Laxative for metalic poo pellets

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HI gang! This post will serve as both an introduction and my official entry into the wonderful world of stick welding.I am in the midst of building a CNC machine and my trusty harbor freight 110V mig welder has proved not up to the task of building the frame.  I watched craigslist for a couple of weeks and finally saw an ad for a lincoln 225AC for $100; I talked the guy down to $90 because I had to drive 100 miles to pick up the dern thing...Finally drove out there and the unit turned out to be older than dirt. There was no back on it and it was encrusted with mud worms, dust, and rust. BUT - I had him fire it up and it blew right through 1/8" steel. The cables were also badly cracked and the unit gave some trouble throwing spark,  so I finally sealed the deal for $60 I went to my folks' place and started working on cleaning the unit.  I applied silicon and electrical tape to the cracked leads, cleaned the mud as best I could, replaced the plug, and used contact cleaner on the amp selector.  I thought I might paint the unit but given I am poorer than dirt right now (grad student), I opted to save that for later. Here's some pics after the "clean-up":Yeah. Trust me, it looked a lot worse before the clean-up. I went to plug in the unit only to figure out my dad's 220 V dryer line doesn't work. A quick trip to the mains and - no more room for breakers!!Well,  after 2 says, several trips to home depot, and some VERY creative electrical re-wiring, I was finally able to get a 220V 50A line into the garage.Not being able to wait, I fired up the unit, plugged in a 6011 rod (that came with the unit) and proceeded to lay down what can only be described as metalic poo pellets.In my defense, the rods were indeterminately old, and I was working with thinner stock (about 1/8" thick) but still, they're pretty ugly. After learning to strike and arc, the biggest hurdle was stabalizing my damn hand so I could maintain the arc length...There are people on this forum that are WAY more talented than I will ever be laying a bead, but I would be indebted if some of you would help me improve my skills .  I'm gonna use this thread as a chronicle of my progress.Last edited by Sonicwonder2000; 04-21-2009 at 08:34 PM.
Reply:Okay - so after 2 days of practicing with the old-stock 6011, I broke down and bought some 6013 3/32" at Home Despot.Night and day difference! I LOVE THIS ROD! (not to be taken out of context  ) The slag is easier to clean than the old 6011, and I'm not having problems with blow-though.  Here are the new samples on a 1/8" steel plate:From top to bottom:1) 60 Amps straight bead, faster motion2) 60 Amps, straight bead, super slow3) 70 Amps, straight bead, normal speed4) 70 Amps, straight bead, slightly faster5) 60 Amps, semi-circular weave, slow6) 70 Amps, semi circular weave, fast enough to not blow throughHeres another angle:And the penetration:I'm not able to affor going to classes right now for welding, so I am trying to teach myself.  I think my machine puts out a little more amps than marked because the recommended amperage for th 6013 results in a splattery, blow-though mess! I'm thinking #5 is the best looking? #6 seems to have numerous slag inclusions and is porous.  It also seems that my slag is very difficult to get out of the sides of the bead; does this indicate undercutting?Please critique my welds so far.Last edited by Sonicwonder2000; 04-21-2009 at 08:35 PM.
Reply:Hmm...  Did someone forget to post the pictures?
Reply:Sorry - my bad; I think the edits should have made the pics visible.
Reply:Nice the only advice I have if you're willing to take it: (and some one correct me if I'm remembering wrong I'm a little uh under the influence and its been a few years since stick welding classes). Try to keep your stick at 30 degrees each way (30 from vertical on each axis in a fillet weld). And work on maintaining a consistent speed. The changing width of your welds tell me you're not keeping a consistent speed. Take a 4 inch section of steel actually mark it off. And weld it so you maintain a 1/4 or 3/16 (depending on what you're going for) wide bead. Then start timing it. There will always be variations in steel but when I was doing this exercise I found it took me about 10 seconds to do a 4 inch bead consistently on 1/2" mild steel with a 7018 rod at about 110 amps.
Reply:Originally Posted by mjmiller1824Nice the only advice I have if you're willing to take it: (and some one correct me if I'm remembering wrong I'm a little uh under the influence and its been a few years since stick welding classes). Try to keep your stick at 30 degrees each way (30 from vertical on each axis in a fillet weld). And work on maintaining a consistent speed. The changing width of your welds tell me you're not keeping a consistent speed. Take a 4 inch section of steel actually mark it off. And weld it so you maintain a 1/4 or 3/16 (depending on what you're going for) wide bead. Then start timing it. There will always be variations in steel but when I was doing this exercise I found it took me about 10 seconds to do a 4 inch bead consistently on 1/2" mild steel with a 7018 rod at about 110 amps.
Reply:Don't know if this will help you or not, but when I weld on the ground I kneel on one knee and rest my elbow on the other.  Right handed, right knee on the ground, left elbow on left knee for stability.  Back straight stinger holding arm slightly bent.  When standing  I put my free hand on whatever is nearby, think half drunk and trying to pee. If you think standing still at sawhorses is bad, imagin being in a basket 20+ feet in the air on a windy day.  It's all about being loose and relaxed, if you get tense **** goes south in a hurry.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmDon't know if this will help you or not, but when I weld on the ground I kneel on one knee and rest my elbow on the other.  Right handed, right knee on the ground, left elbow on left knee for stability.  Back straight stinger holding arm slightly bent.