What like to know your opinions of these welds.

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Okay, so about a couple days ago, my brother and I were simply messing around with my welder cause he wanted to take up welding practice at home. And because he is taking a welding course at his high school there is only so much time that they can weld. The only problem with practicing with my welder is that mine is a flux core wire feed welder and while his school uses a stick welder.Anyways, I'm on here asking how can I Improve my welds? Also take Into consideration that I am a novice welder, and that I have never taken a class in welding and that this makes the second time I have used this welder since I purchased it back in 2012.So here are the photograph that i took of the welds that my brother and i did.These are my brother weldsThe rest of the photographs are of my welds.Am i going to fast or to slow or do i have my settings wrong? My welder has two temperature settings, one is Minimum and two is maximum and my wire feed speed goes upwards of 10. What i was welding are truck rims which is made of steel, i was using the maximum settings with a wire speed of 3, and i was using an extension card so i may have been underpowered. Anyways thanks for any tips and advice.-ChrisLast edited by Pastorclark1991; 03-13-2014 at 08:44 AM.Reason: Typo in the title.
Reply:Where are the welds??   You need to find the setting chart on the machine and work off it. Prob need some thinner steel to use that machine. Also need to make welds more than 1/4"long for us to really even help. And clean the slag off.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Blobs of molten steel aren't classified as welds.
Reply:Your brother is Stevie Wonder ?Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Unplug the machine and spend the rest of the day watching you tube videos and go buy a 4 inch grinder.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Learn to squeez the seagull more evenly Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2Backed my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:Instead of wasting that material on that. Take that angle iron and start welding the inside of it. Weld one long bead, dunk, weld another, dunk, etc... but this only works if your beads aren't full of ****ty porosity.
Reply:From the sounds of it, youre using a harbor freight 90A FCAW wire welder, correct?
Reply:Hello and welcome. Take a minute to add your location to your profile so we know approximately where you are at. You may find someone local who can help.Ignore the peanut gallery. While what they say is right, it's a bit harsh.1st issue. Your small FC only machine doesn't really have to power to do decent welds over 1/8" at best no matter what the literature from the manufacturer may say. These little machines are always over rated using unrealistic conditions to get the rated thicknesses. You are extremely limited in input power with 110v machines. Most state they need to be run on at least a 20 amp dedicated circuit. That means a circuit with nothing else on them dropping power and voltage. Also extension cords while they may allow the machine to run, rob valuable voltage needed to get the most out of these little machines, don't use one, or if you have no choice, use a heavy gauge one like no less than 12 ga, 10 ga would be better.Now stick vs FC wire... FC is not the greatest tool to use to learn stick, but the slag coating that covers the weld puddle does come fairly close to what happens with stick. Problem will be with only 110v power the puddle will be very small and harder to read. Don't even bother with any cheap 110v stick machine.  they just aren't worth it. If you spend a fair amount of money on a good 110v stick or a dual voltage stick unit, your luck will be better, but cost quickly becomes an issue.Now the good news ( well sort of). You can buy older used transformer based 230v stick machines dirt cheap. I regularly see them offered for $50-150 and occasionally less. ( most guys don't bother to list tools for less than $50 though on CL) The store brand machines are just as good as the name brand units and things like Craftsmans, Montgomery Wards, Marquete, Century etc as equal to the similar Miller or Lincoln units. If you go AC/DC, the price goes up some, say starting at $250, but I've seen them way less on occasion. Down side is that they require 230v power. This "scares a lot of guys. Don't be. If you have an electric dryer, you are good to go. All you need is to make a 230v extension cord. There's a vary good thread on the subject here. The 30 amps of 230v power will not let you weld with heavy rods since the machines really want 50 amps, but they will easily run most 3/32" stick rods no problem. I did this for a lot of years when I leved in an apartment.One way or the other, as others have mentioned we need good info to help you. We need machine used so we can look up suggested settings, 1 or 2 on machine A may not be the same as machine B. This would also help us know if your machine polarity might be set wrong.  We need wire size , type ( FC in your case) and wire speed. We need material thickness. and we need decent picts of beads that are more than 1 or 2" in length after the slag has been removed well. Using this we can tell make good solid suggestions on how to improve your welds..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I'm using a welder that I can only afford which is a northern industrial 115v-125 amp FC welder as far as the size of the wire goes, I'm using the wire that came with the welder which is the northern industrial E71t-GS FC .030. I get the hint that y'all don't think the welds that are on it is not strong to even hold its own weight, but I can insure you that it can hold a 240 pound guy like myself, I even welded one of my mothers kitchen chairs and to my surprise its holding up very well. I know i should be using better wire such as Lincoln electric flux core wire.Once it gets a little warmer I'll go and try to lay a good size beads, I'm very limited on scrap metal and so what you may see its not something you usual see when someone is practicing welding beads.-Chris
