[Aussie Mike]

The pic of mine was after a quick scrub with a wire brush. The soot looks nasty but comes off easy. Welding aluminium also makes a lot of smoke too. Definitly a job to be done in a well ventilated workshop.

I usually keep to a fairly sheltered spot when welding as I'm a bit cheap and try to keep my shielding gas uses to a minimum. When I'm finished I open up the doors and turn a fan on to clear the air. I'll often wair my spray painting respirator under my welding helmet as well.

Cheers