Welding Tips and Tricks

I’m learning how to weld aluminum, I’m welding some 3/16 6061 with 4043 filler rod but I keep getting contamination in the weld, but the contamination is coming from the filler rod. Is it possible to buy a bad batch of filler rods. If anyone could explain this it would help. I’ll attach a picture of a couple welds 2 are without filler and one is with filler.

Very likely you’re burning the rod before you dip it because your arc length is too great and your cup/torch angle is too “flat“

Aluminum is pretty finicky and really wants as close to 90* torch angle, and a nice tight arc. You want to move the filler in quickly and completely to the puddle and keep the filler away from the heat. If you’re too short on adding the filler, it will burn back and look like crapola.

Take some scotch brite and some acetone and use to clean your filler rod then a paper towel your likely see quite a bit of black marks left on the paper toweling, and has CJ mentioned watch your torch angle and arc distance.