Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello All,
I'm new to this forum and have been in welding school for 6 months now, currently taking a Mig class.
My question is: If considering all things being equal, such as machine settings, position, ect, what is the technique to making a convex bead vs how do I make a flat bead? In school, I've been given some plans to weld. Some of the beads call for 2F and 4F Convex and others are 2F and 4F Flat. Looking forward to any suggestions and hope to learn from your training and experiences. TIA!

All things being equal, deposition rate of the wire is what creates a convex profile. You can also think of it in terms of travel speed. Travel faster=less wire deposited. Slow down=more wire.

Any time your weld gets thin and inconsistent in profile/height, you can bet the travel speed is too fast. Learning to read the puddle is the “skill” side of this trade. Everyone welds differently, but results can be the same between different welders. It’s knowing how to achieve the result not how to weld that comes with practice and experience.