Hi everyone,
I have a lincoln 185 running off 220V single phse in my home, and I am going a little bit nuts with it.
When I weld steel I am having a serious problem with porosity. Aluminum is welding fine, and usually that is the more problematic material when it comes to porosity.
I have checked for a gas leak...nothing.
I have changed cup sizes...nothing.
cleaned the base metal which wasn't that dirty to begin with...still nothing.
I tig weld all day at work and have never had this problem.
Where do you think I should look next?
Thanks.
Tigger,
Since Aluminum seems to be ok, maybe the problem is the gas you are using with the steel.
Is this a new bottle of gas that is giving you the problem, or have you had good results with this bottle previously?
Have you ever had good results with your setup on steel, is this a new problem?
Maybe too high a flow rate, which can be turbulent and draw in air to the arc.
I assume your base metal is clean, no oils or other sources of hydrocarbon.
Can you provide more detailed info and background on this problem?
I though it might be the gas too, so I replaced the bottle and I still have the same problem. pure argon. ground 2% thoriated tungsten on a new grinding wheel.
I have also tried increasing and decreasing the flow of gas.
Example of the problem... clean piece of 16 Gauge CRS, I can run 1" of bead and then it boils up on me. next time I try I can weld 1 foot and no problems. It's like a surprise everytime I try to weld.
I have had this problem since I bought the machine.
This weekend I am going to try using ER 70S-2 rod. I have heard that it is resistant when it comes to porosity. But I would rather just have this prob sorted out.
can you think of anything else I should check?
What's the polarity? Should be DC-
Maybe I missed something, but you didn't mention what filler metal classification you tried. Make sure you are not using a rod intended for use with oxy-acetylene. Any filler metal of the RGXX type is intended to be used with oxy-fuel welding, not GTAW. Try a highly deoxidized GTAW/GMAW filler metal such as one meeting the AWS A5.18 type ER70S-X variety.
Good luck - Al
I remember reading a post about porosity on mild steel when TIG welding. As I remember it was mentioned that this can happen more easily when welding unkilled steels. Please correct me if I am wrong. I have had trouble also when TIG welding HRS. I think you may be experiencing a problem with your base metal.
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