Everything was wire-wheeled back to bare metal at least 1" back from the seams. (made for some interesting acrobatics trying to reach some of the areas with a 90° grinder lol)
Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's a combination of my less-than-mediocre welding skills paired with a less-than-stellar welder. I've done much nicer work with a better welder, so this is one of those instances where a quality tool makes for a better operator.
Even if I had a better welder, I'd
still hate fixing rust.
Eric