Lastone75,
I deleted your double post for housekeeping reasons.
All CDWs come with 16 AWG (0.051" dia.) 1100 alloy aluminum wire.
You have it right; there are three variables in CDW welding, like the manual that comes with it it says. These are Weld Energy (Joules) Weld Force (the pressure) and Weld Time (which is fixed at 2/1000 of a second). You have to learn the correct balance between Weld Energy and Weld Force, no two people do this the same way. The correct way is what is comfortable and works best for you, everyone is different.
RadioShack grounding wire measures 8 AWG (.129" dia.) and is huge. This size will easily carry 50 Amps in an anodizing setup, are your pieces that big? If not, this makes for a weld blemish way larger than it needs to be. 16 AWG will handle 5 Amps with no voltage drop that you can even measure, it will carry twice that current with no ill effects at all.
If there is any charge left after the weld you have a bad connection to the wire, or you didn't cut about 1/8" off the weld end of the wire before welding it. Yes it does matter, you are passing 2000 Amps through this connection in 2/1000 of a second.
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