It might sound counter intuitive but it's actually easier to get a good weld if you make sure you have a gap between the parts – in this case, perhaps about 1mm. Might also be easier if you could get some smaller filler rod or start with a thicker box section to begin with..

If you ever touch the work with the electrode, you HAVE to stop and regrind the tip to remove the contamination. That's one of the pains when you start out but there's no way around it.

I can't manage without a foot pedal or a knob on the torch. As the heat builds up, you need to be able to turn the current down.

I also struggled with crap auto darkening helmets until I simply bought some decent ones. I got a Miller one and a Lincoln one with big windows which transformed the experience. I also bought a magnifying lens for the Lincoln so I can use it up close without my glasses – as you get older, your eyes don't focus so well at close range where you need it. I'd also recommend a good light to illuminate the work so you can see it through the lens when the arc is not there.

It takes a lot of practice. I'm still only fairly reasonable after a couple of decades of (intermittent) practice. Practising laying down a steady bead on a single piece of flat strip is a good place to start. It's nice to get a good joint but first you need to master the basic control of the torch and rod including speeds, currents etc.

Murray

Have you tried just fusing joints without a filler rod ? Might be good practice before doing it that way. I've no idea of the current needed but on aluminium it's very low.

John

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Rule of thumb for stick out depends on the gas lense for example a 12 which is 15mm or 5/8 bore you can get an inch or so ,we do this for welding ti in hard to reach areas  but generally the ceramic opening is a good guide to how far your going to stick your tungsten out for general welding obviously the stickout will also be affected by the type of joint and angle of that joint 

A nother good website is migweldingforum as well as welding tips and tricks though its more your garage guys and gals on there big range of people from experienced to beginners

One other piece of advice is go watch someone beg borrow or steal time, i find when im teaching someone once they grasp the fundamentals and they all converge in one place it just clicks into place from there they tend to go and start fiddling with settings and seeing how they affect the weld and how it goes along having a baseline that you know is right ….its easier to go from there

Edited By mike mcdermid on 14/07/2015 20:39:29

Edited By mike mcdermid on 14/07/2015 20:43:42

Edited By mike mcdermid on 14/07/2015 20:47:15