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Welder Red Seal · Question

An apprentice welder is struggling to achieve consistent penetration and suffers from excessive porosity when using GMAW on stainless steel. They are currently using a 75% Argon / 25% CO2 shielding gas mixture. What change in shielding gas would most likely resolve these issues?

75% Argon / 25% CO2 is generally not recommended for stainless steel as CO2 can destabilize the arc and cause carbon pickup, leading to reduced corrosion resist

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Question: An apprentice welder is struggling to achieve consistent penetration and suffers from excessive porosity when using GMAW on stainless steel. They are currently using a 75% Argon / 25% CO2 shielding gas mixture. What change in shielding gas would most likely resolve these issues?

Answer options: ✅ Switch to an Argon + 2% Oxygen mixture.

  • Increase the CO2 content to 100%.
  • Switch to 100% Argon.
  • Decrease the gas flow rate.

Correct answer: Switch to an Argon + 2% Oxygen mixture.

Explanation: 75% Argon / 25% CO2 is generally not recommended for stainless steel as CO2 can destabilize the arc and cause carbon pickup, leading to reduced corrosion resistance and porosity. An Argon + 2% Oxygen mixture provides better arc stability, puddle fluidity, and reduces porosity when GMAW welding stainless steel. 100% CO2 would worsen the issue, and 100% Argon might lead to poor bead profile and wetting.

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