beginner..how are my welds

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just started learning to weld a few days ago. today was my 2nd attempt at running a bead with FC wire. looking for some critique and tips, thx
Reply:Posting up your machine, settings, material thickness and so on will help when you ask these sorts of questions. The more info we have to start with, the better the responses you will get..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:ok, here goes..HF 90a flux machine, material was just sections of old bed frame rail not sure the exact thickness. machine only has min/max heat setting and wire setting was on about 4. I plan on getting a lincoln, miller or hobart mig setup but the HF deal is all I could afford after xmas  let the flames begin lol
Reply:For what you have, the welds look pretty decent.Don't be super concerned over getting "flamed". You will have some definite limits with that machine both at the top and bottom end. That plus the usual poor QC that many of those units have, make it hard for people to do a decent job due to erratic feeding. These two issues are why guys are usually so down on these machines. New guys like yourself usually need a dependable consistent machine, with more power to get decent results until they gain more skill. From your description I'd guess your material is about 3/32", probably about tops for that machine. The vertical weld looks a bit thin. The other two don't look horrible. I've seen a lot worse welds from 1st time guys. Bottom end is for that machine is probably down around 1/16" and with a lot of practice maybe 18 ga.Used within it's limits, and if you were lucky enough to get a decent machine quality wise, you can make a lot of small projects with this and get some good experience. If you have one of the more common erratic machines, do yourself a favor and take it back and save your money for a better machine. Trying to learn with an erratic machine will be very frustrating.Good luck..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:also, get some decent metal. bed frames are notorious for being very hard to weld. most people call it pot metal. essentially the just through anything laying around into the pot and melt it down.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:there have been much, much worse posted here.your bottom left stringer looks like you actually managed a consistent puddle the whole (short) length.Weldanpower 225 G7Ironworkers Local #24
Reply:My 3rd ever post here.  I wouldn't complain about the bottom one, and frankly even the vertical one is not bad considering it's your first attempt and doesn't look like you lost your arc.I'm a novice, but the first thing I do after knocking off the slag is turn the thing over to check the penetration.  If you need to try pushing the machine to do thicker metal, run vertical up and that will help a bit with heat and penetration.The little craters on the end (left) you can try to fill a bit by back tracking right at the end.Did you quench the metal between beads?  Good for practicing, but also good to pick up where you left off while the metal is still hot to see how the heat builds up and how to tie in the previous weld with the new one.  I'm still terrible at that.
Reply:Thanks for the tips, I didnt think they look too bad for a beginner so i figured i would ask. I mostly got interested in learning to weld because I'm working on building my 79 Sportster rigid chopper as well as a kawasaki 2 stroke triple and a honda cl360 bobber. but now i'm also itchin to build a smoker too. this is my sporty, I need to fab up oil/fuel tank , fender and sissy bar mounts for it.
Reply:I hate to tell you, but you have the wrong machine and process for the bike projects. It will do ok for the smoker though..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Hey Ironhead79 Is That A Old 900 - Had A 71 Model - Thought They Quit Building Those In 72
Reply:It's a 1000cc Ironhead, last year for the 900's were 72 and last year for the 1000 ironheads was 85