First timer Yuk it up fellars.

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Hey all, i finally went out into the cold garage and gave er a go. Tis my first time ever welding, so let's see how bad it turned out. (kinda poopy if ya ask me) roflmaoIt's an old lawnmower blade i had kickin about, cleaned it up a bit with the grinder.  Don't wanna waste the old bedframes n' such on first tries. Even managed to fill the hole in the blade. Seemed ta square up at 12 gauge, so by the guidelines in the machine, i used a # 2 WS and a setting of C volts. Lincoln migpak 180 on the label, 180T inside. Used NR-211 MP innershield wire.Let me know yer thoughts, and crits please guys. And i gotta say daayyyumm that is highly addictive. Will be lots more practice comin as the weather decides to get better. +2 c tomorrow, -15 c when i was outside layin bird poops.broad shot..close up of poops..bit closer..backside close..back of da hole..an just fer the heck of it, here's the 180..That's it fer now, have at er boys!!!
Reply:Need more wire speed in my opinion...  I'd try it on number 5-6not bad for a first try thoughI like to party!
Reply:what camera are you useing
Reply:Thanks Cap'n i'll try that tomorrow.and ed, it's a kodak easyshare dx6340, 3.1 mp, about 4 yrs old already.
Reply:Need more wire, and take it slow.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:how did you get the pics. so big
Reply:the blade kinda hard try some mild steel your on the right track ... practice
Reply:thanks for the advice guys, i've got some old angle and some previously used 2x2 and 1 1/2 sq as well to practice with. was a wee bit chilly and just finished work, so tired too. definately too fast on the hand speed, realized that as i was doin it. just used the macro setting, and a bit of zoom (1 step methinks) for the pix.
Reply:thanks ollo your doing good u use your eyes to weld but dont forget your hearinghold the triger and turn the wire speed up and down you will hear a the diffents when it smooth out and stops sputtering your close
Reply:That is one ugly... I can do the same thing... ha... I maybe worst... dont worryUnit in my fab shop dept:my good hand and team that trust me...A lone welder make art... a village full of welder make Miracles...
Reply:well, #1, it's nice to see another flux-core user on here for a change. the only real advise i can give is to maybe slow down your hand speed a bit, turn your wire speed up (i'd try about 2.5-3) and keep it steady. from the looks of your welds, you seem to be a little un-even. if you find that you have to always be moving (comfort issue with me), try to weave back and forth a little bit. i try to keep about a 1/4" puddle, maybe 3/8" sometimes, and weave back and forth over a 1/2" area or so. it's mainly a comfort issue (if you seem to have "caffeine shakes" like me). other than that, it seems to be hot enough (note how well the toes lay down and the melted edge of the blade where you got a little too close to the edge).just my $0.02.Later,AndyP.S... if you still have the copper/ceramic gas lense on your torch, take it off and wrap the diffuser holes with electrical tape or with a flux-core tip... it will help you see the arc better and you won;t spatter-up your good MIG tip.
Reply:I didn't see it earlier, do you have Electrode negative?Pick a voltage setting, adjust the wire speed while you are welding. Try them all. Keep a steady hand. Learn to weld as good as you take pictures.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:thanks for all the advice guys, will give it all a try tonite or tomorrow. was putting my dryer adapter thru the wall today building a box for that. one issue i was having was the a.d. helmet was set too dark (paranoid of losin my eyes) and the stinkin gloves wouldn't let me adjust in mid spark. new gloves......heck, new everything. none of it's broke in yet.electrode negative? yep, as long as you mean the gun side, not the ground clamp, setup as per manual instructions for flux core. got no tanks yet.and movement definately too fast, tried a bit of side to side, but like i said, the helmet was too dark. however, it makes sense tho, because filling the hole was the easiest part, slower and more repetitive movements, presumably getting the metal melted more. and feeding more wire with the repeat circling.thanks again. i'm learning alot since i signed up on this here forum, and now i can put it to the steel and try it out.
Reply:I weld exclusively with flux-core.  While it does take some getting used to if you are used to gas, I find it is GREAT for outdoor use, in windy and/or weathered areas.  I don't have a garage and so the flux-core .030 wire with a 12 gauge extension cord does the trick for me, every time, reliably!  Looks like you are off to a great start!  Trying different wire speeds and heat settings is crucial to learning your machine.  As long as you got junk to weld on, burn it up! .Welcome to the addiction we call welding .Have a Jeep Cherokee?  Click Here!
Reply:well, i flipped that same blade around (waste not want not) still lots of room to spark on it. cleaned it up an had at er.  tried a few of the suggestions, wire speed and hand speed were the two i was trying to focus on. crap!!! i filled my old blade. took down a piece of bed rail, grind away. had at er. thinner material, but a lil bit better going. from what i have deduced on these 2 materials, it would seem that the ln180t is pretty accurate on the label for v's and ws.sooo, in conclusion, ..................................... it's all freakin user error!!! lolback at er tomorrow.
Reply:Glad to hear you are going at it like crazy.  Its addictive aint it?The more time you spend, the better you will be.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:very addictive indeed!!!i'll run out of steel before i run out of wire at least.but, i still have a bunch more to work with, was just hoping to use some of it for a cart. the b&d workmate doesn't roll so good. lol
Reply:when i was practicing, i used any metal i could get my hands on... brake calipers, spare sheet-metal decking brackets, some drop that i grabbed from work, etc. after i ran out of metal to weld on, i just took the grinder, ground down the welds that i just laid, until they were smooth (not even down to the original metal), then laid some more right over it. the only problem i had was after laying a pound of wire on a brake caliper at 18 volts and 88 amps, the caliper tends to get a little warm, and STAY warm... i couldn't steady my hand on the metal any more because it was starting to brand my glove. lol. anyway, long story short, just go over what you already did with a grinder and then you don;t have to worry about grabbing more stock. in all reality, you don;t even have to grind it... just chip off the slag.Later,Andy
Reply:hey all, yep im still with ya's. got turned around tryin ta salvage some old scrap in the garage today, and lo an' behold.....i started a cart. well, sorta. just the lower deck for today, made of angle and casters salvaged, and a piece o' 3/4" BB ply. thinkin on upper deck or two yet, but also sideways expansion ideas come up. lol it aint never gonna stop now, is it?as for drops at work............ methinks that i'd make a bigger mess of welding a dropped chop or burger than i do of steel. im a kitchen manager. lol