New Welding Thread ?'s for beginners...MIG

[JoshStratton]

Hey guys. I wanna bring this thread up again if that is ok.

I welded my first body panel last weekend and I think it turned out pretty well. I grinded the welds down so any pics I would get probably wouldnt show much.



However I didnt get any warpage, the penetration is nice and it seems pretty solid.

I wanted to thank you guys for all your help (Matt and John especially while not discounting the help from others).

I still have 2 questions though. I did the spot weld pattern of every 3 inches, then 1.5 inches, then .75 inches, then a finish bead. The finish bead is what I am not sure about. I mean it turned out nice, but I think I could have widened it more. I was welding 18 gauge steel to 20 gauge steel with a half-circle pattern ))))) on an overlap joint. The beads were not even 1/4 inch wide.

With steel that thin, do you think I can widen that or should that be enough?

Also, after grinding it all down, there were still a few small gaps in the weld scattered around. For finishing body work that will be seen, such as this, should I go back and fill those in with spot welds or do body shops just putty over them? Basically, I guess I am asking how to account for these.

Thanks!!


EDIT: Let me correct my language above. The gaps are not in the overlap joint, I am really not sure how to describe them. There are small holes where the weld did not fill in. Man I hope someone knows what I am talking about. LOL