Any ideas to this porosity?

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I know I need to clean my metal but i'm just practicing on scraps and want hood time and not grinding time. Can you give some input on these welds and weigh in on if the porosity may be from the metal needing cleaned or if it might be something else? Any general input? They looks sort of gray to me but maybe that's to be expected on mild steel.3/32 ROD ER70S-63/32 Tungsten(thoriated red)125 amps w/ pedal
Reply:Second one is cold I believe?
Reply:hey dump,I'm still new to welding myself, I think the mill scale and rust started bubbling and created those pockets.  The best tip I can give you is to definitely get in the habit of cleaning your pieces.  Front, back, and side so you don't pull any contaminants into your puddle. You don't have to clean the entire piece, maybe an inch or so of where you will be welding.  Then when you do have porosity you have just eliminated one probable cause.  When practicing and making stuff, I clean all my all pieces before I start welding so I don't have to stop welding.
Reply:Clean the steel and try again.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Nasty base metal and rust will result in porosity with Tig welding every time.  Cleaning IS a part of Tig welding, period. First things first grasshopper.
Reply:Any hood time you get welding that dirty crap is wasted hood time.Also, turn the heat up. What's your argon set on?
Reply:It looks to me like your trying to melt your filler rod with the arc. You don't want to do that. You add your filler rod to the molten puddle then use the torch/arc to manipulate the puddle. What are you using for gas flow?JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Thanks guys will do tomorrow and report back. 17cfh
Reply:You can not tig weld dirty hot rolled material and expect a nice weld
Reply:Thanks I guess I was not thinking clearly and missing the whole point of tig!
Reply:dumpYou are too, too cold - and your metal is filthy.Beginner Tech Tip:  Don't try to learn TIG by practicing on junk black iron [mild steel].Proper cleansing of black iron for TIG is a Masters Class.To advance your Power Curve . . .Try to start with 11 ga. [.120].  Cold rolled - A1008 . . .or S/S scrap from your local metal recycler.Spend the added money for S/S filler - it will pay-off.  11 ga. is thin enough to be affordable, but thick andforgiving enough to preclude problems that neophytes should not be burdened and dragged down by.The up-front costs are off-set by the constant prep you don't have to do - and the consumables you don'thave to buy.Start with stringers on flat plate - before you go to weld joints  -  you need to do some reading.Opus
Reply:Took the tips and cleaned up my metal today! Worked on my aluminum for a while and ran this with ER70S-6 and 309L on the sides. The 309 I was too hot as you an tell. But all my problems disappeared when I took the advice and cleaned up the crap.
Reply:Are you welding the steel on AC? Almost looks frosted around the welds.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Used DC with thoriated tungsten again(red)