eliminating spatter

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Ok, I seem to be able to do decent welds but I still get a lot of spatter. Where do I start to eliminate spatter? After reading another post I turned up the wire speed and also started moving a little faster and it seems better (less spatter) but if I hold the trigger and just watch the wire feed out its really moving! Is there a rule of thumb like "feet per second" or anything to use?I was under the assumption that moving a little slower would provide a better weld i.e. more heat, more penetration and more material - am I out to lunch here?I'm currently welding 1/4 and 3/16 material. I'm chamfering the corners of the 1/4 inch material to ensure penetration and had been welding with a weave pattern. Again, am I out to lunch doing it this way?Thanks,
Reply:You don't say if you are using MIG of Fluxcore, but if it's FC, it will be hard to eliminate spatter completely.  Anti-spatter spray helps a bunch, but it just keeps the spatter from sticking.  If you are using gas, sometimes spatter comes from the fact you are running too cold or are setting the inductance too low (if you have that setting).  If you are running flat mig, try cranking up the heat even more and/or don't weave...allow the base metal to get hot.  That should help a bit.  Beveling the edges is good for penetration, I don't know if it would have any effect on spatter except ensuring a good arc with the newly cleaned metal.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Assume you are doing short arc MIG, this is going to produce spatter.To minimize spatter, first the voltage and wire feed speed (and travel speed)must properly balanced, you're looking (listening) for the sound of frying bacon.Second, the type of gas, 100% CO2 more spatter but also more heat and penetration.  Argon/25% less spatter, less heat and penetration.Read this from Lincoln, Miller also has a similar guide.http://content.lincolnelectric.com/p...ture/c4200.pdf
Reply:I'm doing mig. No inductance adjustment on the machine. The gas is Praxair Autoweld - 75% Argon, 25% CO2.  After looking through the Lincoln  book in the above post I've increased the voltage to the highest tap, increased gas flow and slowed down the wire feed (checked with my watch secondhand). I've also adjusted my nozzle height and angle and sped up my travel. The results are much less spatter and a good appearing weld. I'm also using an anti-spatter spray. Getting that "frying bacon" sound has always been a problem though. Maybe I just don't fry enough bacon. After all of the above there seems to be a lot less smoke too.
Reply:I use CO2 for my gas and weld allot of 1/4 inch steel. I find with C25 I am not getting the penatration I want. Splatter seems to be always their but penetration is one of my main concerns. I do not use the anti splatter spray but rather the past which I stick the mig tip in once and awhile. I only use the past to save cleaning my tip allot and I find it increases the tip life. My fisrt pass is straight then a second pass weave on beveled egdes on the material but I find backhand welding causes less splatter better penetration and all round better weld. Backhand welding keeps the shielding gases on the new weld longer which also seems to allow the weld more time to cool and harden without contaminates touching it. the olny concern I find when welding backhand is to keep moving so the arc is on the edge of the puddle close to the material being welded rather then rinding to high on the puddle loosing penetration. Hope this helps.
Reply:Wow, that's very cool, glad you've found some helpful adjustments.
Reply:Isn't backhand welding kind of like welding vertical down - low heat and poor penetration? I would think you'd be far better off to use an argon/CO2 mix and weld traditionally than to use straight CO2 and weld backhand.
Reply:Not according to the hand books I read. here is a copy chart for a mig hand book. Couldn't draw the lines for the chart but you get the idea.                            BackHand        ForhandPenetration            Increased       decreasedBead width             Narrow             WideStock                     High                LowRisk of Porosity      Decreased         IncreasedRisk of Sticking      Increased          DecreasedRisk of Splatter      Decreased         IncreasedBackhand with CO2 should give you one of the strongest welds with a mig.To be honest I use both techniqes and as long as your angle isn't to much both work fine. But I do find backhand to make a little better weld. While attending a class on mig welding, the instructor said he prefered backhand for this reason.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:Wow may chart sure got screwed up when I hit the post button. basically it says Back hand has Increased Penetration, Narrow Bead, High Stock, Decreased Risk of Porosity, Increased Risk of Sticking, and Decreased Risk of Splatter while forehand has all the opposite when compared to each other.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:After talking to the welding technologist at the shop where I get my gas he suggested switching to Praxair Mig Gas Gold which would give less spatter and more penetration (10% co2 I believe). The Autoweld which I had been using is apparently better suited to sheet metal welding. However the Mig Gas Gold will only weld in the horizontal position which is fine and it works beautifully for flat welds but if I try to weld an inside 90 it seems to peter out. The sound turns to a plain hiss - no snap, crackle or pop. The weld "looks" ok but the different sound has me concerned.He did mention that switching gas would take the weld from a "short circuit transfer" to an "axial spray". I'm wondering if the sound change is just the spray. However there is still a definate difference between a flat weld and a corner weld.Haven't been able to get back to the shop/technologist yet. Any thoughts?
Reply:Some possible resources from Welding Magazine. First is an article on shielding gases, which can be a way to reduce spatter -- though it's not always practical in a shop environment to have complex mixes. Second is an anti-spatter fluid that we ran in our "New Products" section. I'm not endorsing it and don't know how effective are practical it is for your needs, but though you might want to take a look.http://www.weldingmag.com/323/Issue/...se/44580/Issuehttp://www.weldingmag.com/323/Issue/...ue/44569/IssueBob RosenbaumFormer PublisherPenton's WELDING Magazine
Reply:Shop !?!?!  .. I wish!  This is in my garage.I use both an antispatter spray on the parts and nozzle dip.As per my last post, spatter is no longer an issue..