Distinguish slag from metal, select the correct welding current, connect welding cables in the correct polarity. A beginner learns all these basics of welding and tries to observe.
I'll tell you one more rule you need for self-taught beginners. How wide the weld should be, depending on the diameter of the electrode. And I will also show you a simple simulator on which you can practice to develop this width.
If you are planning to master welding, then it is better to first read several Soviet books about these processes. All new ones are rewritten from those. In old books, one important thing is written about the dependence of the seam width on the diameter of the electrode.
The weld seam will be obtained with the best characteristics and quality if it is equal to 2.5-3 widths of the diameter of the electrode. How do we learn to navigate this rule.
Always try to take the diameter of the electrode that is suitable for the specific thickness of the metal being welded. To have something like this correspondence:
1. With a diameter of 2 mm, we cook metal with a thickness of 1.5 and 2 mm.
2. With a diameter of 2.5 mm, we cook metal 2 and 3 mm.
3. With a diameter of 3 mm, we cook metal 3-5 mm.
Thicker electrodes are practically not used in our garage welding works.
We find a piece of metal thicker, let it be at least 4 mm. Then we clean it to metal using any mechanical method. The brush on the grinder will do an excellent job with this.
We make a training piece of iron for 3 mm electrodes. After a good cleaning, mark the lines at a distance of 2.5-3 electrode diameters from each other. A little multiplication and we get a distance of 8 or 9 mm. Let's duplicate these lines with a thin cutting disc of the grinder. Now we have a great guideline for placing the rolls of the desired width.
Let's grab this simulator a little at an angle so that the oncoming slag does not interfere with us. And we just drive the electrode within the boundaries of our marks. Through the mask, these grooves from the grinder are clearly visible. And so seam by seam we get used to the desired seam width for an electrode diameter of 3 mm. Now we will remember and in the future we will roughly imagine how wide the seam should be.
For other diameters, everything is the same. It is better to try to make such a mini-trainer for all diameters. All this is not difficult, but a very necessary correct skill will appear.