What I've learned

Well last night was more practice time, but I think now I've "seen the light" and figured out how to fix a few problems I was having.
First, I was using way too much shielding gas. Generally you want about17 CU.Ft./hour. I was running about 17 liters per hour. Big difference. I was wondering why I was going through so much argon....
Second, my filler rod was too big. Going to a smaller rod is allowing me to control the heat a bit better (less holes) and give me a more uniform and consistent puddle.
It's all coming together now.
Tomorrow I'll try to get some pics for those of you who get bored reading.