Arc welding / MMA / stick welding - laying down beads on the up!

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Hello again Folks,I'm still teaching myself to weld with an arc welder. I'm now trying to learn how to weld on a vertical surface.My first attempts are shown in the picture below; where I've been welding from the bottom of the picture towards the top. I was pretty disappointed during the process as it seemed as though everything was dripping off faster than I could create a weld pool - but it turned out to be the flux. The welds looked really crap before I chipped off the slag to see what was underneath.I was quite surprised to see the result shown above - I thought it would be much worse.BUT there is always room for improvement.I'm using 1.6mm 6013 rods on 1mm thick mild steel sheet. The penetration looks good (on the other side of the plate). Obviously it could be neater so there's a bit of practice needed there...Does anyone have any tips?There seems to more of a crater than usual at the end of the weld. Is this due to the flux flowing away faster than it would on the horizontal? Attached Images
Reply:Look at ChuckE2000's YouTube videos.  Lanse here.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Like these ones?[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vohdPN8EKs&feature=related[/ame]and[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vohdPN8EKs&feature=related[/ame]The result on the second video looks a lot better than the first one to me. Both of these are examples are joint welds though......am I wasting my time trying to just lay down beads?Should I be practicing something else like butt joints?
Reply:[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kblmdScflQU[/ame]This is the video to watch - I've got a much better idea of what to do now.
Reply:Follow Jody's instructions and learn to "read" your puddle and differentiate between your bead being formed and your slag. When i was first learning to weld i had a hard time with verticals cuz i couldnt see my puddle good enough   but after some helmet time  i learned to "read" the puddle and see it correctly and that made a world of difference in my welds.Aaron Olsonmiller dynasty 200dx
Reply:Originally Posted by aaronolsonFollow Jody's instructions and learn to "read" your puddle and differentiate between your bead being formed and your slag. When i was first learning to weld i had a hard time with verticals cuz i couldnt see my puddle good enough   but after some helmet time  i learned to "read" the puddle and see it correctly and that made a world of difference in my welds.