Please criticize a first time welder

[chevyman95]

Watched a couple vids online, bought a used hobart handler 140. Can't afford to go with gas right now so its fluxcore. Doesn't look that great to me but when I ground it down it didn't look terrible. Im not happy with how it looks but I think it will get better. I was set at voltage level 1 (good penetration) and wirespeed 25 (maybe too high?)

Anyways what do you think?

First Pass

Second Pass

[chevyman95]

I don't have pics of my third pass or after I ground it down.

[hugger6933]

I would like to see the back side but, it looks like the weld pool got good penetration. Pretty welds don't mean squat to me. The main question is the weld strong? it looks like it to me. You can make the welds prettier in the cosmetic stages[ginding filling priming] Jim

[chevyman95]

Yeah it looks about the same on back and now that it is all ground down it looks like it was that way from the beginning.

[54Caddy]

your metal gap looks a little big, gap the metal with a scrap piece of metal and that should be a nice gap to weld on. Your weld is going more towards one piece of metal try to get even penetration onto both pieces. Dont worry you will get it as you go you will figure out some tricks. Good start though keep it up

[N2TRUX]

You smell bad, and you dress funny. Oh wait did you mean your welds. Sorry about that...

[Billhilly]

Really tough to weld panel with flux cored stuff. The fumes/flux are bad news, period. Smaller (no) gaps would help. Gas is really the only way to go. Seriously, get a small bottle and some solid wire, you will be amazed.

[fastwillie 696969]

use some argon and it will be clean dimes

[cdowns]

if you want to check for soundness of the weld take a hammer to it and wack the crap out of it to see if it holds up to abuse

[menace121978]

X2 try to bend and break the piece apart. the metal itself should tear before the welds break or crack.

[Shane]

looks MILES better than my first welds ...

[justinburnett]

I agree with the sentiment that pretty don't mean **** when it comes to a good weld. It should be strong, not pretty. I've seen beautiful beads break apart under stress, while the ugliest line held up longer than the surrounding metal. Your grinding and light filler will cover up your lack of beauty. As far as the gap goes, I'd definitely try and get the pieces closer together. Flux is a PITA to weld sheet with, for me at least, but it'll work in a pinch. Slow down your feed and go easy, one bit at a time. It's going to look messy at first, but it'll clean up good if you're patient.

[powerdriver 1958]

Practice ,practice. Learned by doing just what you have done here.I asked a lot of questions.Burnt a lot of wire and rod.Asked again.

If I can do it , Anyone can !

Did this in my spare time a few years back;

[PanelDeland]

I'm the wrong guy to ask.I can weld but it's never pretty.However I have become quite good with a grinder.

Check out www.miller.com for forums and tips.

[nds1968]

Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it I would get a piece of .100 or .125 scrap and weld 2" passes to practice. This will help you set up your machine and help you with your angles, speed, etc. As far as setting up your machine for wire speed and etc everyone welds differently so the settings could/would be different for everyone.

As far as pretty welds, with flux core it would help if the welds were smooth and consistant so that you won't trap the slag in undercut or overlap.

Nate

[94tx]

Doesn't look bad at all, but the real question is, what is your goal out of welding? I assume you're just wanting to do body work, as the series of tack welds. But yes, get some gas and solid wire. Check craigslist for every free peice of scrap metal in your area, and just weld as much as you can. Like a lot have said, pretty doesn't equal strong. If you want to do structual welding, start getting some plate and just mess around with different welder settings/gun angles/push vs pull/etc techniques and see what works for you.

[Buick455]

Welding is a combination of equipment, the work, electrode, the welder, etc. Any one of these can screw you up. I use mainly stick for most everything but I also use TIG for thinner materials or where heat input is critical, i.e. welding cast iron, with preheat. I got sick of fighting with my welder and bought a Lincoln 225 TIG/stick unit and it is a great welder. I still use my old Lincoln stick welder but it is a high amperage start so it is more finicky than the 225. I would just get a good welding book where it shows different quality welds and what contributed to the weld that was made. To me spot welds (which you made) are somewhat difficult to analyse. Try making some short (2") but welds and vary your travel speed, amperage, electrode gap on each pass (one at a time). Look for weld penetration, excessive weld splatter, and porosity. That will give you a better idea of your process. Make sure the pieces are held tight together, are clean so you have consistency in the work. Typically your electrode is held perpendicular or slightly angeled in the direction your welding. You weld away from your previously welded area. There are different techniques for welding vertical or overhead.