My crappy welds---Help!!

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I am very new to welding. I took a few classes where they let you run a bunch of welds and explain the basics of welding. The machines were all set up so I missed out on that part. I just recently purchased a Lincoln 140 C and then realized that I wouldn't be able to do what I really wanted (1/4 inch-3/8). I upgraded that to a Millermatic 211. I just got a new 220V outlet and now the welder is fine. I am the weak part. On 1/8 and smaller, 22 -16 gauge sheet metal and exhaust tubing, I am ok. Not great but with a lot more practice I think I will be a little better. However, I just don't like the way things are going with the bigger stuff. I had some scrap 1/4 plate that I cut up and beveled. The butt joint was ok but it seemed like I was going way too fast and the bead was pretty big, Sorry no pics of that. When I got to the lap joint (pics) and the corner joint, things seemed to be going wrong. I used autoset with 0.030 wire. 75% Ar/25% CO2.Thanks in advance for any help/advice.MikeOutside corner. Looks worse every time I look at it. Notice all the splatter. Attached ImagesLast edited by Hambone2004; 12-10-2012 at 09:57 PM.
Reply:continued crappy welds!Inside corner first then a lap joint. Attached Images
Reply:I'm guessing the 1st set of picts is an outside corner. I can't tel how you did fit up however. Fit up is a huge part of welding and will often make or break you. I can never seem to get this thru to some people at the tech school though... For an outside corner, you want your inside edges just touching so there is a V that you fill. Try to but one piece tight to the 2nd with no prep and things usually will look ugly. In the 1st picts I also can't tell if you are doing a motion or not as well. They may be tall because you are spending too much time in the puddle and need to either make your motions smaller or possibly speed up, or both.Fillet looks decent for someone starting out. You need to slow down a bit as I see a very distinct "point" to the ripples that tells me you are going to fast.The last I assume is your but joint. Again I see the ripples that are pointy and tell me you need to slow down, You also need to work on your consistency as your puddle size is changing for some reason. With but joints, I'd like to see the back as well. 90% ot the students at the tech school can't get full penetration on their 3/8" bevel but joints. Most of the issue is poor fit up. The rest is usually they are scared to death they will burn thru and go to fast.Keep up  the work and good luck.Last edited by DSW; 12-10-2012 at 10:05 PM..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:Sorry about the pictures.The last is a lap joint. With the outside joint, I tried to fit up but I didn't get a straight cut. I tacked one side and then adjusted to make a little better fit. I tried the "e" motion but it just looked like I was melting the steel away too fast so I quit that and sped up some.
Reply:Ok with the pict from that angle it was hard to see it was a lap. Try shooting at a slight angle so we can see the plate relationship in the future.As far as that as a lap joint, again you still need to slow down. I can't tell the relationship of the two plates, so I'm going to guess...I'm guessing from the discoloration on the right that the original plate line was where I drew the red line. If so the edge of the weld ( blue) should be closer to the red line, assuming the plate at the bottom of the screen was sitting on top of the one at the top of the screen ( see how hard this is with out a reference...) The blue line should be almost touching the red line ( if the plates are reversed, the top of the bead should move down to the red line.  (Where the blue line is is about what you should see the original plate line.)With lap joints I usually tell students to concentrate the arc on the lower plate and "wash" the puddle up onto the upper plate until they just see the edge start to melt, then quickly swing back down. Note the arc is almost never on the top of the upper plate. It onl hits the side of the upper plate if at all. A "C" or "Z" motion usually works best for most students doing this, but I can make straight stringers or "e"s work as well. The thing with "c"s is that you can watch the top edge or the bottom as you swing back and forth. With an "e" motion you almost need to watch the back of the puddle behind the arc and that's tough for many to do. Then they get in the habit of doing "timing" patterns vs learning to watch the puddle. Attached Images.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:Thanks! I am going to try that tonight with the lap joint. I was making a mess between c's and e's.
Reply:You're likely in a spray mode as opposed to a short circuit mode based on the autoset values.  With spray transfer, doing any sort of e or c pattern isn't going to help.  From the looks of it, you probably also have too severe of an angle on your MIG gun, and need to hold it closer to perpendicular to the weld joint.
Reply:I would ask the other guys with 211's about machine setting and autoset for what you are doing... you may find doing manual settings with a lower wire speed may help you out.  if you can find someone experienced with the same machine here who can duplicate your settings and weld a bead with a pic and movement, gun angle etc that will probably be very helpful for you.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250