Help with arc welding 1mm thick sheet req'd

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G'day All,I'm teaching myself to weld with an arc welder / stick welder.I'm practicing on 1mm thick bits of steel. I've progressed to making butt welds.I'm cutting up sheet with those cheapo "aviation" snips and then bending the sodding pieces flat again and then clamping them close together on top of a not very clean 1.5mm sheet which takes on the role of heat sink.As you can see there is a slight height variation between the two bits of sheet - do I need spend more time making them more of a precision fit?Should I have a slightly larger gap?I have found that this "no gap" works for me - but as I'm still learning I'd like to hear what you guys have to say. I've even managed to weld across a gap and then have the two parts separate leaving a bead of weld on both edges! I can't reproduce that effect though...Anyway - I can reproduce the welds in the pictures below at will. I'm using 1.6mm 6013 rods.I still have a problem with starting - I think I'm getting too anxious about it and rushing it - and at the end of the bead I tend to get a little crater with some slag stuck in it...(I'm right handed so start from the left traveling to the right in these pictures)The penetration of the weld seems to be OK. Here's a picture of the underside - sheet flipped over so the progress of the bead in this picture is from right to left...I'm worried that I'm sticking too much heat into the weld. The heat affected zone seems to me to be huge. It is about 3 times the width of the bead. Is that normal for what I'm trying to do?The length of the bead shown in the picture is about 5cm / 2 inches.Any help / advice / strict military style instructions will be greatly appreciated. Attached Images
Reply:fine looking for a beginner. this thin of metal is generally pretty hard to learn on, so being able to do that well is great work. you seem to have a firm grasp on how to inspect a weld for quality. I wouldn't worry about a heat affected zone that big when the sheet is so thin, though you could turn the machine down a little, and leave a gap half as wide as the metal is thick.Dynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:My opinion.. .Heat or amps are close to perfect.  On sheet that thin no gap is fine   looking goodReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Thanks for the encouragement - how can I make it better?Is it just a case of practice practice and practice?I've found that sometimes it is useful to take it to the next level - struggle or even fail at it but when you go back to your current "easier" level it goes a bit more smoothly.What's the next level? Fillet joint? Welding upwards on the vertical?
Reply:The start of your bead is cold.Try this: when you strike your arc, strike it 3/4" ahead of where you want your bead to start. As your arc starts quickly move the rod back over that 3/4" which preheats that area. As you get the rod back to where you want your bead to start, hold it there and let the puddle develop. As you see the puddle develop, then start moving and forming your bead.I have never been much of a fan of 6013 rod. I have 2 rods I use for carbon steel. 6010 and 7018.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Thanks for the tip snoeproe.I'll give it a go - but won't striking the arc ahead make that part of the metal dirty? I'm trying to keep it all clean clean clean.I have been pre-warming the electrode on a bit of scrap before starting.My biggest electrode problem so far has been getting 1.6mm thick rods - they just happen to be 6013.Where do you get your rods?Can I buy them online?