[cj737]

That is some pretty thin material. The "first try" pics show too cold welds, and looks like either a poor ground or too long of an arc. "Second try" is much better.

If you are going to weld on practice pieces that thin, clamp them to some thicker aluminum blocks to help prevent all the warpage. Or dunk the piece in cold water between welds to chill it. Then dry it, and weld some more.

[CentralOhDIYer]

When that pic went live, I expected to get roasted. No one has tips on technique or the Power 2 Wire Speed 3 settings as shown in try 2? What about penetration, should the weld be raised on the other side of the work piece?

[cj737]

When that pic went live, I expected to get roasted. No one has tips on technique or the Power 2 Wire Speed 3 settings as shown in try 2? What about penetration, should the weld be raised on the other side of the work piece?

No cause to "roast" you for experimenting and learning.

It's nearly impossible to to determine penetration and backside weld result unless you show those aspects All I can see is 2 versions of bead stacks from the front. As I said in my prior post, the "First Attempt" (picture on right) the beads look cold and gun motion looks dodgy. The "Second Attempt" (picture on left) looks much better. Beads are wetted in, clean and straight.

As for penetration, any time you weld on material that thin you are likely burning nearly through. Material of that thickness is not a great practice environment. If you must practice on it, use the thinnest gauge wire you can, be patient between welds, (or chill the material) and use much shorter bead runs. I dare say in a real world application, those parts would be tack-welded together or stitched only.

[CentralOhDIYer]

Thank you. 1 BIG mistake, I was using a 50ft ext cord that's been through several seasons outside. Per the Manual, max ext cord length was 20ft. 2nd try was after reading the manual. I'll probably weld some more tomorrow. Been trying to recover from some NOOB IGNORANT poor investments. Bought 2 S80 scuba tanks and a lot of oxygen tanks thinking I could swap at my welding supply shop but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, scuba tanks aren't industrial (Damn Craigslist!) and the mf Oxygen tanks were medical and had to be turned in. I almost wrote a hostile letter to Facebook for stricter controls in their Marketplace for that one. total loss $140.

Ended up getting an old oxy/acetylene set w/ extra tanks for $90. Took all tanks into LWS, Manager said they were "doing me a favor" and they took my 2 40cf & 1 2.5lb Co2 tanks. I walked out w/ another 20cu ft and an actual 80cu ft argon mix for $122. Went home and sold the Torch w/ Cutting Tip, Hoses & Regulators from the $90 lot for $85. Today, scored a Customer Owned 330cf tank(4 80cf's) for $70 in a Garage cleanout, yes I got a signed Bill Of Sale. I found a LWS further out that will swap it for the equivalent in Mig mix. I'll ask for 2 80's & 2 40's in exchange, that leaves an 80 they can keep and sell for more profit. Plus can't overload my truck.

[CentralOhDIYer]

I'm getting more efficient with the short beads so I bought these metal butt-clamps, how do you tack/spot weld this without blowing away the edges?

[cj737]

I'm getting more efficient with the short beads so I bought these metal butt-clamps, how do you tack/spot weld this without blowing away the edges?

I'm not sure which clamps you're using, but for material as thin as you've described, I don't clamp them. If the welding is done in a flat position, I merely place some chunky pieces of aluminum or steel (I have several 1.5x6x10 pieces of 6061 I use) and hold the edge close. Shoot a tack. As you tack, the seam will often close up due to heat. So clamping becomes un necessary.

For thicker plate, "dogs" are the solution. These get welded on one side of the seam, then a screw is driven down on the other side to help hold/align the plate in plane. When done, hammer the dog loose because you just tack them. These can be made or bought, but the are every job site I've ever seen that deals with large flat pieces.