those are beads not welds, do not look to bad. Material has to be cleaner, touch more heat. Are you pushing or pulling the weld? Small circles as you run the bead make it look real pretty, like a tig
another thought, when I learned to weld and told my instructor I can weld, he said, when you can stand on top of an 8 foot ladder and run a continuous bead around a 12 inch pipe then you can weld
Those beads are not bad at all for starting out! when you clean the metal be very very anal about it when you start out it will pay off in the end. One thing I did starting out was to make small circle beads on a sheet of metal I did 60 or so and then I really started to see what was happening when I did it. I was trained on the job so I had to get good fast or lose the job. ( I got better fast )
First time welding… not bad looking beads. Save those… you'll like looking at them after you've been at it for a while.
Not bad, least they don't look like a dirt dauber done it. My biggest problem was learning to weld thinner metal without blowing holes in it. Knowing where to set the machine was a job to learn for me.
Looks pretty good to me for a first time. My first welding attempt looked like a goose had a digestive problem and crapped all over the metal I was working on. I'd like to blame it on the flux core welder I was using, but in reality I simply didn't know what I was doing. And I'm not much better now.
Stick welder 3/32" 6013 DCEP 65 amps on 1/8" flat stock I got the welder, plugged it in and grabbed the first piece of metal I could find and that pic was the first rod I burned. (Like some other firsts I wasn't sure what I was doing, happened quick and was over before I knew it )
Sorry Mike, I made an assumption. For first time with stick, you're doing fine. Try some 7018, see it you like that a bit better than the 6013.
I buy the beer for the welder! I am good for something! Then I stick the beer cans together with the JB Weld. Gary
That looks pretty darned good for a first time welder, especially using 60 series rods! Remember one thing, no matter how "pretty" a weld looks, make sure it is rooted in the materials you are bonding together good.......that's more important than looks. Like others have said, the cleaner the metal, the better. For cleaner steel, I like using 70 series rods when stick welding (7018 is my fave). I use blue max rods (nickel) for welding cast iron. But I'm spoiled with my MIG machine..... I was a certified TIG welder around 16 years ago and did a lot of it (aluminum and stainless, mainly), someday I hope to buy a good TIG machine for home. You can do magical things when you learn to run a TIG. We used to practice by cutting aluminum soda and beer cans, making them into flat "sheets", and welding them together into "quilts". Very low amperage and a steady hand were needed to do that! I wish I'd have saved a couple of those, they all ended up in the recycling bin at the place I worked!
Not bad at all for your first beads. Slow down a bit and the points will turn into the stack of dimes. At school we had to master 6010 then move to 7018. At first I hated 6010 then something "Clicked" and all of a sudden I liked them. They are a fast freeze rod so what you do with your hand shows in the bead. 7018 is easier to run and looks nicer. like Scotty, Tig is my favorite as there is so much they can do. You can set your machine up for scratch start Tig also. Keep at it!
"But I'm spoiled with my MIG machine....." who isn't ? I wish my "teachers" got my head around super clean metal to start with, I'd had an easier time figuring out temps, rod movement and sizes early on... that's for sure. My reality was I was always welding on some rusty old sign pole out in the rain or something. I don't think I ever had a weld that looked as good as Mike's... definately not my first welds!!! You certified welders sure do make it look so easy... I suppose after welding a 100 miles of beads, you get the hang of it...?
Mike, Not bad at all to start. Your pulling your mig, thats fine but the first inch of weld looks like your speed is ok "BUT" you speed up. points and thinning bead means your in a hurry. Your splatter also means your wire speed is a bit to fast, "or" you need a bit more heat. I can't see the thickness of your material. Also, quit running on a flat piece, get some scrap and make a "T" weld and practice in that. Over lap your beads. I taught this for years, I can also see your running gas, not flux core…. Watch your tip angle as you move, I can see you start with about a 5 degree angle in relation to your work and end up with about 45, and your right handed. If you ever welded stick, 6011, try a whip motion in and back out of your puddle, this will give you some nice stacks and slow you down.
Fifelaker, Just a note, Scratch starts are for if there is no high frequency available. Usually on DC straight, mainly for stainless or mild steels. You cannot do this if your welding aluminum, you will contaminate your tungsten being it is pure. Zircon, or 1%, 2% thorolated will contaminate also but usable. In pressure systems that I have welded, you cannot touch your work at "all", if you do, it's a grind out, repair, and re x-ray
