On 4 Dec 2005 15:04:43 -0800, "Blueraven" wrote:

I currently have switched over to a gas. 100% argon. I have a Lincoln
Pro-Core 100 Mig that I just switched over to the gas. I'm using a
.023" SS 308L wire and trying to learn to weld SS. The settings on this
machine are A-B-C-D for voltage and 1-10 for wire speed.

Last night I tried many many settings in push and drag styles. Most of
the time the bead layed on top or was too hot. I finally found settings
between B-2 and B-3 that make a decent looking bead. The push style
seemed better. I was depositing the bead on a .043" SS beer keg top I
had cut out.

Anyway there was much popping and hissing during the trials and it was
frustrating. Then when i tried to fillet-weld two pieces (thicker
stock) it didnt work..

Pretty agravating I must say..

Welcome to the world of SS. Pure argon can be used but as you've
learned it's pretty tough to make it work right. Adding a little O2 or
C02 helps but still won't work well for short arc (which you will have
use on that small a machine). Tri mix might be better but 75% argon ad
25% co2 can be used though it will not produce a nice looking bead and
will need work to make it fully corrosion resistant.

Short stickout of the wire is needed for short arc welding with SS.
However with pure argon the arc likes to jump back to the tip making
short stickout difficult. Ideally you use spray arc for this situation
but that takes more voltage than your machine will put out.


Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm