Tell me how bad these welds are!

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I been burning up alot of wire in last couple days. Thought i'd get some input. Nowhere near where I want to be but I can only get better. Nothing special, just ran a bunch of beads trying to gain some consistency. Welder is a HH187 using c25, .035 wire. Not very thick plate. Less than 1/8".  Don't take it easy on me. Pics aren't greatest so sorry.Last edited by David R; 01-21-2008 at 08:09 PM.Reason: pics
Reply:Looks good, like the heat is right.  It looks like you are pausing in spots.  Try a more consistent speed if you can.  Back hand or forehand?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Backhand, left to right. My cousin was teaching me some stuff. Was going from left to right and whipping it back and forth as he went. I had a real nice one yesterday but couldn't quite get it today.
Reply:Skip the whip.  Just make smooth consistent beads.More pics DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:no whipping a? just straight and steady?
Reply:Yep no whip.....that can come later....concentrate on the puddle not the arc....and get some 0.030 in that thing....yes it will burn 0.035, but it will shine with 0.030...... another thing is get as close as you can....when you start getting that "grainy" look to the bead it's lack of gas coverage more than likely......find a song you like that has a good beat to it and move the gun to it....I know it might sound dumb, but trust me....or pat your foot to a good beat....if your "teacher" is in a good grove pat your foot to his movement then repeat when you are running the machine.....
Reply:I listen to my MP3 player all day when welding it does help. If I were you I would start doing a few T joints. Your welds are fine just work on smooth consistant speed. Good luck Steel Thunder Welding LLC. St. Thomas VI USAMM350PBOBCAT 3MAXSTAR 150 STH375 EXTREME PLASMA6.5 HP COMPRESORDEWALT 18, 24, AND 36 VOLTO/A TORCH SETAND SO MUCH MORE I DONT REMEMBERALL IN MY 2005 2500HD EXTENDED CAB L/B
Reply:Based on the narrow width, you may have too much of a backhand angle.  Try straightening your angle out some.
Reply:How does the .030 work better than the .035? What do you mean by "get as close as you can". I was trying to emmulate him. He was using quite bit of a backhand angle it seemed, whipping it and had a decent stickout. Right after I watched him, I tried one on a t joint and it looked almost as good as his. Couldn't do it today. Looked more like a regular plain bead rather than that tig look.
Reply:If you want it to look like tig, then get out the tig.  Its a MIG weld.Last edited by David R; 01-22-2008 at 06:37 AM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:You need to get good quality welds and not worry so much about how it looks.....once you get good quality welds then the "looks" will come....as for get close....most beginner's (myself included) tend to use too much stick out and hold the gun too far back or like your friend use too much of an angle....(they are trying to look at the arc)....trust me once you start watching the puddle you will slap your fore head and say "that's what they were telling me"....and 0.035 wire is fine but is geared more so for the top end and above of your machine......0.030 will allow you the full range of the HH187......it's good practice to weld up a few t joints , but if you keep working on flat beads then it will be quicker once you start welding different joints.
Reply:Thank you. Yeah I need to concentrate on the puddle. I just put a 10lb roll of .035 on so I will probably use that for a while. I will skip trying to make it look so beautiful lol. I always thought I held the nozzle too close. It was different watching him. He is certified in mig,tig,stick, pipe everything. I was suprised he was doing backhand also. Should I stick with forehand or practice both? He said he was suprised how well I could weld so far and I told him learned everything off the computer lol. Thx guys. I'll get more pics up later after I get some more scrap. I need to build my cart sometime.
Reply:The only time I use "backhand" or drag the puddle is in a tight spot and there is no other way. I guess you could practice it but it is way better to push or "forehand" you get better gas coverage and it will help your weld. I keep the cone as close to the metal as posible and the reason is the better the gas coverage the better the weld. Steel Thunder Welding LLC. St. Thomas VI USAMM350PBOBCAT 3MAXSTAR 150 STH375 EXTREME PLASMA6.5 HP COMPRESORDEWALT 18, 24, AND 36 VOLTO/A TORCH SETAND SO MUCH MORE I DONT REMEMBERALL IN MY 2005 2500HD EXTENDED CAB L/B
Reply:A better way to test yourself and welding machine is to make welding coupons with a "V" grove NOT a flat plate. Welding is always about welding a joint, or groove, or a fillet "T" joint.BTW what is a HH welder??
Reply:Yeah I need some more scrap to work on my joint welding. HH is a Hobart Handler. Thank you guys for all your input. I always think the weld doesn't look right because the bead is too large. Like David R's pics. Just me I guess. I think i'm being too picky lol.
Reply:Back hand does not preheat the base metal, so it makes a narrow deep penetrating weld.  Forehand does preheat the base metal, so it makes a flatter less penetrating weld.  Each has its uses.Just try Straight in......Try em all!Here is 1/8" plate done with .023 wire, C/25.  I went back and forth from each piece with a 1/16" gap between the pieces.  Slightly back hand.Back sideDavidLast edited by David R; 01-22-2008 at 06:00 PM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by offrdfun73I listen to my MP3 player all day when welding it does help. If I were you I would start doing a few T joints. Your welds are fine just work on smooth consistant speed. Good luck