Show Your Welds

[SCOTI]

I'm going blind . .....

When I try & lay down a continuous bead, I'm all over the place. I just cannot seem to consistently find the gap I need to fill unless I pulse weld & take a slower, more methodic pace. I've tried pulling, pushing..... it doesn't matter (actually it does it's just worse one way vs the other). My best weld bead is the pulse weld pulling toward me R to L (I'm left handed).

I took a welding course in college which required passing a bend test for a passing grade; I did ok there. I keep thinking it's because I haven't welded anything big in a while but I've been practicing on test pieces w/o much (any) improvement. I've done some online searching & it would seem the pulse weld is a good strong weld. But instead of a tight stack of nickels, I've got them spread a little w i d e r & my bead is a little higher than I would like.

Anyone else have this issue when welding? It's getting harder to read my magazines but I figure the gap in the steel isn't quite the same .