Welding Tips and Tricks

I have a project going and I bought some square stock. I am using 70 Tig wire. The material I'm using is DOM tube and mild steel plate. I tacked a piece of the square stock to a piece of plate and there is definitely something different here, a grayish look with a different texture, kinda fuzzy looking.

I guess first of all, what do I have and second ,is it safe for a motorcycle frame.

Thanks, Ron

A photo of what you're seeing would be helpful. Where did you buy the material and was it labeled, such as A36 steel? Or perhaps an ASTM designation.

What you’re describing as a gray, fuzzy appearance is often related to poor shielding and over heating the material. Provided the material is clean, shiny, bright clean, inside and out, the wire and weld should be more silvery than gray.

Cup size, gas lens and CFH?

I buy my steel from the warehouse in the city. I just asked for square stock figuring it would be the same as my flat bar. Just didn't think that it would be different. No markings to tell.

I'm at 120 Amps,15 CFH and #8 cup. New stuff and clean and wire brushed it before welding.

It's not that it doesn't weld, it just is different.

check to see how hard it is. eg centre punch or drill.
have seen it where they mixed up some steel types. ended up with some super hard (high silicon?) steel.

imho with something fairly critical like motorbike frames you want to know exactly what you have. if its to hard it may fracture with vibration, or be to soft or weak.

you don't have a piece of galvanized something or other stuck in there do ya?

You say clean and wire brushed, but did you grind the mill scale off?

just show us a picture already. We want to help you but geez, people always have to make things so difficult with the never-ending guessing game

Guess what !!!!!!

today, I went into retirement .... AGAIN. Time to get Ma all tuned up .... she said she can't wait for the final retirement. I bet I can get along without it, but here comes the honeydo list.