Chaz, don't worry if your bead doesn't look the prettiest,with that rod it's hard to do,it's meant for burning thruogh rust and other impurities in the metal. Do your practice on one piece,and when you are satisfied with that,try joining two. switching to 7018 after the first pass is what I would do also, and with that rod the slag pops right off to reveal a really nice looking weld. Practice,and practice some more. Hank