[Dupr]

Hi. I'm currently enrolled in an intro to welding course at my local college. I'm enjoying myself immensely and want to become a professional welder.

I'm in a similar situation. I found that if I didn't have some sort of guide for the first set of stringers on a plate, they follow a natural curve. Like 12345678910 suggested, adding a soapstone scribe line can help a lot.

In that vain, I'd suggest adding a couple of lines to your plate as reference. I find that a lot of times the soapstone line you're welding on will be blown away, but the mark a 1/2" down the plate is still nice and clear. Just keep the distance between the toe of your weld and that line consistent and you should find your stringers quite a bit straighter.

Hope that helps a little.