Green arc??

[ufunnyguys]

Hi guys!

I recently started learning how to weld and have come upon a question i couldn't answer in the "search" area.

Today I was repairing a hinge on a "powder river" horse gate. I noticed that when I was welding I had a green arc. Because of how it was positioned I couldn't clean it real well and welded thru some paint and rust. Other "clean" metal I welded wsa the normal orange/yellow color.

What would cause this color change? Paint? rust??

As a new welder I am sure I am overy worried, but I wonder what toxins (if any) I am sucking up when something like this happens, and how it effects my body.

Thanks,

Greg

[zapster]

first of all..
what were you welding with?


...zap!

[ufunnyguys]

I'm sorry, Flux core Lincoln 3200HD.

[zapster]

green arc is a combo of the welding mask lens and the arc from fluxcore itself..
thats what it looks like...

...zap!

[ufunnyguys]

Thanks Zapster for the quick reply!!!!

From what I recall, the "clean" metal didn't have the green arc, but I could of been mistaken.

Thanks again,

Greg

[TIGBOY]

I Had This Problem When I Welded Bome Bicycle Tube That Had Some Aluminum Flakes In The Paint.i Used A Lincoln Pro Core 100 With .030

[KRS]

Keep your head outta the fumes or hold your breath what you're welding, it's not worth sucking it in ya.

[littlefuzz]

Yup, don't suck the fumes. There's a guy I used to work with I saw last night said he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer and they told him it was from all the years of welding, breathing the dust and fumes. Sucks.

[Visorblue]

My first flux spool was Lincoln NR-211-MP .030 (E-71T-11) and it seemed to have a blue/green color arc. When I ran out I bought a spool of Blue Demon E-71T-GS (all they had and the last one at that) and that first bright yellow/gold arc surprised me. I stopped, took off the helmet (Lincoln auto) and checked it. I was wondering if it stopped working.

The new wire welds nicely but the change in color and brightness surprised me.

[Scott Young]

the green color is coming from the vaporization of copper. when copper burns it is blueish green. at least it was when i was in chemistry a life time ago.