I'd been fighting my welder the whole time, and like an idiot co…

I'd been fighting my welder the whole time, and like an idiot couldn't figure out why I was having trouble with it. Notice the complete lack of spatter on the last two welds -- after fiddling with wire speed, gas flow, travel rate, and replacing the contact tip, I *finally* realized my wire spool was binding just enough once a revolution to slow down the wire speed, break the arc, and throw spatter all over. Problem solved. Finish welding the backside would've taken half the time if I'd figured that out beforehand instead of having to fight the tool.

Owner caption December 2005 · Photo 105 of 361