Hi, I've been having a go at welding with my O/A kit and I've been getting some great welds where the fit up is spot on and I haven't needed filler rod but when I started adding filler the puddle fizzes with Sparks and the finished weld looks oxidised. The rods I was sold by my local welding shop are Geka Eligas 1 AWS A5.2 (SFA 5.2) R 45. I was wondering if these were the right rods or not as I only get this problem when I add filler rod. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Wendelspanswick
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You do get popping and sparks with Oxy /Ace, it adds to the excitement!
Is your steel clean, any rust will exacerbate the fireworks.
Is your flame balanced? By that I mean a nice tight blue cone with no black smoke.
Is the copper coating intact on the rods or do they have surface rust?
Is your steel clean, any rust will exacerbate the fireworks.
Is your flame balanced? By that I mean a nice tight blue cone with no black smoke.
Is the copper coating intact on the rods or do they have surface rust?
chunkolini
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Are you keeping the end of the rod close enough to the flame to stop it oxidising.
brightspark
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what thickness of metal are u welding. i mainly used to weld car bodywork using a no 2 nozzle. as above u get spitting sparks and the odd pop if over heat the weld pool just check your cone make sure its correct .practice makes perfect. i just was self taught.all i was told was chase the bubble and read the book
The steel is brand new and clean and the rods are brand new from a sealed pack so no rust on them. I have a nice neutral flame with no smoke or soot. When I'm just fusing the steel without adding rod there are some sparks which I guessed was right but as I add the filler rod to the puddle it really fizzes and I get a shower of sparks, the rod doesn't always seem to flow well either. Maybe it's just me and I need more practice.
I think so I'm keeping the end of the rod inside the outer flame.
I've tried some 2mm and 0.75mm sheet I used a size 3 on the 2 mm and a size 1 on the 0.75mm.
brightspark
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Thanks for this brightspark Ill try setting my neutral flame with the slight 'haze' as this suggests as so far I've been using a flame that has just enough oxygen to get rid of the slight haze and give a sharply defined cone. I won't get chance to try it until the weekend but I'll post back here to let you know how I get on.
Hello Migman,
I'm inclining towards blaming the rod. If you can cut a small sliver of steel from the material you are welding and try that. I've been gas welding for years and have never experienced what you have; gas mixture does vary as you weld so does require adjustment from time to time but doesn't cause the sort of problem you describe?
Alec
I'm inclining towards blaming the rod. If you can cut a small sliver of steel from the material you are welding and try that. I've been gas welding for years and have never experienced what you have; gas mixture does vary as you weld so does require adjustment from time to time but doesn't cause the sort of problem you describe?
Alec
Thanks, I'll give it a go the weekend. The other problem is the people at my local welding shop looked at me as if I'd asked for a left handed screwdriver when I bought the rods, they didn't seem too sure and just told me they never really get asked for rods for oxy acetylene welding anymore.
It's not the rods! AWS A5.2 R45 (or RG45) is the American designation for what we call BS:1453 A1. A2 are the same as RG60 which are a higher strength flavour with more carbon and manganese
A15 (er70s-2) TIG wire has loads of other stuff needed to deal with oxides etc in the inert argon atmosphere. They work fine with oxyfuel but are 'pasty' and don't flow as well compared to proper oxy fuel wire due to all the extra alloying elements added to make them "triple deoxidised"
A15 (er70s-2) TIG wire has loads of other stuff needed to deal with oxides etc in the inert argon atmosphere. They work fine with oxyfuel but are 'pasty' and don't flow as well compared to proper oxy fuel wire due to all the extra alloying elements added to make them "triple deoxidised"
Thanks, at least I know that they are the right rods so it's either normal to get the amount of sparks I'm getting or it's the way I'm doing it.
I'm holding the torch with the tip of the cone approx 1/4" away from the metal. I'll try experimenting with it a little closer and a little further and see what difference it makes.
brightspark
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theres allways a fair amount of sparks when welding .and a few pops when u overheat the weld pool 
It could just be me as ive done loads of cutting and quite a bit of brazing with oxy acet but only just started trying to weld with it. I just really noticed a bit increase in sparks when adding filler rod as there doesn't seem to be many sparks if I'm only melting the base metal.theres allways a fair amount of sparks when welding .and a few pops when u overheat the weld pool
julianthegypsy
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You always get a few sparks, but not too many. The end of the rod should be almost molten, you just dip it and it should flow immediately. You just dip it enough for a drop to run off then pull it back just far enough so it doesn't drip but stays on the verge of melting, ready for the next dip!
