Newb Learning To Weld GMAW... ( 56K Death )

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Here are some pics of me welding 3G from last semester..  (sorry, I don't have any 1 or 2g pics... )Well, I started doing radius and 45° today...  not so hot at that yet... but I am using the larger handle and hose for GMAW... and it is not so user friendly in articulation, especially in decreasing radius'..Anyways, I picked up the first 4G (overhead) piece from the other day and took some pics tonight of it...If you look close you can see toward the top of it there is some undercut (where it didn't completely tie in to the bevel/side) that was because it was it was directly over my head and like newb I didn't know any better...One day I will be good at this stuff... but all in all I think I am doing decent for only one semester of night classes under my belt... other than that, I have not welded before... Tonight was my third class this semester...
Reply:The toes (edges) transition very smoothly to the base metal and the bead height looks nice. Your weave is nice and smooth. Just keep practicing to keep as consistant as possible and straight and completely fused at the root. You may want to weave the bead less. If the final weldment needs to be larger, make more passes of stringer beads. Be able to do stringers and weaves both! Keep at it, looks nice. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Looks great!  It took me years to master vertical up.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:You also need to weld the joint completely. You start awfully high up in the part and end kind of soon. Just another tip to try. --Gol'
Reply:Thanks fella's... my instructor told me to do more stringers also...  and I did, just no pics of them for ya... (sorry about that) and my stringers, well they look like the string needs to be pulled sometimes.. LOL... they aren't always as straight and tight as I would like them, but I can not complain... because like I said, I basically just started... and I realize that I am not going to be perfect overnight... and that most of this stuff is just repition and muscle memory and having a good eye for the puddle...  (which I have a still some learning to do in all of those areas)  As far as welding the whole plate... I do have issues with that... I got in a habit of not welding the complete surface due to all test plates get and inch cut off each end... in which case the part that is not welded would be removed... however in the grand scheme of things, it probably is a bad habit...
Reply:I started welding some FCAW today, and I am amazed at the bead that it makes... such a beautiful weld... probably going to try and pass some test with that... since I have passed 1-4G now on GMAW...
Reply:Originally Posted by smokeshowAs far as welding the whole plate... I do have issues with that... I got in a habit of not welding the complete surface due to all test plates get and inch cut off each end... in which case the part that is not welded would be removed... however in the grand scheme of things, it probably is a bad habit...
Reply:When I took the 3G with MIG, I had a 1/4" backer.  I started on the backer, went into the groove from there and ended on the backer.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I run one stringer bead on both 3 and 4G positions and then followed up with the weave pattern... (I probably could speed up the rate of travel and run 2 more thin beads but I chose not to )  The 4G in that picture was right to left (2G inverted)... however, I usually weld top to bottom (3G inverted)..  but I knew I needed to learn various ways of travel.. because you will not always be able to choose your direction of travel... sometimes it will be already predetermined...
Reply:Thanks for the tip Moose...