My first real weld!

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I found out that there is a reason for the big welding gloves I have but hadn't used for the little tacks I was doing before.  Mechanix gloves end up melting the backing under the heat of a longer weld.I have no idea if I was dragging or pushing.  I was rocking back and forth a bit but I don't even remember that for sure.  I was just so excited to be actually welding!  This is going to get addictive!Here is my second ever weld joining up with the first.  I ended up throwing another blob on the corner since the material missing from the bolt holes caused the weld to be thin.  This built it up again.My new welding table is on wheels!  Far more mobile than when it was on jackstands.I had only intended to tack a wheel on to see how it was going to work.  I couldn't stop until all four were welded and it was rolling.  The casters were getting a little hot so I cooled after each run of weld with compressed air.  I didn't want the grease, ballbearings, or the rubber seal getting wrecked.  I also alternated from side to side after welding each run to help with cooling.I remember that the settings on the Lincoln were E and 7.5.  I went with what was indicated on the door for the thickness of the plates on the wheels.  I figured the table legs were even thicker material.  I'm using .30 wire and CO/Ar.  Now that I have a welding table that I can roll out of the kind of flammable shop, let the fun begin!THIS is exciting!
Reply:Those are nice beads for your "first ever weld"!
Reply:They are real nice! One thing though. You said that's a welding table? Why is the top painted?  Looks good though.Lincoln Ranger 8                        Lincoln 175                          Drill pressLincoln 225 mig                            Plasma                              8 ft brake        52" jump shear
Reply:welcome. nice beads,.if the bead is interfering with the bolthole tghe plate is too small or the tube is too big...
Reply:I think it's prior life was as an optical setup table.  The paint is a little odd, it's so uniform and thin, I wonder if it's some sort of anodizing.  I'll sand off whatever it is soon.The wheel plates will actually be trimmed down now to fit flush, or I might just leave them.  They had slotted holes to allow for them to be bolted to something.  The very edge of the slots just touched the corners of the table legs.  Actually the plate is too small for those legs, with the size of those plates, I can't imagine the size of the legs that would get to the edges, it would be a HUGE table.Before these welds, all I had really done was tack a few pieces together and ground down a series of tacks to make them look like they were welded.  I learned a lot from this forum before I tried to lay down my first bead.I used a flapper disk to sand down the surface of the plates because it looked like it might have some sort of cheap chrome on them (made in India)  I used a grinder disk on the table legs to bevel a 45 at the bottom.  I figured it would give better penetration and expose a clean surface.  Turns out the bead was larger than the 45 and covered some of the black coating a little further up the leg but the beads don't look contaminated to me.So..... if I flapper disk or wire wheel the coating off of the surface, what do I do to keep it from rusting? (not that there's a lot of rain or moisture out here)  a spray down with WD40?  Do I want a bare surface so that it's the ground when I'm welding?  Is that enough of a contact or should the piece be clamped to the table or the clamp be directy attached to it?
Reply:A natural - 40 yrs welding (on  and off)and my welds don't look that good.A butterfly without wings, is just an ugly bug
Reply:I would not trim the plates down. Having some overhang will keep some of the grinding dust out of the ball bearings.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:woah nelly, how thick is that top?!?!?!
Reply:Looks like a good heavy duty welding cart, id love one just like it!
Reply:First Welds???Nah, I don't believe it"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I'm with Farmersamm. Great looking welds there.Miller Thunderbolt 225Millermatic 130 XPLincoln HD 100 Forney C-5bt Arc welderPlasma Cutter Gianteach Cut40ACent Machinery Bandsaw Cent Machinery 16Speed Drill PressChicago Electric 130amp tig/90 ArcHobart 190 Mig spoolgun ready
Reply:Magnetic - A natural?  I think I just got first time lucky.  It was thick enough metal to be at the top of my voltage tap and way up on the wire feed scale.  My welds on the backside and the other legs weren't quite as nice but pretty close.  I was totally enthused after those first two welds!  Just had to finish the job after that!Burt - I like that idea! It might just keep some of that grinding dust down.Moron - (make that OXY moron  that's a 3/4" top.  I was just looking at it and I think it might have been flame cut on some sort of automated equipment.  It's really straight yet you can see what looks like fire cut marks.sidthss - I actually heard about this table from a forum member here.  I had posted about another table I saw on craigslist asking if it was a good deal.  He told me to check out a particular ebay listing.  It turned out to be local, and 3 hours later I had it in my driveway.Farmer - Actually yes, it's my first attempt to weld two pieces together with a bead.  Before this I just did tacks and ran six beads down the middle of a piece of metal about 4-6 months ago.  I think it's just good luck.  When I did my last couple of tacks, it didn't go so well.  I was trying to tack the hood hinge attach bolts to the fender of the Mustang so they wouldn't spin.  I ended up blowing a hole in both sides.  Little short bursts and a grinder fixed one side.  I haven't looked at the other side.So guys.  About stripping the top in my previous post/question?  Thoughts?Thanks,Thor
Reply:We have dished 9" wheels that work great for that sort of thing.. Good looking welds.  Very consistent.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.