean things up, first. As Gary mentioned, use a brush or sanding to clean the oxides, first. Also switch to a #8 cup and you will get a larger gas coverage area, that will better match the size of bead you are running. About the only time where a gas lens is not ideal, is where you don't have the room for the larger diameter, such as between the runners on an intake manifold.

[Paul Moir]

About the only time where a gas lens is not ideal...

The only other I run into is when you're welding on contaminated metal (casting for example) or welding something that's sealed airtight where there's a risk that something will spit back. The globs of molten metal get all over the lens' screen and ruins them.