Please Critique my welds!!!

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Well just wrapped up about 2 1/2 hours of killing my flat bar I bought.  I made a hunk of junk and a box with uneven sides .  Anyway heres my final welds tell me what you think.  Also the back of the plate has good penatration with some spots of excess but overall I'm happy.   Welder: Lincoln 135Voltage: DWire Speed: 2 1/3 Click for HUGE image:
Reply:your getting there...whats with the ad's when you click on the pic??hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:There is a lot of room for improvement here.  But, you have taken the plunge and appear to have the right attitude...You should keep this piece just to remind you of where you started out.  I wish I had kept my first "hunk of junk."  Actually, that probably would not have been such a good idea in my case...but, that's another story...It looks like you are running too hot and it looks suspiciously like there is oil on the metal...lots of oil.  Did you spray the metal with something before welding?  Just clean the metal, get the rust or scale off (no oil), put it in a flat position, and use the chart on the welder for thickness, amps and wire speed...don't adjust more than one control at a time so you can figure out what's happening.  Count the letters and spaces in the line above with your finger about as fast as you can...that's about how fast (or maybe a little bit faster) your gun should travel when you are going good.  Everyone talks about the frying bacon...that's the sound you want in short arc (what you are doing).  Get another piece to work on...maybe a little thicker...that one's done.Last edited by smithboy; 08-03-2006 at 11:44 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Originally Posted by smithboyThere is a lot of room for improvement here.  But, you have taken the plunge and appear to have the right attitude...
Reply:Well I figure if you don't burn down your house the first time or two you try welding your doing good.Keep the Good attitude and practice ....Washman
Reply:Water...that's what it is.  I can't tell exactly from the picture how thick the workpiece is (maybe 1/8th maximum), but it looks like you beads are twice the thickness of the workpiece...You could probably reduce wire speed and reduce the amp setting and still hold a nice continuously flowing bead.  Lots of metal yards and practically all welding shops cut to order, so they will have little (near useless) chunks of steel in bins ready for recycling (drop steel)...next time you have some free time, go by and ask if they have any you can buy off them at the scrap price...they might even give it to you.  Grab a couple of pieces 1/4 inch thick for practice beads.  You'll have a hard time burning through that with a 120v welder.  You can lay beads in one direction side-by-side, turn 90 degrees clockwise and do it again.  Do straight ones then do the "half moon" ones.  See what gives you the best results.  I tend to do little overlapping circles...sorta the half moon with a bit more forward motion, but that's just stick welding technique spilling over into mig.Here is a good guide if you don't already have it.http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/mig_handbook.pdfSmithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsteryour getting there...whats with the ad's when you click on the pic??hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...zap!
Reply:Not me.  I had no problems or advertisements.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:interesting......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:LOL, anyhow, theyre better than your others, seagull poop I think an instructor said to me once,  But in the real world, butt plates, t joints, and what ever joint there is, requires more to it than welding on the face of a innocent peice of steel, kidding, amps, wire speed, type of work,i.e. thinckness, metal type, but its a start toward your career as a welder. patience is a virtue, best exercised by a welder!
Reply:Originally Posted by heavymetal_2006LOL, anyhow, theyre better than your others, seagull poop I think an instructor said to me once,  But in the real world, butt plates, t joints, and what ever joint there is, requires more to it than welding on the face of a innocent peice of steel, kidding, amps, wire speed, type of work,i.e. thinckness, metal type, but its a start toward your career as a welder. patience is a virtue, best exercised by a welder!
Reply:Originally Posted by LockdownActually my butt welds look really good.. thou i didn't grab a picture.  T welds are next for monday's fun.  Also on the butt welds should I have nice little half moons on the other side of the weld?  Like little dew drops all the way across the weld?
Reply:Ditto.
Reply:Originally Posted by heavymetal_2006Ditto.