P.S. that was mig in the pick not tig.

 

Thanks and a 2# spool of .030 flux is damn expensive!

 

Here is a pic of my not perfect weld on 2 crap pieces of steel. It's not my best but will hold up to anything

 

Cleaning the metal will help the spatter a little bit but it is not going to get rid of it, not only is he running flux wire but he is running .030 flux wire. What brand of wire makes a difference as well. Start by picking up some .035 lincoln wire that should help you with the spatter some to start with.

Would help to know what model welder you have so I know what amps it can run and what not. Not to sure you are going to want to turn the wire speed down or not just from looking at this pic. If you search your model welder online you should be able to find info on it and maybe even the owner manual, then they should give you a guild line to follow for the welder and where to set it for what size metal you are welding.

Don't do circles with flux half moons are ok way to do it and help for making a larger weld to cover more area. Try to keep in mind that flux and hard wire as well (hard wire= gas shielded wire) are meant for drag welding (pulling one direction in a straight line not circles or whip welding) Try doing some searches on you tube for some welding tips and vids that will show you the basic how to's of welding, it will help you out a lot.

From the pic you put it up it looks like not only are you running a little cold but maybe you are moving the weld down the metal to fast and not giving it time to lay the weld out. Try slowing down so you lay more weld on the metal. Just don't rush through a weld and take your time. It isn't the easiest thing in the world to learn how to do but it isn't the hardest. Believe it or not I went to Job Corps for two years taking the welding cores there and graduated a certified combination welder and then after that I got in to the metal fabbing work world and I have been doing metal fab work for over ten years now and there are still things I learn to this day and there will be things I learn till the day I stop doing metal fab work. Learning to weld is a great thing for you to know with being a wheeler, this way you will be able to fix a lot of the things you break out on the trails and be able to save a lot of money.

Sorry for the short book there but I hope some of what I have said here is able to help you out.

 

 

Yet another reason for spatter I think it was menchened earlier is running to cold. When your heat is at the right temp it will flow into the puddle. To cold and it will seam to stab into the steel. When you weld with a mig it should sound like a bee. Not like cooking bacon. That is what stick welding sounds like.

 

Just my .02 but I think if you turned the heat up it would lay a lot flatter and get more penetration. Not bad though. Oh if you didn't do it try to grind a 30-45 degree pitch on each piece. This increases the contact area buy a lot and once more it gives more penetration.

 

Looks like mine! What it lacks in eye candy, it makes up for it in strength...


...But to go in depth about "pulling the puddle" I'd have to draw you a picture. basically, you want to keep your hand steady by resting it and just controlling the tip to keep movements consistent. start with a slow wire speed so you can see what I'm talking about without pileling up the bead. you start at point a, pull the trigger, wait about 1 second or so and you'll see the seam and the molten puddle. hold the tip about 1/4" to 1/2" to the seam. to close and you'll literally weld your tip to far and the wire gets inconsistent. then pull the puddle slowly down the seam. But you don't do it in a straight line. you go up through the puddle dipping into it, then pull across the top piece of metal to the edge of the puddle, then bring the wire across the seam to the bottom piece. then keep going with the circle to dip back into the puddle again. The puddle will then creep it's way down the seam. the back end if the puddle cools while your adding to the front when your circle comes across the seam. if you can't see the puddle, try a slightly less tinted shield.

Edit: this is the method I use my argon-co2 gas rather than flux. I don't have much experience with flux wire so go with what cj said if you stick with flux.

 

Thanks guys for all the tips,
CJ- Next time i get up to portland ill stop by and watch you weld.. if that is okay!

So what i have got to work with...
Craftsman welder, which has the following settings...
Voltage- Min and Max
Wire speed from 0-10
On off....
Its gasless

So what i have got out of this so far is too....
Go slower, Push the puddles.
So Should i try a back and forth motion or up and down moving slowly to push my puddle? I dont see how you can pull a puddle.

 

I can't tell how think the metal is but sometimes with thin metal you don't want to much penetration or else you'll dig yourself a hole. good example is gas tank welds. gotta be mighty careful about to much heat with that. but for 1/8" and thicker, the better penetration and surface. Area the better.

 

Don't forget hold it at a 15-30 degree work angle. I hold mine right in the middle. you can hear and see the difference.

 

Ya anything 1/8th or thinner I won't angle the edges. I have a Miller 210 and run real hot. I do wish I had a smaller welder for the thinner stuff. They work really well for that.

 

The angle i was using was about 3/16th. Does somebody wanna help me get my welder "set perfectly". I was also holding it about 2.5CM away maybe like 3/4 of a inch ?
Really wish i knew somebody who could help me.

 

3/16th is moderately thick so u might want to slightly grind the edges to make a "valley" for the bead. and with that thickness, crank the amps up nice and high. Then set your wire speed at 1/4 speed(don't know what your ***** look like) and start from there. That way you can go nice and slow. if the metal starts to get to red hot more than like 2" away from the seam, turn your wire speed up a little and go a little faster. make sure you don't jump ahead of that puddle! keep it all connected and centered.

 

i know ive been a welder for years... i just grabbed 2 junk rusted pieces of steel and ran a bead... with out a hood... no i wasnt looking just layed it down... i couldnt find my dam hood!