I've been welding for quite some time now, and know that there's so many better welders out there who can give some advice... I'm wanting much cleaner looking welds. I'm cleaning the pipes pretty well with a wire wheel but am wondering if it would be a better idea to hit them with a fine grit sanding disc.

lincoln precision tig 225...
any advice on setting this up? there's a **** that says cleaning/penetration... I just keep that where it says auto. should it be somewhere in between?

Sorry if some of the pics aren't so great. but I appreciate any advice. pipes are welded at about 70-80amps

 

they look pretty good to me! I still can't get that pinkish/copper look on my welds... On 16ga 304 I'm using a max of 49 amps and 1/16 308 filler with about 15cfm and a miller gas lens on my syncro 200 and the only time I see some sort of coloration is on the last bit of the weld where I leave my post flow on. The rest of the weld looks like dark blue purpleish almost gray but I know IM not welding too hot..

I know it can't be the gas coverage because when I'm only fusing joints they come out beautiful but as soon as I dab that filler it turns that color. And I know it's not welding too cold because the puddle is flat/slightly raised.. It doesn't look like it's just laying on the pipe.

You seem to have it pretty good.. Maybe you can give me some hints/pointers

 

The cleaning/penetration is only for AC welding like aluminum. Cleaning with a sanding disc is not a good idea because it embeds particles in the material that are contaminants when you weld. I don't have one personally, but every time someone asks about color on stainless, the usual answer is to get a gas lens.

 

I like to make sure that not only the pipe is clean but the filler, I clean the filler wire with break clean or acetone, to wash any dust or contamenents that may have settled on them, and when I'm welding I make sure I don't take the tip of the filler wire out of the gas flow from the tourch, but other than that I get the same color as you guys do,

Anybody have any tips for getting way down inside the center of the collector?

 

Cleaning the filler wire is a good idea, but if you use brake clean make sure to use non-chlorinated. Normal brake clean leaves a chlorine residue that when burned gives off chlorine gas and can make you unhappy

 

The reason you are only seeing good color on the end of the weld is because you're outwelding the gas coverage. Try going slower and stopping in smaller intervals to allow the weld to cool while it is bring shielded by the argon.

 

i think i got it... i was holding the tungsten waaaaay too close to the workpiece. i backed it up a little and that widened the puddle a bit so i could get a clear shot at the edge of the puddle with the filler rod

and yes, i realize i go too fast, but if i go too slow then the piece get soaked with heat... my amperage is low enough and anything lower i'd have to go like 1 inch every 10 seconds..