first weld tips?

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This is my first weld on my new 211 just testing it out, I have very little experience and any input would be appreciated. I thought it looks a little high am I right? If so how do I correct this?
Reply:Da Silva Wurm !!!!Go glue 2 pieces of steel together and saw the weld in half. What does the other side look like ?  It looks cold to me.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:One tell us all the info. What settings were you using? Machine on 110v or 230v power? How thick is the material? What size wire? My crystal ball is out for repair right now...Solid wire mig you have two options. Push or pull the weld. At the tech school we teach pushing solid wire mig. It tends to produce a flatter weld and many of the places that hire out of the tech school tend to work with thinner material where you want to keep the heat down. ( it's also easier to get someone who knows how to push a weld to learn to drag than it is the other way around.) Dragging the weld ( gun pointed back at the weld puddle) tends to make a taller bead. In theory it can add penetration, but with small machines on limited 110v power, it can cause issues as the material piles up if the power isn't high enough. So the end result is a weld with lower penetration because the excess weld bead takes up the added power and reduces penetration into the base material.Also how far away you hold the gun from the work effects bead height. The closer the gun to the work, the "hotter" the beads runs. The farther away you have the gun the "colder" it will weld given the same settings.I often see both these issues with tall beads and newer welders. 1t lots of guys want to drag the weld so they can see for some reason. they want to sit behind the gun when they push, so the nozzle is in the way. Get out in front of the gun and look down the barrel so you can clearly see. 2nd issue is many guys hold the gun too far from the work. 1/4" to 3/8" is about right for welding with small solid wire migs. You have to increase your distance with bigger machines with more power.See if any of this helps..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 that helps a lot already, that was on 110v I just got home with it and haven't been able to wire in a 230v plug yet. I pull my weld I will try pushing it tomorrow, I noticed I hold it more like 3/4-1" away I will try getting closer, this was trying out the auto set feature I haven't tried messing with any settings yet myself. It is 1/8" with .030
Reply:One other thing I forgot to mention. You want to clean your metal better. Rust and mill scale will cause you issues, especially on 110v power. You will want as much power as possible for the weld and you don't want to waste it burning thru mill scale and rust. A wire wheel won't cut it. You will need to grind or sand down to silver metal. Also keep in mind that things like a light gauge extension cord or a 15 amp circuit will suck away power from your weld and cause a tall bead as well. 1/8" is about the max you can expect to do under real world conditions using a dedicated 20 amp circuit and no extension cord with that machine on 110v power.When you get 230v power you will quickly notice how much better it will weld. The extra power will really help a great deal.I've done a bunch of basic learn to weld threads here. Whether it's mig, tig or stick, the general progression of welds is about the same. beads on flat plate, then over lapping beads by 505 ( pads), lap welds, T welds, outside corners and then but joints in that order. When you get thru all those in the flat position, you go back and do them all over again in horizontal, followed by vertical and then overhead. After that if you want you can go to round tube or what ever..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