mig welding beads

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hello Im new to mig welding and im having trouble forming nice looking circular beads. I've done some stick welding in the past and the beads were great. The welds with my mig welder dont seem to cool fast enough and it forms a fully even bead (NO LITTLE CIRCLES) what would cause this? also do you need to move the wire is zig zag or circular motion to get these? thanks for the help
Reply:Little circles, or whatever pattern forms is a by-product of good consistant application by you, the weldor. Two differing rods by the same person, with the same machine yield two different bead patterns.My point is, the pattern of the bead surface is the last thing to look for. Penetration, cross-sectional profile, lack of undercut, and many other such conditions are more important to deal with. Got pictures? City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:well that was my problem im getting ok penetration the just didn't look right ill post pictures soon
Reply:Proper gmaw beads should be pretty smooth. Like tanglediver said, it's not what the outside looks like that is important but the stuff on the inside that you can't see after the puddle has set.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Post some pictures of both the surface and underside of the piece if you can. A pretty bead is just that pretty. I always go for good solid weld.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:stick and mig will look totaly different stick will have the nice little circles you are talking about and mig will have a smoother finish
Reply:If you want that pretty stick welding surface with wire, switch to flux cored wire.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Mig welding is supposed to produce a smooth bead. If you want circles it's just more and totally unnecessary work on your part. Same thing with certain stick electrodes. 6013, 7018, and 7024 come to mind. Making any of these produce rippled or "stack of dimes" beads may actually produce inferior welds.