Anything is possible, but those dimples weren't all the way around the tube and the weld had a uniform appearance all the way around...it wasn't concentrated around the die marks...but yes there's no telling what was embedded in the material in those areas.

yeah i guess i'll just buy a couple different lenses and see what happens. Mine isn't clogged or anything, it's just the only thing i can think of that might cause my problem....and i agree, it seems like a stretch, but i can't find any leaks and i know the metal is clean, or reasonably clean.

that's what i was thinking at the time too. it's a water cooled torch. I ALWAYS have the lead laying away from obstacles and never kinked up or pinched and it doesn't get stepped on either. I check for leaks all over, sprayed soapy water on the regulator and on the bottle valve, then on the torch he...

...and to add to that, i cleaned the piss out of it, like always. i have a dedicated stainless brush for aluminum that i use AFTER a light sanding of the weld area, then a good wipe down with acetone and i weld it immediately.

I've definately encountered problems with cheaper grade materials. I try never to use "ebay" tubing, but sometimes its what the customer brings me :evil: The "308" welds like crap every time. This instance, however, i can rule that out. the problem welds were done on pieces cut f...

I was playing around with some aluminum the other day while working on a turbo kit for a friend's Camaro. I noticed some pitting and "pepper" anomolies on the surface of the bead. I was playing with argon flow rate and AC balance for quite some time trying to clean the bead's appearance, h...