Check out my TIG weld, what do you think?

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I build custom motorcycles in my free time and recently got my hands on a 250A Tig Welder. I've done some stick and MIG in the past but never TIG. Last night I was practicing welding some scrap tubing to some square stock. Tubing is 1.25 and around .125 wall thickness. Square stock is 1.5 and around .080 wall thickness, steel. I used a lay wire technique, it seems like the only way I can get a decent looking weld on round stock. 1/16 tungsten and 1/16 wire. I just don't have the coordination yet to dip in a circle. I'm practicing because I'll have to weld some bungs to my frame for fender mounts. Frame is chromoly, and I read up on types of filler and preheating/slow cooling. Would pulse help or hurt on 4130?
Reply:Not too bad. What was your setting at? Looks alittle undercutYa gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:It's def on the flat side, and I got hot at the end because I was way outa position but wanted to get that last 1/4" of bead in, but this is the first decent looking weld I managed on tubing. My cell phone pics aren't so great but you can see on the left how flat it got. I did it in two passes, one on each side. I'm really concerned about appearance because I don't want to have to fill them in as they will be powdercoated. I got a nice heat ring on the inside of the square stock, but for some reason didn't get a picture of that. I was running around 125A (my pedal doesn't have any marks and I didn't look at the welder readout)
Reply:Looks a heck of a lot better than my first tig welds.http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000825140116 Lincoln Weldanpower Model # AC-225/DC-210/6 portable,LN-25 suitcase feeder,Harbor Freight 80 AMP Inverter DC Tig
Reply:Those pics look GREAT for a cellphone to me!  Looks like it focused well on something nearby and small, and has a flash of some sort also.  What cellphone is it?
Reply:LOL it's a Droid X. Great phone, you should see the video it's amazing.
Reply:70S-2 is a good filler for what you are doing..You really should do the dip instead of the lay and weld..That's cheatin'..As far as pulse goes well I dunno..Don't have it.Don't need it.(That's cheatin' too..)...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:laying wire isnt cheating......in fact it's better in my opinon. I agree pulse is cheating :-P  I can't tell if youre serious zap...Welds look good for your first time OP. Push the 1/16 filler into the puddle or lay 3/32 filler and you will get better fill.Last edited by i4sillypwr; 12-08-2010 at 06:50 PM.
Reply:Hey moespeeds,That looks to be a decent start if that was your 1st attempt with TIG. Even though the bead may be a bit on the flat side, that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't a good joint. A BFH would lend confirmation of the joint strength. If you find that the "laywire" technique works for you while you learn, just do it, & perhaps try different thicknesses of filler. At least you will learn movement steadiness & maintaining consistency with your arc distance. Those sweet "dimes" will come to fruition once you get the practice with smooth, fluid travel speed, arc distance, & filler insertion all coming together as one. The more you do, the better you get. BTW, I use the "laywire" technique with all the thin aluminum outside corner joints I do. It works.....Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:looks WAY better than my tig welds
Reply:Originally Posted by zapster70S-2 is a good filler for what you are doing..You really should do the dip instead of the lay and weld..That's cheatin'..As far as pulse goes well I dunno..Don't have it.Don't need it.(That's cheatin' too..)...zap!
Reply:would one of you kindly enlighten me as to what "laywire" is? i assume it is just laying the filler in the joint and welding as is, but I would like to hear it from the experts... I was taught to dip, and thus i have always dippedvery nice weld there! I cant seem to ever get all the way around a tube weld in one pass like you did!