Help me with my first ever mig welds, why do they look like Swiss cheese and will I ever improve (cry for help after being demolished on Reddit)

[moesizlak]

Welding is what I term one of the "rough" arts. I work next to a good welder. I can weld OK using the gun/gas he's set up. But it's far from the trials of woodworking. Cut it a bit short? Just fill it with weld. Cut one a foot to short? Weld a bit on.etc. Once you can add to stuff mistakes are easy to put right. The material is also cheap and homogenous and in very long lengths (5m). The most strange is his bandsaw blades last longer than mine! (both m42).
Just keep trying and turn it up....

Yessir!

 

[pe2dave]

And I thought woodwork was hard!
[if needed, I'll get a welder in!]

 

[Tris]

As an aside, does anyone know of places doing basic courses?
Looking around here even the agricultural colleges have stopped doing them and the old techs have long gone

 

[moesizlak]

As an aside, does anyone know of places doing basic courses?
Looking around here even the agricultural colleges have stopped doing them and the old techs have long gone

^^^

 

[XTiffy]

Ed China (of the car restoration programme) has made a Youtube video on the subject, which is very well done and explained, well worth a look.

I learnt arc welding and Oxy- Acetylene back in 1977 when Mig and Tig welders were very expensive. I still have my old oil filled Oxford welder (hernia inducing to move). I had some heavy duty strucural welding done a few years ago to my barn by a professional and I was amazed at the small size and portability of his welding machine.

 

[pe2dave]

Here it is
He has others on welding too.