I came across this old thread and think it's a great idea. I'm trying to get better at welding but i'm having problems with the cheap mig welder i bought from harbor freight. When I try to lay a bead the welder will start and stop intermitently and my weld ends up looking like crap. I don't know if its me or the welder or both. Maybe I have it on the wrong settings or i'm using bad wire....I don't know. Anyone out there that might be able to help?