[TheForge] Arc wekding advice sought

[Mike Spencer]

Trying to make something from big-truck helper spring material.
That's the more or less Z- or chicane-shaped, maybe 2"x3" in the
middle, tapering to maybe 3"x3/4" at the long end, close to 4' overall
length. 

I can make a very nice looking weld with 7018, DC straight polarity
(electrode negative).  But the base material under the weld seems to
become exceptionally brittle, such that the whole weld bead can be
easily broken off of the base metal, leaving a fine-grained, clean
gray fracture.  What appears to be a thin layer of the base metal
adheres to the broken-off weld bead.

   + Am I doing something wrong?

   + Is there a trick to welding this material?

   + Anybody know what this material is?  It cuts easily on my little
     bandsaw. 

   + Is welding to this kind of spring alloy known to be a problem or
     outright impossible without fancy industrial gear that I don't
     have?


- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^