Lets talk spool guns

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Got a Longevity mig weld 140 with a spool gun and wanted to play around with it tonight since I've never used one let alone touched a spool gun. It came with 4043 .9mm wire..which is .035 I think? Who cares.Anyway, hooked it up to the correct polarity and 100% argon and started to play around.Few thoughts/questions.What is the normal 'motion' used? I found going forward and back seemed to work well. Also seems like the metal gets really hot really quick so are you supposed to go in small sections at a time or can you go 4 or 5" at once?The way coming out has some force, it pushes my metal away so I had to hold it down. The standard mig gun doesn't do this. Not that it's a problem, I just never saw it coming.And I angled the gun like I would a tig torch, but when I moved it the other way the weld was all grey after and I had to wire brush it all off. Not enough gas coverage that way?Oh the biggest thing, lots and lots of black stuff. What is that from or is that just the nature of the beast? On a tig that happens to me if I forget to turn on the gas.Sorry for the random assortment of questions and such, but it's late and time to relax. Attached ImagesLast edited by Gamble; 01-18-2013 at 01:10 AM.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:What pressure was your gas at? I run my pressure at 20-23 cfh with 100% pure ArgonDid you clean (First acetone wipe down, then dedicated aluminum stainless brush to remove oxides) the black soot is characteristic of oil/lubricant/anti-oxident coating on the surface.Push/forehand with a 10-15 deg. angle is the preferred method, pulling/backhand will almost always produce a porous, grey (dirty) welds.Just my limited .02Keep practicing!Some blue machinesSome red machineslots of heavy steel
Reply:Fyi, cfh isn't a pressure, it's a flow rate . . .- Tim
Reply:Gotta push the weld foward and instead of dragging it like your stick welding. No puddle to watch
Reply:The only experience I have with a spool gun was 5 minutes with the Miller trade show truck.   The tech made sure to instruct me that since aluminum heats much quicker than steel, the speed which you weld picks up as you go.  I burnt through the first pass on a 1/8" inside corner, but my third one looked pretty good.  I assume they have all their aluminum prepared nicely to make it look easy.Good luck,JackJackFort Loramie, OhioMilermatic Autoset 180