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Rich, practice is good. Lots of experience is better. I've seen guys come out of welding schools and think they had it down. Trouble is, in the real world, everything isn't clean, perfectly fit, and in the easiest to get at position. Welding in less than ideal conditions is much more difficult. Something really important for anyone learning to weld is that doing a pretty weld is really pretty easy, particularly MIG. "BUT"... a pretty weld doesn't mean a good weld. I've seen people run a perfect bead that was weak enough to be broken with bare hands. Point is, test your welds by putting your practice pieces in a vise, take a hammer to them, and try to break your weld. See how much penetration the weld has when it does break. When breaking stops and turns into bending(a good weld is as strong-if not stronger than the material), then you've done good. When you can past that test, than you can start welding with confidence. Even then you should still leave crucial welds to the experts. Bill
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