thxs guys, I plan to get a gas setup going soon...so maybe that will help a little bit. isn't it true that the smaller the welding wire, the better pentatration?

 

It's the other way around. The thicker the wire, the more current it takes to melt. This translates into a hotter arc. That was my first mistake when I started out; using too small of wire for the material I was welding. The welds looked great but they were just sitting on top of the joint instead of melting with the base metal.

 

so that's why you use a really small wire for body work?

 

Yes, it is easier to weld sheetmetal with 0.023" without burnthrough than it is using 0.030". But you still have to be careful. I do a series of alternating tack welds along the seam I'm welding to keep from putting too much heat into any one area and burning through. I just keep going until they are bunched right next to one another then knock the high spots down with a grinder. If I see any pinholes, I fill them using the same technique. Once I'm happy with the seam, I grind the high spots down first then switch to a disc sander for blending. Most of my work is warped to hell even with precautions but hey, that's what body filler is for.

 

sweet!

 

....btw, I'm gonna pick up my tank today...

 

Got it all setup....haven't ran it yet, I need to go buy some metal.

 

Good Luck!

 

bleh, I played around with my setup today and pretty impressed except for the fact that it pops a lot and usually comes out convexed.

Edit: Here's a pic with my crappy camera, it will have to work until I take a pic with my mom's camera...

 

Welds beads seem to be sitting high on your test scrap joints. Looks like still not enough heat and too fast of wirespeed/slow gun travel speed...

Try the old "bend it in a vise with a hammer till it breaks" test to see how much penetration your weld achieved.