3rd Time ever welding!

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Hey guys I'm brand new to welding, infact the pics below are after only 3 times ever trying to weld. I am looking to improve, so any comments will help. I am using a Miller 180 with autoset I am using 25/75 gas, my wire is .30 and the metal I used is 2x2 14ga and 1x1 angle iron 1/8". I found that I had to tweek the "Autoset" on the metal thickness to 16ga rather than the 14ga to prevent me from burning through (probably because im to slow?). Attached Images
Reply:It's a bit hard to get a good look at the beads in that pict but they don't look bad for just starting out at all. If anything I'd say the one front and center looked a bit fast rather than slow, and might have been aimed a bit high on the vertical tube. It's common to set the heat based on the thinner material rather than the thicker one to prevent burn thru. It takes a bit of practice to prevent burning thru on thin ends..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:Hey Zebrobski,Not a bad start..... although, I would be willing to wager those weren't made with .30 wire.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:did you do them in flat or down hand looks down had might just be my eyes
Reply:Originally Posted by yorkiepapHey Zebrobski,Not a bad start..... although, I would be willing to wager those weren't made with .30 wire.Denny
Reply:Originally Posted by migerdid you do them in flat or down hand looks down had might just be my eyes
Reply:DSW, Thanks for the look. I will try to post some additional close up pics tonight.
Reply:Here are some close up's! Attached Images
Reply:Really not too bad for being that new to it.  Especially considering how thin the steel is.  What is your gas set at?  How well did you prep the steel? Looks like a bit of contamination in the weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWIt's a bit hard to get a good look at the beads in that pict but they don't look bad for just starting out at all. If anything I'd say the one front and center looked a bit fast rather than slow, and might have been aimed a bit high on the vertical tube. It's common to set the heat based on the thinner material rather than the thicker one to prevent burn thru. It takes a bit of practice to prevent burning thru on thin ends.
Reply:They look pretty good. It does look like you might be able to slow down just a little bit, but not much. The last one looks like the top weld might have been aimed at the tube a bit more. Also I notice that the welds on the tube stop at the corners. This can cause cracking issues with some projects. Usually it's better to wrap the weld around the corner a bit and tie into the other side rather than stop on the corner like it shows in pict 2 clearly.All in all it's very good for someone starting out. I'm nit picking over small things you can do to improve your welds. The big thing is to keep practicing till this is second nature and almost automatic. I'm guessing most of these were done in the flat position. After a bit more practice start working on horizontal welds, folled by vertical and overhead. Most people can make nice looking welds flat. The other three positions tend to show those who have mastered the skill vs those that just stick metal together.Even though you are off to a good start, you might think about taking a night class in welding at a local tech school. When you sit down and add up what wire, gas, electric and materials will cost you, not to mention the instructors time, a class is usually stupid cheap. Add to that the chance to use equipment you might not have, OA torch, plasma, shear, tig, stick etc, and a class can make a lot of sense. You already have your own machine, so you can do a lot of the repetitive practice at home and concentrate on problem areas and learning new stuff in the class..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:not bad for the first time it does look like you are holding your angle a bit high more of a 15 degree try aming your electrode more to the center of the joint, and slow down a second longer good luck you will get the hang of it with a little practice.wbolden:
Reply:I would suggest completely welding from one end ALL THE WAY to the other end and finishing with a circle motion, or lowercase cursive 'e' to fill in the divot.  If a weld is going to fail, it'll most likely start at an incompleted end where a tearing or shearing action can happen.  I'd say pretty good for your third time welding.  If you can though, try to get into a class bc it's really a wealth of info and you can really hurt yourself when playing with electricity, fire, and liquid metal.  MIG welding is really not that strong in my opinion compared to stick and TIG, it's really more for sheetmetal and decorative iron work.
Reply:Hey Armadillo,Your opinion leaves a lot to be desired as far as your indication as to the strength of MIG welding vs any other process. Proper MIG welding by a competent, experienced weldor is as strong as any other process.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWThey look pretty good. It does look like you might be able to slow down just a little bit, but not much. The last one looks like the top weld might have been aimed at the tube a bit more. Also I notice that the welds on the tube stop at the corners. This can cause cracking issues with some projects. Usually it's better to wrap the weld around the corner a bit and tie into the other side rather than stop on the corner like it shows in pict 2 clearly.All in all it's very good for someone starting out. I'm nit picking over small things you can do to improve your welds. The big thing is to keep practicing till this is second nature and almost automatic. I'm guessing most of these were done in the flat position. After a bit more practice start working on horizontal welds, folled by vertical and overhead. Most people can make nice looking welds flat. The other three positions tend to show those who have mastered the skill vs those that just stick metal together.Even though you are off to a good start, you might think about taking a night class in welding at a local tech school. When you sit down and add up what wire, gas, electric and materials will cost you, not to mention the instructors time, a class is usually stupid cheap. Add to that the chance to use equipment you might not have, OA torch, plasma, shear, tig, stick etc, and a class can make a lot of sense. You already have your own machine, so you can do a lot of the repetitive practice at home and concentrate on problem areas and learning new stuff in the class.
Reply:Originally Posted by ArmadilloI would suggest completely welding from one end ALL THE WAY to the other end and finishing with a circle motion, or lowercase cursive 'e' to fill in the divot.  If a weld is going to fail, it'll most likely start at an incompleted end where a tearing or shearing action can happen.  I'd say pretty good for your third time welding.  If you can though, try to get into a class bc it's really a wealth of info and you can really hurt yourself when playing with electricity, fire, and liquid metal.  MIG welding is really not that strong in my opinion compared to stick and TIG, it's really more for sheetmetal and decorative iron work.
Reply:Originally Posted by wboldennot bad for the first time it does look like you are holding your angle a bit high more of a 15 degree try aming your electrode more to the center of the joint, and slow down a second longer good luck you will get the hang of it with a little practice.wbolden:
Reply:Originally Posted by ZebrobskiThe welds that I did were in the vertical position,
Reply:Originally Posted by ArmadilloI would suggest completely welding from one end ALL THE WAY to the other end and finishing with a circle motion, or lowercase cursive 'e' to fill in the divot.  If a weld is going to fail, it'll most likely start at an incompleted end where a tearing or shearing action can happen.  I'd say pretty good for your third time welding.  If you can though, try to get into a class bc it's really a wealth of info and you can really hurt yourself when playing with electricity, fire, and liquid metal.  MIG welding is really not that strong in my opinion compared to stick and TIG, it's really more for sheetmetal and decorative iron work.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWThat's an unusuall position for someone starting out, especally for their 1st welds. Just to make sure we are on the same page... Flat welds are like those made on the top of a table. This is the easiest and usually what most people do. Horizontal welds are like ones that would be run side to side on the side of a box. Vertical welds  go up and down on the side of a box or say where the corner of two walls meet, and overhead would be welded on the underside of a table top.
Reply:For reference.... Attached ImagesLast edited by Boostinjdm; 06-19-2011 at 03:44 AM.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Thank you Boostinjdm,  (what are you boosting in?)