Reducing spatter with a MIG welder?

I've been doing alot of Mig welding lately, lots of tight inside corners. I'm getting alot of spatter on my parts. They all get powdercoated, so the spatter needs to go away. I can knock it off with a chisel, but that takes time that I'd rather not spend. I use anti spatter spray, but by the time I'm finished welding, the piece is so hot, the spray's pretty well burned off. Is there a general machine setting that will spatter less? Any tips are appreciated. Here's an example pic of the type of welds I need to do. The gap between the gussets is about 1 1/2", so I don't have alot of room to work with, and I need 3/4" of wire extension in the corner

 

have you tried using the "butter" el as i call it, also try cleaning your tip

 

Bug, I like a soap like spatter product that you stick the hot tip in. Might be the butter that was mentioned. It does a good job.

 

Spatter Dip Gel by MB! I use this and it works pretty well! Get at any welding supply.

 

Use a TIG welder. Problem solved.

 

Clean your tip very well use the splatter gell. Also you can use a spray called splatter batter. You spray it where you are welding and then when done welding the splatter wipes away.

 

You beat me to the punch...Damn.

 

Good looking welds, but why are you welding all the way around the gussets?
I have welded the same type gussets on aircraft frames and the most that is required is one side and 3/8-1/2" around the ends. Anything more is overkill and doesn't add any strength to the gusset.

 

The anti-splatter spray should be working

Anchor Brand Anti-Splatter 620, sold @ Linde dealers, is what I use for MIG, never had it burn off or be ineffective, it get's thicker after it gets hot and works even better than when first sprayed on.

 

Maybe the wire speed is a little fast? I've noticed that if I get spatter like that I can slightly bring the wire speed down and get rid of it.[/quote]

i would say that this would clean it up quite a bit, but even too little wire speed will cause the same spatter, try some udjustments up or down and see what happens, in my opinion, most mig machines can be fine tuned enough that an anti-spatter is not even necessary.

 

Try gas and solid wire.

 

huh?!

 

He is using Gas and Solid wire. Flux Core would have spatter on my front porch (I live in Oklahoma), it spatters so much.

Good looking welds.

I agree with the turn the wire speed down. Itll help a little, but your welds look good.

Also:
Clean the parts.
You dont not need solid weld inside the gusset, but I like it, and I do it that way myself too.
Let the part cool a little and re-apply anti spatter spray.
You are going to get some spatter no matter what you do, and it will stick with the heat you are generating in the small area, due to the nature of what you are doing. Your part looks good. Dont be stingy with the anti-spatter spray. Get the chisel.

 

Im sure somebody will give me crap, but spray the area with a light coat of wd40. A LIGHT COAT spatter will not stick if it does it comes off really easy.

 

Also check your gas pressure. Set it while pulling the trigger, not while it's idle. I like to work at about 15lbs. It sits around 22 when idle.

Make sure you have gas...and the proper mix.

Keep playing with wire speed and power.

I always get myself convinced that it's evil spirits keeping me from a proper weld. It never is. It's always one part of the equation that I keep overlooking.

And...CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN parts make all the difference in the world.

One last thing. Make sure the air is still where you're working. Even very light breezes can evacuate your shielding-gas pocket.

 

I just looked at the photo full-size. That's NOT a lot of spatter.

As for spatter spray, I was taught that it is meant to keep the spatter from sticking to your tip, not to prevent spatter from happening.

 

Thanks for the tips, and the compliements on my welds. Tig is out of the question, budget doesnt allow it. I know that much weld isn't really necessary for a strong gusset, but it looks prettier I'll try playing with the wire speed some more. Can't slow it down to much though because it starts popping, then the weld plain sucks. Also, I do use the Anchor brand anti spatter spray. It works well in most areas, but 4 of the welds on the piece are multipass V welds, and the whole area is glowing red by the time the weld's finished, and the spray's long since burned off

Question? How would a nozzel dip gel keep spatter from sticking to the work piece, or is that just for keeping the tip clean?

 

Are you using straight CO2 or an Argon-CO2 mix? I found the straight CO2 gives good or better penetration but more spatter than Argon-CO2 mix. Seems to me I tried the straight CO2 once because it was cheaper, but the mess made it not worth the cost savings.

 

Try 75/25 or 80/20 Argon-CO2 mix. If you can locate it, get some ESAB 87-HP wire, it's a 70S-7 wire; higher silicone content than 70S-6. Finally, use Vicks VapoRub as an anti spatter gel. It clears you sinuses too!

 

Gas is, I believe, 75/25, no drafts or breezes. No clue what the wire is.

 

Kevin Lee, kirk and some others here are right about the wire speed and gas choice. For what it's worth, that aint shit for spatter that you've shown here. Also to solve the burn off problem try giving it a break instead of continuous welding. That red glow might mean too hot, then a brittle piece when done. Just some ideas to consider. I weld all the time on my job and those you've shown are fuckin near as good as it gets.

 

Seriously, what splatter?

I see some flecks here and there, but thats just inherent with welding. It like changing oil in your car, and when you check it its dirty. Do you change the oil again? NO

I don't see a problem, if you want splatter free metal, you have to clean the metal after the weld.

Also if you are spraying your metal, and you are evaporating the spray surrounding the area before you get ot it. SPEED UP. As well as don't try to weld the entire seem at one time if you are trying to accomplish less splatter by applying a spray. Me personally, I would rather run a nice bead with no start/stops and then worry about buffing off some splatter. I figure you are probably the same way.

One idea is on tight spaces. Go ahead and weld in there if it makes you feel better. But then fab a piece to box it in.

 

All good info others have posted. One other thing that can cause spatter is too long a stick out. 3/4" is a bit on the long side, and that will cause spatter, especially when starting a weld. The wire will sit and "pop" a bit before the bead starts, giving you spatter to clean up. Just a thought. But the welds look fine, don't look like excessive spatter at all though

 

Thanks for all the info. All the little spatter stuck to the piece puts a texture in the powdercoat that I don't like. May be I'm just to much of a perfectionist.