My first joint welds

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Well I just started welding about a month ago and so far I haven't had much time to do any welding because of other projects (engine swap for my Mustang) and lack of time. I just did my first joint weld as I have only made a few beads on some scrap pipe I had laying around (they weren't pretty). I know this is the typical "how are my welds" thread and I apologize if it is annoying but I would like a little advice and some feedback. I know teaching myself to weld is inadequate and ill-advised so I may join a class one day but for now I'm stuck just practicing. Machine: Clarke 130EN MIGWire: FLUX CORED .030 Hobart E71T-11 Carbon SteelAmperage/Voltage: I'm not sure, I have it on setting 3 on the machine (it has 4 settings). No idea if it's too hot or cold. I'm hoping someone can help me with that based on the look of the welds (if possible). I was trying a corner joint. The metal is a little thinner than 1/8 and here's the first weld on the inside:I guess I have to work on stopping the weld. The piece is upside down when I took a picture of it, which explains why all the slag is on the top. I was moving from left to right (in the picture it's right to left) with a push technique. This is after a lot of wire brushing.I figured I would try welding the other side as well and this is what the tacks looked like and if you look closely, you can see the heat marks from the weld in the last picture: Do these look ok for a novice welder? Let me know truthfully, even if you think they suck. I will keep practicing.Thanks.
Reply:"When there's slag, you drag."When you push flux core, you're burying flux in the bead.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:As Sundown mentioned with FC you will want to drag the bead.You are running to cold. On that machine 1/8" is probably the max you can do under best conditions. You'll want all the power you can get. Your fillet in pict 1 and the backside in pict 2 show this easily. There is zero penetration even in that thin inside corner at the root. All the weld bead material is simply sitting on top of the plate on the other side. A nice example of how "good" ( and it's not really if you know what you are looking at) one side can be while having no penetration into the base material.Solution is to max out the heat and adjust the wire feed accordingly as well as drag the gun. keep in mind that this is probably the thickest material this little machine will do under real world conditions and plan you projects accordingly..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:Open the door and see what the heat/wire speed settings are recommended for such thickness of metal. It's usually a pretty accurate way to start off.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:I have the same machine and I'm come to realize that just about any job will require a 3 or 4 setting on the amperage.  I use 2 for thin wall tubing and I use 1 for some tacking.What was your wire feed set at?"There are two types of people in America - those who try to classify everyone into two types and those who don't."
Reply:I didn't even think about the penetration until I read the comments, and now that I think about it, I see that it didn't penetrate all that much. You can see it a little bit on the second picture to the right side but it's not enough. SuedePflow, I have been messing with the wire feed and at first I thought around 30 was good, and then I saw a video of a guy welding and he was feeding the wire a lot faster and I put it up to about 40 or 45 and that's what I used to make these welds.
Reply:Originally Posted by UMfan92I didn't even think about the penetration until I read the comments, and now that I think about it, I see that it didn't penetrate all that much. You can see it a little bit on the second picture to the right side but it's not enough. SuedePflow, I have been messing with the wire feed and at first I thought around 30 was good, and then I saw a video of a guy welding and he was feeding the wire a lot faster and I put it up to about 40 or 45 and that's what I used to make these welds.
Reply:Gamble, I never thought of it like that. But I understand what you're saying. If the wire speed is faster, more penetration. Is that right?
Reply:It's not quite that simple. Wire speed and voltage are intertwined. Just because you turn the wire to "10" will not simply give you more penetration. At some point you will pass the maximum wire speed for that voltage and after that more will not help, only hurt. There is a wire speed range for each voltage. In that range, a lower wire speed will mean a "colder" weld, a higher speed will mean a "hotter" weld. You want that crisp crackling sound like bacon frying with short arc. Your "heat" is also controlled by your stickout. Hold the torch farther from the metal and you get a "colder" weld. Hold it in tight and it will weld "hotter" without changing either wire speed or voltage. Add in your speed of movement, drag vs push with solid wire and so on... All effect penetration to one degree or another..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:What about FC vert. up hill, how can you drag that?Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.
Reply:^ yeah there are some cases when you cannot pull and have to push with fc or smaw
Reply:Steel will give you a discolor when you you have it about right. Yours looks a bit cold.Hobart Handler 210 with SpoolgunHypertherm PM30 PlasmaHTP 221 Tig WelderHF BandsawHF Auto Dark Helmet
Reply:Well there's the lack of experience showing lol. When I see the metal deteriorating into the puddle, I begin to move faster because I'm afraid of blowing through, therefore moving too fast and ruining my chances of penetration. But now I know that I need to stay longer to get some more penetration, along with more voltage and a bit faster wire speed. This thread has helped me a lot. I'll try again and try to get more penetration and more heat. When I finished that little weld, the entire weld was red hot and a lot of the metal I was welding was red hot too, so I thought it was too hot, but I now know that it wasn't hot enough.Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.
Reply:Pulling the bead will also give better penetration than pushing.Welding uphill vs welding in position is completely different.  When welding uphill the bead reacts differently (gravity), giving the flux "a way out" (to put it quite simply).Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.