Critque my mig weld

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Alright I finally got a machine for my house and havn't welded in a while so i wanted to get some opinions on my weld. Ill try and get some better pictures. Nothing is really picking the weld characteristics up well.
Reply:What I can see, it looks great,  The focus isn't real sharp so can't tell about temp but the speed and feed look good to me.
Reply:I try and get that stacked dime look but i always get it where the bead look like i pulled it but i didnt. Im kind of stumped on that.
Reply:The bead looks good from what I can see. The "stacked dimes" look in mig is usually atypical. It can be done with the right motions, but you need to be sure you are still getting good penetration, reinforcement, no undercut etc and all as well. ZTfab's got it all down perfect on his, but it takes alot of work and practice.I see way to many trying to make mig beads look "pretty" and look like they were done with tig, and ignoring the important things like getting good penetration and so on. First, learn to lay good solid beads ( you look like you are getting there) and get an understanding about how volts, wire speed, stick out, travel speed and motion effects the weld puddle. What happens if you turn down the volts and wire speed and slow down your travel to stay in place longer? What happens if you crank them both up and move? Push vs pull, back stepping, circular oscillations, V patterns, how does each change the nature of the bead profile, penetration etc? Once all of that is second nature, making the bead look the way you want is easy. There's no easy shortcut, it's all about understanding whats going on and time under the hood.I'll PM you a link that might help with the picts..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:Yes I understand penetration is way more important than bead appearance. When i get some more scrap to weld on ill take a picture of the weld and the back side hopefully that link will help me get a better picture.
Reply:DSW is right, there are a lot of things to consider when making a mig weld particularly in the short circuit transfer mode and appearance is not always going to tell you if you have a quality weld.Judging by the material thickness and weld appearance I think it would be safe to say you secured adequate penetration.  But it is difficult to tell with a blurry pic, the toes might be cold?To really tell you can cut and etch the weld.  To do this section the weld with a band saw cut off wheel whatever and sand/polish the exposed surface.  Then apply a mixture of water  and Ammonium Persulfate, 9 to 1 I think, to the cut surface and you should clearly see the heat effected zone and how well the weld penetrated the base metal.  Other solutions work as well but ammonium persulfate seems to be the safest.  Seems to me I have heard of people using toilet bowl cleaner and muratic acid (not in combination) as well, never tried it myself.  The pic below is from a handout I give my students on weld etching.
Reply:It looks fuzzy Is this that new  wire
Reply:LOL.  I think it's called Charmin Fuzzyshield Superfab.The welds look alright.  Work on the tie-in a bit.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Hope these pictures help..
Reply:Looks fine, what kind of motion are you using?
Reply:The first set of pictures i was doing a circle motion, on the second set i was trying out the whipping motion where you build your puddle move forward and then back some.
Reply:Now do some with vary little added motion. Just push and pull some and post that. Looks like you are getting good heating and thus penetration. Is this with the magenta wire or the fuchsia?
Reply:The main thing to remember with short circuit mig is the greatest penetration will occur where the wire contacts the metal/puddle.  On the metal thickness you are using the whipping motion  is not a problem but can become a problem on thicker metal.  The pic I posted was using a circular motion on 1/4" and you can see the deep penetration at the toes of the weld.   The key to getting good penetration on thicker metal is making your circles the width of the bead and not just making little circles in the middle of the puddle.  What kind of voltage are you running and what gas are you using?
Reply:Im using a Miller 210 with 75/25 gas and on volts im at 3 and wire speed around 38 or so
Reply:Not familiar with that machine is it a 110V or 220V?
Reply:Its a 220V
Reply:Looks good! MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:the only thing that looks rough is that tie in, other than that you are golden. forget about that stack o dimes crap anybody that knows how to weld doesn't care about that, as long as every thing else is good