Welding Tips and Tricks

In something 3/16 thick (5mm) I would have no gap and a small 1mm prep on one side. 150 amps can be reasonable expected to melt 2-2.5 mm in from both sides and therefore you'll get a nice strong weld that wont require the skill of keyholing.

weldin mike 27 wrote:In something 3/16 thick (5mm) I would have no gap and a small 1mm prep on one side. 150 amps can be reasonable expected to melt 2-2.5 mm in from both sides and therefore you'll get a nice strong weld that wont require the skill of keyholing.

Thanks for the reply. When I use 150 amps, and 1/8 rod, the weld is gray and looks awful . It looks like I went too hot. What's the reason for this? Moving too slow?

I never have 1/8 rod. Never even use, 5/64. I only use 1/16 but then again I don't need to use much filler. Grey colour on the weld is a sign of poor gas coverage. A number 8 normal gas shroud should give you a decent coverage and have a tungsten stick out of only less that 3/8.

Using that thick of a rod on this job at this amps will suck out all your heat and make it difficult to get the weld flowing