5356 mig question ???

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well ive been doing a little practicing with the spool gun and running 4043 i get a nice shiny bead with no soot. so last night i switched over to 5356 to try it out .same settings etc and while i get a shiny bead it surrounded by black soot i tried more gas same result is this just the nature of 5356 or am i missing something the al is hand brushed and cleaned with acetone i wouldn't think its a cleaning problem since it was fine with 4043 350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off
Reply:Hello umahunter, you will notice a difference in the "color" of the arc as well as the amount of soot that results from welding with the 5356 alloy. Additional soot from 5356 versus 4043 is a normal characteristic. Just be sure that whenever possible, you should be pushing the puddle as opposed to dragging it. If my memory serves me correctly, the level of magnesium in the 5356 is the reason for the additional sooting. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:Originally Posted by umahunterwell ive been doing a little practicing with the spool gun and running 4043 i get a nice shiny bead with no soot. so last night i switched over to 5356 to try it out .same settings etc and while i get a shiny bead it surrounded by black soot i tried more gas same result is this just the nature of 5356 or am i missing something the al is hand brushed and cleaned with acetone i wouldn't think its a cleaning problem since it was fine with 4043
Reply:4043 definitely gives smoother, cleaner welds.  I find it is harder to get a clean and consistant weld with 5356.  Your situation sounds normal.  I rarely use 5356, but I make minor setting adjustments when I switch from 4043.
Reply:well i did try different setting ipm volts gas etc  but just found it to leave a dirty ring around the weld i figured it was normal but thought i should check i will post some pics when i get a chance350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off
Reply:Originally Posted by umahunterwell i did try different setting ipm volts gas etc  but just found it to leave a dirty ring around the weld i figured it was normal but thought i should check i will post some pics when i get a chance
Reply:You guys have any pics? Going to start playing around with my spool gun. Looking for some examples of what to expect. Not too many Alum Mig Pics out there.