How do these beads look?

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Been welding for about a week and this is where I'm at. So far I have just been playing around with some scrap angle and practicing running beads.This is at 75 amps (max for my little welder) with 6013 1/16"Sorry if this is a little simplistic for most of you guys but you gotta start somewhere
Reply:Looks good for starting out. I'm not a pro but weld pretty often. You have to be able to see your molten pool of metal to be able to weld good. You will see your flux and the metal pool. You try to keep moving just fast enough for the pool to fill in on the sides and maybe see the pool look like a keyhole. A little side to side movement or a U motion will help fill in the sides when joining pieces. Don't pause in the middle of a joint but on the edges of the metal to help fiill in the toe/sides. Just keep on burning because that's the only way you get better at it. The smaller rods will for sure be better for you to use with the low amp machine and proper prep work will make a lot of difference.  Good luck and keep burning.Fireman BillHH 210 MVPMM 211 Spoolmate 100Lotas LTP5000D PlasmaOxy/Accet (Victor)Wards AC/DC buzz box30 ton old hyd pressA few brand name toolsA bunch of cheap toolsA wife to worry me and4 dogs to supervise me
Reply:Hey Cric. It is a starting point.  Not an expert here either but the beads look cold and fast.  That 75a machine is gonna limit what you can really do as far as heat or electrode diameter. One of the things I am working though myself is consistent speed.  If you move at a consistent speed your bead will have a consistent width.  As you can tell yours varies over the length of the bead.Right now focus on slowing down a little and keeping consistent travel speed.  Then try overlapping the beads by 50%.  Once you get that, you can look at joints and a more powerful machine.Sent from my SPH-L900 using TapatalkMultimatic 200Ellis 1800Haberle S225 9" cold sawMM 300;  Spoolmate 30A w/ WC-24TB 302GDynasty 280 DX Tigrunner
Reply:Here is 6013 dcen, 85 amp hf welderSort of like a mangleation.........Charl
Reply:Cric, do you have more picts? I agree they sort of look cold, but at 75 amps with 1/16" rods, I'm betting it's an optical illusion from the picts. You shouldn't be cold at those amps. Try taking picts from another angle.Xman. What size rod are you trying to run? Looks like you aren't waiting for the puddle to form and are outrunning the puddle. Small machines like this are limited on what rods you can get to run well. Your rod size might be causing issues as well as your travel speed..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:Thanks for the replies! I've tried joining some piece of flat stock together and the welds are not strong at all. I did some research and as you guys are suggesting- it must be on the cold side.There isn't much I can do being as this machine is set to the max and these are the thinnest rods available to me locally. One thing I don't understand is the rods get glowing red once they are about 2/3 burned. Further research says this could be from running on the high amperage side?The rods like to stick pretty easily too...which is frustrating the hell out of me. The welder is called weldmate 75 but I doubt it is really putting out 75 amps.
Reply:Not a pro either but I remember my teacher saying that the thinner rods heat up faster because they're thinner. the 1/16 rods aren't the full 14" inches either right? And your sticking probably comes from the fact that your welder is running cold due to it's size. that plate your beads are on looks sort of thick. 3/32" and over will definitely suck the heat out and leave you with cold welds. Plus, 6013 likes to stick anyway.
Reply:Oh no!!! Watch out for WelderMike!!!"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manOh no!!! Watch out for WelderMike!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manOh no!!! Watch out for WelderMike!!!
Reply:For the 6013's, grind off all that mill scale, rust and crap.  The shinier the steel, the better 6013 runs.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:First Bead in 15 years or so  and certainly not a pro but damn its fun
Reply:Stick with it sorry I couldn't resist
Reply:i hate to be giving "advice" as i'm not qualified .....but on MY machine, 75A is WAAAAY too much for a 1/16" rod, but would be about right for a 3/32" rod.i bet if you check your package, those 1/16" rods are rated somwhere in the range of 20-45A.  That would explain the glowing rod -- my best guess anyway.45A on 14ga steel with a 1/16" rod should be about right, and can be done by a novice such as myself. (even if it is not the prettiest)
Reply:75 amps for a 1/16" rod would seem on the hot side although your pictured beads don't look all that scorched. i would advise a new welder to practice making pad welds to get the hang of running beads in a straight line. do that for a week and post the results and we'll go from there.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla