I quickly diagnosed no gas. I have no spare argon but had some co2 left over so continued with that. Think I will wait for argon before starting on the car.
What thickness are you practicing on there? .
Also practice positional welding. Flat is easy. Try some verticals and horizontal welds. Even better, cut a hole and weld in a patch like you would do on a car.
I got great at bench welds, then did some actual work and found it was entirely different.