MIG welding question Options

[Brian_Boss]

I bought a MIG welder to do a job for the go kart business and I am hoping some people that do a lot of MIG can steepen my relearning curve. I am pretty good with oxy/acetylene and OK with TIG but have not touched a MIG in 10+ years. I am not prepping for a code test, just trying to be sure the parts I weld on the karts don't start falling off after delivery to the customer.

Question 1: Is it indicative of anything if I frequently end up with more wire sticking out after finishing a weld than the normal stickout used for welding? I have just been snipping it off before restarting.

Question 2: Is it indicative of anything if you have a glowing booger of weld at the end of the wire when you stop welding? I actually stopped this by fine tuning the settings but would like to know if it always indicates a particular problem.

Question 3: Should you be able to feel the gun pushing back from the work at all? I am talking about a very subtle amount, not wire forcing the gun back from the puddle?

Here is a picture of my first try at a 90 degree. Any comments? I am a little concerned about penetration. I put it in a vice and it took three or four whacks with a 24 oz hammer just to bend the joint a little.

Thanks for any input.

914 content: If I can get these karts finished before the customer sues me, I can use this machine to weld a new battery tray into my car to replace the plywood one I have now.