Reply:Like I saidBubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Originally Posted by BurpeeLike I said
Reply:On scrap metal... if you  ( or your brother who is in welding class)  goes around to local weld shops or machine shops and asks for some scrap to practice on, you may be pleasantly surprised. Keep in mind these guys need to get their work done, and often they get pestered to death by scrap hounds just looking to stuff their pockets with "free" cash. However most guys will be reasonable if you show you are interested in learning to weld ( here's where being able to show you are in a class can help). Offer to bring back the scrap after you have welded it up so the shop can still sell it and  still get the scrap value. If possible talk to the shop guys not some paper pusher in the office. You or your brother may even find an in for a job in the industry this way on occasion.Just because a weld hold weight, doesn't make it a good weld. Small machines are notorious for making cold welds. A good weld is one you know will not break before the parent metal fails.I hear you on the cost thing. Been there done that, got more t shirts than I know what to do with them. However a small unit like this is very limiting. Just understand that if you are serious about wanting to learn to weld well. Save you pennies and hunt yard sales, flea markets and CL for used stuff. Let friends and family members know you are on the hunt for a better machine. Uncle Joe might have one stuffed in the back of his garage from the 60's he never uses any more and he'll give it to you for free. You never know until you start looking. I sold a young guy here my 1st 230v Craftsman stick machine cheap. Only condition I gave to him was when he upgraded, he either had to give it away to someone to learn on, or sell it to another guy and not scrap it or trash it since I cut him  a really good deal. I see cheap used stuff all the time..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Be nice everyone I know you guys didn't start out as expert welders when you first started welding. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Reply:I would agree to the previous comments… maybe a bit harshly done on their part,,, but they are telling you what you need to hear…. I have used 110v wire welders. Mostly flux core, a few with solid wire… solid was good for auto body work, flux was better for heavier work….. I will clarify HEAVY, as in no heavier than 1/8 thick, even then you may have to bring it up to temp with a propane torch….. Most work was on 16ga tubing. It worked just fine…. The same .030-.035 flux cored wire in a 220v or larger machine will do so much more… but yes YouTube has a lot of good videos,, and CLEAN your work piece before you weld…Have fun!TOOLS AND TOYSSMAW Mid States Inc. "MISSING LINK" 10-150 AMP Buzzer circa 1945ishSMAW Magic Wand 40-60 AMP Suitcase Buzzer circa 1939ishGMAW Hobart 210 IronmanOxy-Propane TorchMany other old and cold goodies"Rusty but Trusty"
Reply:Need more power, or preheat with a torch to allow the weld to penetrate and and flux to boil fully to the surface. That is what I see from the photos.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:What Shovelon said.  Cleaning surfaces to be welded will also help.At least you made me feel better about my welds.
Reply:Step 1:  clean the area to be welded.   Go to harbor Freight, and buy the drillmaster 4.5" angle grinder....$9 on sale, $19 regular price.Step 2:  watch some youtube vid.s on prepping to weld.  That will make actually laying the beads easier.Step 3:  Practice...you'll get there.    serious......check out chucke2009's you tube channel for some good tips.
Reply:I seriously think I had better luck in producing a semi okay beads with a stick welder. I think I should later down the road try investing in a Thunderbolt® XL 225 AC or one of the Lincoln Electric stick welders. I'm aware that I'm not nowhere near being able to weld a car frame (rat rod) or even as simple as a bike (bicycle) or even a go kart. To be quite honest, I rather trust my life on a bike, go kart, car, that was built with wood by me than a frame built by me with a welder.Another thing I want to clarify is that I'm not that person that think because he has a welder that makes him a welder and because I have a welder doesn't mean I can just go out and weld a frame such as a car frame (rat rod), bike (bicycle) or even a go kart. I'm very much aware that those welds are crap and that I only did this for fun and just to practice welding I'm surprised that it even held up like it did. I might even use it as a poor mans weights set. P.S: I couldn't use the drill I was using to clean the metal, giving the fact that it was still early in the morning and I instead use some old used sand paper.Last edited by Pastorclark1991; 03-13-2014 at 11:04 PM.
Reply:Okay, so a few days ago I went out and started welding on this push lawn mower frame and blade. I'm also aware that I should have kept each weld relevantly close side by side, I just didn't know the thickness of the metal as I don't have a thickness gauge, so I didn't want the metal from getting too hot and melting a big hole in the frame. And I'm aware that I should have taken a grinder and grind the steel to bare metal, but seeing as I don't have the cash, I just have to stick with what I got available to me.So, this makes third or fourth time using the welder now. I also found out that I had the spool going in the wrong direction so that might have had effects on wire speed.