Depending on what you're welding, you need to vary your method. Some items I do just a series of tacks until they all connect together. Thin material often requires that method to keep from burning through or warping the metal.
I'd get a lot of scrap pieces of varying thickness to practice welds, and then try all kinds of angles and joints. Do some butt welds, 90 degree welds, overlap welds, vertical welds, etc. until you figure out the welder and how you can achieve the best welds. Try breaking the plates too, so you can see if you're getting good penetration. Check the backsides of your practice plates too, to make sure you're not overpenetrating and getting drips of molten metal throught the back. That will create a weak area along the edge of your weld where metal is pulled away as it becomes too hot.

 

Yeah I've been trying different welds on some metal shelves about body panel thickness. I'm getting better but it's something that will take time.

 

I generally have to patch something together daily at work. The problem is the cotton knit gloves I usually wear offer little protection from spatter. At home I have gas and wear no gloves at all. Just a tip.

Also, in case no one has told you. Do not weld on galvanized metal. "They" say it causes Parkinson's.

 

galvanized metal? like stamped metal shelves or aluminized tail pipe?

 

I mean like. Hot dipped zinc galvanizing. Stuff like chain link fence posts. Conduit is galvanized.

 

A short term and more likely problem is galvanized poisoning. It will cause you to get deathly ill like food poisoning. Saw my brother in law get it from stick welding some metal that was galvanized. Spent all afternoon on it, and was in ER that night.
It takes a huge amount of galvanize exposure to have Parkinson's and hobby welders wont ever get there, even if they welded to the point of poisoning. Occasional welding of galvanized material is not an issue, but I would be sure to have a fan blowing it away while welding. It is tough to weld galvanized, and if you have to, then make sure you grind the finish off where you weld, or you'll get ugly welds at the least, and poisoning possibly.

 

I should be all good for not having issues with galvanized metals I don't plan on doing any welding like that.
As for a fan I plan on getting either a shop fan or whatever I can find soon to keep the gasses away.

I'll probably order some body panels this weekend and get gas since I'm gonna take a load of junk into the metal recycling place and I get payed weekly.

idk how well everything is gonna work out though for the car cause my parents have decided to move to a rental sometime within a month or 2 and turn our house back since I and my parents are moving to a different city next year.
So I may or may not have a garage to work in and my job has decided that I won't be available enough during school to be usefull so I'll have to find a different job once school starts and on top of that I don't think the gay crap local comunity college is going to take my basically freeride scholorship so I'll probably have to spend all my savings on school.
Nothing is set in stone so I'll continue working on the car but I've been getting hammered repeatedly here lol.

 

I love the auto darkening welding helmet it's freaking awsome. It's so nice having both hands to steady my welds, Didn't get any gas today the place closed at 12 and I didn't make it after taking a scrap load to the recycling place. Got screwed there this town is such a rip off it's sad. I've got an order in for some body panels so I'll start that next week when they get in.

 

Wow chitty. I know the feeling, jumping through hoops to do anything on your car. Or even just to keep it.

 

Well this whole college deal is just pissing me off. I mean I called 5 times over 2 weeks and left messages each time before they called me back to tell me that my scholorship should go through but I won't know untill they inform me through my school email. which their crap website won't let me set up. so I have to go to the college and have them make sure I'm in their system before I can even set up a school email.
And it was the same back when I was trying to get admitted I had to wait over a month to talk to someone because first they were gone for two weeks, then another week, then I still had to call repeatedly to get them to call me back cause god forbid they answer their phone. It's gotta be the crappiest community college in the state.

But I guess if it works, it works. Either I'll have my $1,200 scholorship and have to pay $150 or I'll pay the full amount and next spring be a certified diesel mechanic either way. It's kinda gay though cause in oklahoma where my parents still have a house there is a tec school just like this wannabe community college but it's free, bigger, and is better equiped.