[QUOTE=formulapk;3613313]ahhh JUDAS! how i can relate!
I finally have the "zen" of mig welding with my cheapo (actually it seems to work pretty well IMO) Campbell/Hauself mig welder. I am almost afraid to replace it now that I know where to set it to weld under different conditions. I still can't weld fully upside-down, but I can if the metal is, say, the minute hand on a clock pointing between 8-9.
Still, I shudder when I look at the incredibly ugly welds I laid down early on. Sometimes I just want to cut/grind them out, but these are also 'hidden welds'. I dont trust myself to ever weld on "skin".
The most amazing thing was probably the income. I went up by 30K a year in 2001. This was the same year my wife got pregnant (planned
) and quit her job to raise..which paid about 30K a year. :| What great planning...