After setting up the welders at Dan's shop, we had to leave for some other stuff. Today, I went back to do some more setup, and hopefully do a little real welding practice.
The first thing we needed was workable stock. That means rust free steel that we can clamp to a table somehow.
After cutting the beam apart, I threw a flapper disk onto the angle grinder to grind the rust off. After that, I tack welded some plates on to the rusty side so we could clamp the plates clean side up in a vice.
I only had enough time to make two, but until we get proper welding clamps this setup should allow us to practice laying beads on a clean surface. I ran a test bead after I took that picture, and the connectivity was good.