critque my welds please

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So years ago (12) i  used my grandfathers ac buzz box welder and use to weld go cart frames and that. im sure they werent great looking welds being i was young but my grand father use to check them over and he would do the drop and shake test with his backhoe to make sure they wouldnt break. anyways fastfoward i havent touched a stick welder since. but i bought a thermal arc 181i for a steal of a deal 6-7 months ago, i mig welded mainly then last week i thought hell why dont i try stick again, so i got my hands on some 1/8th inch plate so tonight i tried it for the first time in years, i started with some arc starts just to practice those once i did 6-7 i decided id lay a few welds right on the plate and this is what i have....im way rusty but i think with more practice an the help of the guys here ill get better.so far what i can tell is my i need to be more consistant but i figured thats a given. once i can lay a 6-7 inch bead that looks consistant ill look into doing a lap joint.im gona start with baby steps and make sure i do it the right way. my long term goal is to write some tickets and just have them as a option but like i say LONG Term and possible down the road go back to school if need be.anyways enough blabbing here is a pic let me know suggestions and what not im all ears7018 3/32amps 95arc force 21/8th inch plateLast edited by dpasch; 08-28-2013 at 08:57 PM.Century 88amp 110v migCentury 100, 110migPowcon200smThermal Arc 140 migThermal Arc Fabricator 211i
Reply:under de rust is scale..grind it off before welding..practice watching  the puddle fill  as you move..
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadunder de rust is scale..grind it off before welding..practice watching  the puddle fill  as you move..
Reply:Looks like you need to slow down a little. Part of the weld at the bottom looks like you might have been holding a long arc, with 7018 a tight arc is usually best.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:slow down and make the bead uniform in width
Reply:Originally Posted by SquirmyPugLooks like you need to slow down a little. Part of the weld at the bottom looks like you might have been holding a long arc, with 7018 a tight arc is usually best.
Reply:i messed around the other day again to see if i could do any better, i dropped it to 85 but i could feel the rod touching the metal before it would melt....i tried it at 90 and it seemed a bit better....id show a pic of the plate but i honestly dont remember what weld was what, i also used some 1/8 6013 and that lit wonderfully. Ill do some more this weekend and mark what weld is what so you guys can see what im getting atCentury 88amp 110v migCentury 100, 110migPowcon200smThermal Arc 140 migThermal Arc Fabricator 211i
Reply:As a rule of thumb the weld width should be as wide as twice the rod and flux when doing padding as it appears you are doing so adjust your travel speed.  Also try to keep a consistent travel speed arc length and so on.
Reply:7018 should be touching when lit so lower the amps back to 85.
Reply:Lots a good stuff in here already. I like to run a 3/32 7018 around 90. Keep it tight, you can almost feel the flux dragging the plate if its right.Slow down and clean your plates too. Its good to practice on joints like Ts, laps and butts in different positions tooOnce you burn 50# or so it will all come together for ya
Reply:ok so i took a few mins to weld today7018 3/32 1/4 inch plate (newer plate)arc force 4ok i numbered them so i could get advice on each plus i can say what i was trying there...all them were straight welds i just kept moving the plate around.1 this was my start weld at 90 amps, my travel speed and consistency was off, i was trying do do e's, i had a bad arc start and instead of cleaning it off and restarting like i should i got porosity at the start cause of the flux2 again 90 amps tried to slow down my travel speed but im not smooth on the consistency3 again same thing as 24 90 amps i tried just doing a straight bead no motions but i some how screwed that ups5 i90 amps was trying a lil back and forth motion but it turned out terrible and i wasnt keeping consistent 6 90 amps i did a slight zig zag motion it seemed a little better then me trying e's7 95 amps i bumped up the amperage a bit just to see how it would turn out, the start i screwed up the arc start and just went over it so i got porosity in it8 95 amps with a zigzag slight pattern, seemed a bit hot to me, but then again the plate was warming up pretty good9 95 amps, this one i screwed up majorly for consistency because my elbow caught the edge of the hot plate and threw me off10 95 amps i slowed down and was trying some larger e's and wasnt paying enough attention to the puddle the end of the weld i was long arcing11 this was my last weld i did it at 97 amps, i screwed up on the start my glove caught on the metalCentury 88amp 110v migCentury 100, 110migPowcon200smThermal Arc 140 migThermal Arc Fabricator 211i
Reply:Slow down, don't be scared to stack some steel on there. What position are you welding this in? #6 looks the best to me but maybe a little too tall. I'm downloading a few pictures to my computer so I will try to post a few. I only have pictures of groove welds but should give you an idea.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:I don't really oscillate 7018 unless its a small side to side motion or a vertical Z weave. You don't wanna back up and run over slag because it could cause porosity. What ever you do, stay at the front of the puddle and push the slag back.....or atleast that's the way I do it and I haven't failed a bend test on plate yet.
Reply:Here are a few 7018 pictures. I was going to post more but the new way of attaching pictures is a real POS to use. Can't see the thumbnails before adding them so I don't know which ones I have added  Attached ImagesAirco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:That was 3/32" 7018, 90amps Vertical up, 3/8" plate open root (Tig).  I did a few of these just to find what amperage I liked for the Maxstar.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:For that thick of plate put a root pass with a 1/8 6010 and use 1/8 7018 rod for the rest. 3/32 is for small thin material up to 1/4 inch. even though it's way easier to weld vertical up with 3/32 get use to the 1/8 like this your not wasting any time.
Reply:Originally Posted by DanthemanFor that thick of plate put a root pass with a 1/8 6010 and use 1/8 7018 rod for the rest. 3/32 is for small thin material up to 1/4 inch. even though it's way easier to weld vertical up with 3/32 get use to the 1/8 like this your not wasting any time.
Reply:Originally Posted by tackitYou don't know what your sayin,  when you have dirt, rust, paint, holes and gaps to fill 6010 is your friend.