newbie with first weld pics

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Hello! I'm a brand new welder.. Just picked up a Lincoln Mig Pak 15 (same as a 175T I believe) and I'm starting to practice.. Been reading these boardsand everything else I can find about welding.. So far I've been using theflux core wire it came with, Lincoln 211 MP .35 I believe. I went down to the scrap yard and got some flat bar and angle ironto practice on, 1/8 thick. I've got my settings as recommendedon the inside panel, wire speed 2.5 (out of 10), voltage C (out of E).I can definitely tell when I'm doing it correctly.. it sizzles along nicely.When I get jerky or not smooth, some times the arc stops, or I getholes in the weld bead.A few questions:1) I've included a couple of (slightly out of focus) pics, one of my better welds and one of my worst welds.. Any comments about the good weld would be appreciated. I've noticed the better weld has little splatter.2) How much penetration should there be? I took two pieces of angle ironand tried to make a square tube from them. When I look inside the tube,I can see that the metal hasn't melted all the way through.. I can still see the seam where the two pieces meet. Is this ok?  If I go any slower when welding, I tend to burn right through.. 3) Will it be much easier to weld if I go with gas?4) Ultimately my goal is to make a simple flat deck for my Toyota hilux pickup to replace the rusty box.. Is my "good" weldgood enough to hold together a flatdeck frame?Any advice / tips would be greatly appreciated..Graeme Attached Images
Reply:Try a little more heat if you think it isn't penetrating enough. And I usually run a bit more wire speed than that. The splotchy weld, the 1st pic, is like the speed was too slow,and it doesn't look hot enough. The 2nd pic is better.
Reply:Fluxcore will work for what you are planning. Gas would be cleaner and probably be a better experience for you as a new welder.  But, if you are going to build it out doors, you might just stick with FC.  The second weld looks pretty good.  The first one indicates that your wire speed and travel speed were not in sync.  You were moving the gun too fast for the wire speed...or as rojo says, the wire speed is too slow for your travel rate.  As far as the spatter is concerned, FC is a spatter-er.  It's gonna happen.  You might get you some anti spatter spray and nozzle gel to make cleanup easier...the stuff is fairly cheap and saves a lot of cleanup.A heliux....man I loved those trucks.  A No-Nonsense pickup.  If I remember right, there is another guy here that owns those...I think it might be PAtoyota.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:thanks for the tips.. i've gone and bought somesquare tube, c channel, and angle iron for my flat deck.i'll post a couple pics when i get it done.thanks againGraeme
Reply:the second pic looks greatpost pics of your progress ...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.