Let me have it, what do you think?

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I've got a Hobart 130.  I use it mostly for fixing the sheet metal on my old rusty '27 T and it does a great job for that.  The old tin is rough and very rusty.  Lot's of cleaning and grinding before I start, stitch welding, and good grounding, and I'm getting decent results.So I'm moving on to some small brackets and hinges I need to fab up.  I wish I could take some welding classes, but personal situation won't allow.  That leaves me to asking you good folks for your opinions.  Go gentle on me....These are some 16 gauge steel hinges.  I hit them front and back.  Beveled the edges and used .23 wire w/gas.  Besides the not so straight line, what'd I do wrong?Thanks! Attached Images
Reply:No need to bevel 16ga or hit both sides. Looks nice but cold. Turn up the heat a bit and the beads will flatten out.
Reply:Thanks!You can tell cold because beads are tall and rounded?  I'm pretty sure the feed speed was right, but not sure if I was moving at the right speed.  I did it in sections, the hinges are 4x2 inches.  Appreciate the critiques.Steve
Reply:If the toes are hitting the plate at or near perpendicular, it's too cold. The top half of the weld on the right looks like it's at a better angle. The metal was most likely hotter when this bead was ran vs the others. Or the camera angle is playin tricks on me.Too fast travel speed won't allow the base metal to heat up enough and you won't get good tie in at the toes. Too low voltage will limit penetration and will require a slower speed. When you're running your beads, you should be watching the toes to make sure things are fusing in right. Listen to the arc. Watch the toesEdit:On metal that thin, I like t go with higher settings to get a faster travel speed. This will help minimize warpageLast edited by Snuffy; 12-05-2012 at 01:01 AM.
Reply:What snuffy said.   Turn up the heat and make sure your wire speed is fast enough.  It should sound like one continuos sizzle buzz sound.  If it's pulsating slow like the sound of a sewing machine, it's too slow and your beads will look not so good.  When moving, I like "pushing" the puddle, vs "pulling."  Also, the "cursive E's" is the way to go.  Nice, straight and very slight cursive E motion, with enough voltage (heat) turned up and you'll do fine.  I also agree with snuffy that there is no need to bevel the edges of 16ga steel.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Thanks again everyone.  I find this very helpful.  It sounded good and I was using the weave, not sure why the beads didn't quite stack up.  I've had others that looked much better in that regard.  The part about the toe being perpendicular and the heat setting makes a lot of sense now.  Again thanks!Most of my welding on the car is sheet metal that's stitched then ground back so it's easy to tell when done correctly.  Eventually I'm going to build a frame that I'll have professionally welded somewhere.  I'm toying with the idea of getting a Lincoln Arc and trying it myself too.  I've never tried Arc though, so part of me would love to try it, but part of me is a little intimidated tackling something like a frame.  Would entail lot's of practice.Steve
Reply:Originally Posted by anotherstevegI'm toying with the idea of getting a Lincoln Arc and trying it myself too.  I've never tried Arc though, so part of me would love to try it, but part of me is a little intimidated tackling something like a frame.  Would entail lot's of practice.
Reply:What gas and wire are you using?    A blend (75/25) will give you better appareance then 100% CO2.  Also you mentioned "rusty"... although cleaning is the best choice, you may want to select ER70S-6 wire ( the -6 wire has the highest combination of deoxidizers in the form of silicon and mananese.  This will help with the rusty material.  It is also well-suited for welding sheet metal or the thinner guages.Be carefull with to much oscillation "cursive e"  you can get it to look nice and if it is your thing then fine, but you can do just as good with no movement.  movement causes you to spend more time in the puddle resulting in more filler. To much filler may be part of your to cold problem. Your using all your energy to melt off excess wire when you could be trasfering that energy to the plate hopefully resulting in better bead appearance. Keep on welding. hood time is good time!