Welding Tips and Tricks

Background: Been welding stainless exhaust system for hot rod. No problems other than my inability to hold the tip real close (combination of hand tremmor and eye sight problems) to get a nice small bead. Finished 15 butt joints with this quality.


Was getting low on gas (less than 300 psi showing) but wanted to finish one more joint when it all went to hell.


Sparks, spatter tip eroding etc. Ground out bad weld, I changed tingstin got same, ground out bad weld and changed gas bottle. More of the same, Even tried to do edge of weld bench but still got lots of sparks, spatter etc like this


Here are tips before and after


What's the problem and How do I fix it?

A lot of times the very bottom of the small owners tanks of gas are contamianated. My suggestion would be bleed the rest of the tank out and get it re filled.

Defiantly a gas issue. I agree with the last bit of a tank can get bad but you changed the bottles... Dumb question but did you check your lines and make sure it wasn't kinked or leaking any where? It may have pulled off a little at the torch and is sucking air.

Do you have one of Jody's TIG Fingers for welding those exhausts? They work really great!!

Thanks
With your suggestions I went back and checked all gas settings & connections. It looks like two things happened. My big tank went empty even though it was reading 200 - 300 psi. Then when I moved the regulator to my back-up small tank I aparently managed to shut the flow meter off so was getting no Argon.
Just ran test bead and it my normal so-so job.
Thanks again for pointing me in right direction.

re Tig finger
The picture of tungsten was taken on tig finger.

I thought that might be a TIG Finger, ha ha! I thought about asking if you did the good old Flick the Regulator to see if it was stuck. Glad you got things back up and running. Are you using a Gas Lens or just a standard cup set up??

RedIron881 wrote:I thought that might be a TIG Finger, ha ha! I thought about asking if you did the good old Flick the Regulator to see if it was stuck. Glad you got things back up and running. Are you using a Gas Lens or just a standard cup set up??

I have a Lincoln Square Wave 175 so no adjustments available. (Really wish someone made some add-ons)
I have air cooled #9 torch and started with a standard small gas lens 45V44 and #7 nozzle but wasn't happy with gas coverage on the stainless.
Switched to a stubby lens 45V64S and a #12 nozzle and get better coverage. Needed the 54N63-20 gasket too.

Now I am working on better control of the tip but since I'm not 35 any more my hand has some tremmors. Also managed to cut my eye a few years ago (not work or welding related) and the scar leaves me with double vision in right eye so am using a combination of 2.5 power reading classes plus 2.5 power cheaters in the helmet. This is about as good as I can get.
Will be working on trying to walk the cup rather than freehand but while this helps the tremmors it makes the vision problem worse as I don't have clear line of sight. Oh well sometime the bear gets you.......