Tack Weld Question?

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What do you think of the tack welds?I have a fifth wheel I bought used, it had this extension welded on to carry a motorbike, made from 3" channel and it was heavy and stuck out 32" and upset the balance of the fifth wheel, so hacked it off and tacked it on a bit shorter, anyway I thought I had grabbed 1/8 rod and used 140 amps on my 180Amp sears craftsman A/Cwelder of 1970 vintage and this is how they looked, but I find out the box had been filled with 3/32" and should have been set to a max of 100 Amps, so is that why the appearance to me is that there is not much build up, or is that normal for a tack weld?I figured it should have been depositing it more heavily than it did.
Reply:I am misunderstanding your question.  1.  A tack weld is a REMOVABLE weld.  Think temporary.   A real weld is permanent.Yes you went too hot.  85 amps should have been enough.  Need more details.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Well I guess the question was that I started with a tack weld to see how it looked and fit, but it seemed something was wrong with the setting.Of course I found out the rod was not the 1/8" I thought it was and turned out to be 3/32.So I wanted to make sure that it might be better to use the 1/8" rod to do the finally weld, I think the 3/32" would be too light, plus with higher amperage of the 1/8" rod it should be a better looking weld.
Reply:For what you are doing a 3/32" rod will work fine..  Run 85-90 amps and weld uphill, and it will be plenty strong.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:^^^What he said^^^David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by partsmanWhat do you think of the tack welds?I have a fifth wheel I bought used, it had this extension welded on to carry a motorbike, made from 3" channel and it was heavy and stuck out 32" and upset the balance of the fifth wheel, so hacked it off and tacked it on a bit shorter, anyway I thought I had grabbed 1/8 rod and used 140 amps on my 180Amp sears craftsman A/Cwelder of 1970 vintage and this is how they looked, but I find out the box had been filled with 3/32" and should have been set to a max of 100 Amps, so is that why the appearance to me is that there is not much build up, or is that normal for a tack weld?
Reply:Gotta thank you guys for the answers, I do realise tack welds are not permanent, but I wondered when I saw what I ended up with, but like I say I realise now I must have had the wrong size rod for the amps I was using.Have actually decided I may not weld the bumper on this time, I may just weld the heavy 1/4" plate to the end of the frame and then put bolts through the bumper to mount it, instead of trying to weld it, make it easier if I ever have to replace it again.