Finally saw why my 6G welds kept failing

Been doing 6G pipe tests for 3 months straight. Last Tuesday I watched a older guy set his amps 20 lower than me and his bead laid in perfect. Turns out I was running way too hot the whole time. You guys have any tricks for reading puddle color better?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elizabeth24d ago

Has anyone else noticed how the color of your rod or filler plays into reading the puddle? I mean, when I'm running a blue rod versus a red one, the puddle looks totally different under the same hood. It's like your brain gets a different vibe from the shade of the metal melting. Also, try flipping your lens shade one number darker. It forces you to look at the glow more and not get blinded by the arc, and that orange cast really pops against the darker background. That old timer probably has his hood set up just so, and that's half the battle.

noahmartin24d ago

Man I feel your pain. Took me a good six months before someone finally told me I was cooking everything at 30 amps too high. Watched a guy burn in a perfect root pass while I was fighting blue sparks and spatter. Puddle color wise, look for a nice orange glow instead of that bright white flare. If you see a silver looking slag floating on top, you're likely right where you need to be. When I started aiming for that darker orange tone instead of trying to race through it, my welds started looking respectable.

joel_hall1724d agoMost Upvoted

That part about seeing the older guy dial his amps back really hit home. I had the exact same thing happen with a 6G test last year - foreman walked over, turned my machine down 15 amps, and just said "try that." Night and day difference. For reading puddle color, what really clicked for me was watching the edge where the puddle meets the base metal. When you're too hot that edge looks almost liquid, but when you're in the sweet spot you'll see a clear little line where the puddle stops and the unmelted metal starts. That orange glow noahmartin mentioned is spot on, I aim for that color that looks like a hot cast iron skillet.