Newb Welding Question: Pitting

[roburrito]

I'm just finishing welding my first frame. I've had some trouble with the seatstay-seattube joint between the stays and the st. I think I spent too much time in the area and when I was finally able to lay down a bead it was "bubbly" and "pitted". I tried doing a second pass over I couldn't smooth out the pits. I've was told the pits are caused by overheating or contamination. I cleaned the area with a wire brush and let it cool, but I still can't get out the pits.

What is my best cause of action? Should I try grinding out the weld?

Tubing is Columbus Cromor OS.

[RCP FAB]

Gas coverage most likely. Did you have the tungsten pulled out far. Get a gas lens if you don't have one already. Excessive heat and/or multiple passes on chromoly is a huge issue. Especially something that thin. The frame is probably junk, unfortunately.

[roburrito]

Junk as in it is dangerous to ride or junk as in I'll likely start to develop cracks with ___ miles? Its a first frame and I knew it would be far from perfect, but I would like to ride it around some before attempting another.

And any tips for getting into that joint? I'm thinking the next build I'll keep the seatstays farther apart.

[roburrito]

Oh and I was using a gas lens. I did pull out the tungsten to try and to get into the joint better so I tried increasing the gas pressure to compensate. I used a #6 lens for most of the bike but switched to a #4 for the inside of the joint.

[fortyfour]

Sometimes increasing gas flow will actually do more harm than good. When I pull out my tungsten to get into tight spots, I do not adjust my flow. If you can, provide pics.

[Scheisserad61]

If you want to ride some miles on it and feel more safe why not just flow a brass fillet over the questionable weld ?