please critique my welds + some questions

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so finallyyyyyy got a gas cylinder today. its 100cf, picked it up on CL for $85 and took it to my LWS to get it swapped ($32, is that about right?).anyway, i changed the polarity on my machine and got every thing setup and gas flowing at 20cfh and this is what i got.also, could someone explain the stamp on the bottle listed. it was stamped for 07 with a "star" but also had a 2015 stamped in it. the new bottle will be due in 2014 but also has 2015 stamped in it. the pic is of the original bottle.thank you.experimenting with voltage on the left (all welds are on 115v on Hobart 210mvp.)
Reply:could someone please explain the browning and the small bit of "glass" that would form where i would stop my weld?these were done outside but i couldnt feel a breeze so i don't think that had anything to do with it.also, i was getting a POP every second or 2, what could cause this.sorry for all of the questions but if you've read my older posts you'll see i'm kinda new at welding.thank you guys very much.
Reply:Originally Posted by superweldercould someone please explain the browning and the small bit of "glass" that would form where i would stop my weld?these were done outside but i couldnt feel a breeze so i don't think that had anything to do with it.also, i was getting a POP every second or 2, what could cause this.sorry for all of the questions but if you've read my older posts you'll see i'm kinda new at welding.thank you guys very much.
Reply:thank you for your input. i should have cleaned it with the flap wheel but i just wanted to quickly make sure everything worked so i just hit it with a wire brush, but obviously not on the first piece. i keep my wire 1/4"-3/8" no more than that.the metal i was working with there was too thick to burn through. i was on 7 and the wire speed at 25 on the last weld and thats the best i could get.also, are you supposed to have the nozzle all the way back to where the front is flush with the tip? i have it to where its about 3/16" out past the tip. and the machine only came with 1 nozzle and i'm sure its for gas.one thing i forgot to ask was what side of the roller am i supposed to use? theres a smooth side and a knurled side. i used the knurled side for the flux core and it worked fine so i have it set up the same way now.i wish the hobart manual was more helpful :/
Reply:double post.
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderare you supposed to have the nozzle all the way back to where the front is flush with the tip? i have it to where its about 3/16" out past the tip. and the machine only came with 1 nozzle and i'm sure its for gas.
Reply:thanks for the reply. i think your right about the nozzle, i'll fix that next time.as far as the drive roll, both sides are for .030-.035. just one side is knurled and the other is smooth.
Reply:The arc of 120v machines is extremely sensitive to any drosson the nose of the contact tip. If there's build-up, you can see itscrewing with the arc. Very regular cleaning of the nose withside cutters helps.Ditto for reaming the nozzle regularly to take out the dross,making sure that the contact tip is not loosened by this-but isstill screwed snug.Contact tips are consumable items and need replacementregularly.The popping can be arcing from not enough wire feed, dealing with dirty material, or a clipped or un-clipped wire end exploding as it hits the work.(My Miller 211 with its 'hot-start' makes a pop on an un-clipped end,but not on a clipped end, if the arc is started within the tip to workdistance that the setup parameters indicate.)Blackbird
Reply:Originally Posted by superweldersalso, could someone explain the stamp on the bottle listed. it was stamped for 07 with a "star" but also had a 2015 stamped in it. the new bottle will be due in 2014 but also has 2015 stamped in it. the pic is of the original bottle.t
Reply:i think your right about the nozzle
Reply:thank you guys. wish i could have kept the old bottle. it was in much better shape than the one i have now. haha. would it be a problem if i painted it? i know i'm being anal but i guess thats just how i am.
Reply:Some places get picky about painted cylinders. They are afraid someone is trying to cover up issues ( bondo over heavy pitting or arc strikes and then painted to hide the "repair") or has repainted a "stolen" cylinder to disguise it ( grind off the neck ring and then repaint the cylinder and claim it's an owner cylinder). Some places don't like repainted cylinders because they like to stick to a specific color code for gas mixes and it usually makes the hydro and cylinder markings hard to read.They are usually VERY picky about repainted alum cylinders. Guys like to occasionally paint cylinders with auto paint and bake them. If you bake an alum cylinder you just destroyed it in many cases.  Temps that high will automatically fail a cylinder, so many places will not want to accept a repainted alum cylinder..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:nevermind then i guess i'll just leave it as is. never thought about it that way.thank you.
Reply:Get the wife to sew you a nice sleeve with velcro attachments to hide your ugly cylinder. Maybe a nice knitted cylinder "sock"... Or just get welding so you use up the gas and get another cylinder..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:haha, thanks, i think i'll go with the second option.