I'm teaching myself how to use a Lincoln Square Wave 175 welder and
I've encountered a problem. I keep seeing a build-up of spatter
that sticks to the electrode and the ceramic cup. As this spatter
builds up the arc becomes harder to control. I'm spending a lot of
time putting new points on the electrodes.
The welding books say that a TIG electrode isn't used up in the
welding process but in my case I'm always stopping, snapping off
the electode where the spatter has been deposited and regrinding.
I'm welding on an old pickup truck so I have my suspicions of the
problem. But shouldn't old metal weld like new if it's been
ground to bare metal? And if it isn't the pickup truck's fault,
what is the operator doing wrong?
Steve Shipley
Seattle, WA
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