It's time

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Well, been hiding long enough. I was welding today on something besides the usual 3" pipe corral, 2" square with I believe .090 walls, whatever the stuff Wes left over at the house after Weld-o-Rama 2 a couple of months ago and pic 1 was from that day and the others are from today. So, go ahead; let me know if it's any good but most importantly, what's wrong with them and what I can do to correct it. As always, thanks.
Reply:I think you can tell when I was goofing between wire speeds and voltage and went from crackle to hiss and back to crackle again just trying to equate the sounds to performance; at least I hope that's why some are smooth and others wavy and consistency is still a problem...
Reply:Lack of consistency would be the thing I notice most as far as issues you are having. I'm also wondering why the lower welds all seem to look like the path of a drunken sailor when the upper ones don't. "Playing with settings" shouldn't effect your aim.Welding rolled tube edges like this will have an effect on how the weld lays down since you are really almost filling a V groove. This can tend to help mask some issues guys are having, especially issues with settings being a bit on the cold side. Since you have to pump a lot of wire into a small area to fill, the bead can tend to look a bit hotter than it would if you used the same settings on flat plate. The "bevel" tends to also make the bead lie down flatter than it might on flat plate. Without knowing your actual settings and machine used, there's no way to tell if this was an issue or not.Overall I'd say you've shown a lot of improvement over the welds in the 1st pict..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:As a friend, I will not give you any false positives brother. They stink! They stink real bad! Keep at it Jonathan, it will come with time, and it is not easy brother. You'll get there with hood time, trust me! I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:I'm staying at it. Must be a bad welder. No, wait; it's the HF wire... bad gas. Well, that's all I got. I guess I shouldn't actually hook up the trailer I just built then??? Just joshin'. Thanks both of you.
Reply:From the third picture down those welds seem good, but on the contrary i'm not a CWI.Lincoln pro core 125 14''chop saw7 inch grinder,2-4.5 inch grinders,electric die grinder.Half inch drillAnd alot of hand tools
Reply:Lemme run out to the barn and get the numbers.
Reply:You have improved much grasshopper but still have room for improvement that come with practice and sound can tell you a lotBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:.060 wall ga. 2" square steel tube. Lincoln HD set to "C-2" running .030 Lincoln steel w/ 75/25@20... oh and the sad part; no beer for the drunken sailor.  Yes, it was rolled corners so I'm thinking more wire or just practice butt, lap and t-joints so nothing gets hidden.Last edited by jlames; 11-18-2013 at 11:01 PM.
Reply:Yeah, it's starting to come together but Mike's right. I still stink! But I am on the road. Thanks. I can only equate it to a helo. These kids that think they can even hover much actually pilot a helo just because they got a couple hundred hours in a fixed wing just drive me crazy. I'm finding welding alot likeflying helos. Any idiot can fly a fixed. They're inherently stable and want to fly. Helos just wanta bite you and kill you. Helo's and welding are about seeing and hearing and feeling and thinking and understanding and putting it all together and adapt/adjust as needed... constantly.  But I'll get it. I love how the sight and sound are coming together for me and I can adjust either one to suit what I know my welds should look like. It doesn't look that way but at least it isn't bird poop anymore.
Reply:Just got in after some more of that "Practice". I've run out of scrap. Now what?
Reply:It means it's time to learn about plasma gouging The madness never ends Backed my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:I have to admit, that was fun with you and Wes and your monster truck with the Blue Beast on it at Weld-o-Rama.
Reply:Hey Jonathan,As another hobbiest, I think the top bead in each picture shows a lot of improvement. The last picture, top bead looks the best from a consistency standpoint. To me, it looks like the toes are tied in adequately and more importantly there is no burn through which is easy to do that thin tube.I wish Mike would elaborate on "they stink" so you and I would both know what to look for and work on. I expect Doug may come back with some detailed explanation, as he is usually very helpful and gives great feedback. Overall, I would give you a pat on the back and a "Most Improved" trophy. Keep practicing, and we will get there, eventually. If us old soldiers last that long! F.I.D.O.(I remember with great joy, how the student pilots from Ft Rucker would smuggle in their breakfast cereal, pieces of bread, or whatever they could steal from the mess hall and give to us starving Ranger students when they ferried us to the next LZ in 1974. If you were there, a much belated THANKS!!!)Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:My guess on the drunken sailor weave is position. Move all the crap out of the way. Chill out and pretend it's brain surgery. Watch this hotdogging.Last edited by Burpee; 11-19-2013 at 10:37 AM.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Ft. Rucker! Different branch but right MOS. My father was Army though. You guys had Cairns. We had Sherm Field southeast of you for TRAW6 and AOCS. Wow, long time ago and yet it'll always seem like yesterday. I was just coming in '75 but there isn't an aviator alive who doesn't remember the July day in '74. Small family. But there were good days too, my friend. You know, I'm not a big forum guy or talker; that's my wife's department. But when I needed to learn welding, I was so thankful to find the people here and now I look at this forum in much the same way as I remember those times. And there's alot of others here who FIDO. No other way. Semper FI
Reply:Something for us old stick jockeys who've long-retired to the Spam Cans.
Reply:You're absolutely right, Burpee. I really need to build a standard table where I can get into a comfortable position and stop doing the bird wings thing. Always amazes me how you all know these things just from looking at the pictures. Right now it's its 2X12 and 16ga on 2 old Workhorses. But I want the table built right so with the cost, it'll come after the Ranger I've been saving up for for 3 months. Should have that about mid December in time for Merry Christmas to Me! Which reminds me; I can't thank Ed "Broccoli" enough for letting me use his Honda generator. It's been letting me keep the ranch moving forward.
Reply:Jonathan,at least get a piece of 3/4 Plywood 4x4 or 2x3 and top it with the 16g sheet metal. If yer not bangin' on the table it will be an improvement in your work area/surface.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Yep, you're right. I've been so focused on getting the things done outside we're using the generator on I've neglected just doing a simple 4X4 table top. We'll be done with the well house Tuesday and then ready to start on inside stuff. Now I gotta find a piece of 16g. Very little in the way of scrap up here in the High Desert
Reply:Gotta' love a mini-gun. Nothing like Puff when you needed him.Never rode a Jungle Penetrator, had a Ranger Instructor who was drug 150 meters through the canopy, but he survived!Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:I'm randomly interloping here, but aside from wrong settings or the wrong gas, trying to learn to weld out of position or with poor / little support is counterproductive. Save yourself!  You cant really make progress without it.  Thats a key component of learning and doing real welding.  Even a sheet of plywood with a metal vise to hold the work is better than nothing. I charred the tops off my old workmate practicing but it was very worth it. Not that I'm anything more than a lousy Bed Frame Welder (TM). Lol.
Reply:Actually, I'm taking the rest of the day off and have drug a sheet of 3/4" in from the water well cabin we're building so tonight I may just have a 4X4 spot that leaves room for the workpiece AND my elbows. It'll still be a bit but I WILL have the perfect shop. It's coming along. Slowly but it's getting there. In fact, I can hear Dave Mowitz calling me right now from "Successful Farm Shops" on RFD!!!