Welding Tips and Tricks

This is my first post, I've recently decided that I'm tired of paying for fab and welding on odd jobs. welding has always been exciting to me; the smell and sound just screams productivity and creation. Until recently I've shielded my eyes from the arc. I took the plunge and bought a hobart 210 mvp, 80cuft tank, helmet etc.

This isn't my first bead, but probably only my 3rd or 4th session, how does this fillet weld T joint look? granted the other side isnt as nice... should i be concerned for the lack of heat marking on the bottom? Thanks all, really stoked to get better at this and start working on more than scrap.

Looks decent, just don't "Instagram" the pic (effects).

Not too bad, but it looks to me like maybe you were progressing too quickly and at an inconsistent speed. Slow down a bit and try to work on consistency. You might try something like Jody's cursive "e" pattern (or something similar) as it helps you get a tempo and work on timing, speed and consistency.

Looks ok to me also.

Do you do any cleanup on it? Or is that how it came off the wire?

The top side is a bit cold, not terrible but a bit off. Mig is a fickle mistress, looks ok but can easily be cold. I think a cut and etch would reveal my suspicion.

Oscar wrote:Looks decent, just don't "Instagram" the pic (effects).

Im not sure I know what you mean, I took it with my phone and uploaded it straight in.

I don't even have an Instagram...

Louie1961 wrote:Not too bad, but it looks to me like maybe you were progressing too quickly and at an inconsistent speed. Slow down a bit and try to work on consistency. You might try something like Jody's cursive "e" pattern (or something similar) as it helps you get a tempo and work on timing, speed and consistency.

consistency is definitely my weak point right now. some of my welds get fat and skinny again, sometimes i wind up with a bead riding up on the vertical plate or down onto the horizontal. Practice is what i need i suppose.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:Looks ok to me also.

Do you do any cleanup on it? Or is that how it came off the wire?

I took a paint removal wheel to it to remove the milscale and silicates off the top of the bead, was wondering if maybe i was missing some porosity. probably should have cleaned off the milscale before i started.

Thanks for your feedback.

HVYMTL wrote:

Oscar wrote:Looks decent, just don't "Instagram" the pic (effects).

Im not sure I know what you mean, I took it with my phone and uploaded it straight in.

I don't even have an Instagram...

my bad, it looked like it had one of those filters that accentuates the object. My apologies!

looks OK, but like most things, looks are only skin (surface) deep. You should cut through the weld non the test piece , smooth the cut edge and put some acid on it to check for penetration, which is the most important thing.