oxy/acetylene torch questions

[formula]

Well, I finally got an oxy/acetylene torch outfit. Standard duty setup with medium sized gas bottles. (the O2 tank is about 3. 5ft tall and is about 90cubic feet or so) It has a cutting attachment with #1 and #2 tips and a #2 welding/brazing tip. I'm going to get a #0 and #00 cutting tip to do smaller work, as well as a #1 and a #5 welding/brazing tip for thin brazing and some heavier stuff as well. Also getting a #3 "rosebud" heating tip attachment for larger heating and bending jobs. How's this sound so far?



Couple of questions though... ... . What is the proper way to set the flame on the rosebud torch?



Is there any use in trying to weld with it, or is that much better off done with an arc welder? (I don't have an arc welder yet)



Cheers,

Sean

 

[jmeehan]

It's been awhile since I used a rose-bud, but I just ran it like the smaller heating tips.

I've done some welding with oxy-actylene, all thin gauge stuff. Some exhaust work, and a little sheet metal. My favorite rod is wire clothes hanger. I guess it's not the best for quality of work, but, at least on exhuast systems, it has always lasted longer then I needed it to.

Get everything clean, including the rod (if it's coat hanger or similer) and some flux never hurts.

 

[ndurbin]

I never cared much for brazing. Give me a stick or MIG anyday.

 

[Tim1]

gas welding

Sean, gas welding can be done fairly easy if you follow a few simple guidelines. 1- Use a neutral flame, meaning a nice flame with no feathers of acetalene flowing off of it. 2- Watch you puddle and be sure to lace each puddle into the preceding puddle just as it fades out of shade. 3-Try and use a filler metal the same as the parent metal such as mild steel filler with angle iron and flat bar that is just mild steel. Before welding something, take a piece of flat bar and practice the puddles and melting and holding the torch and rod, in no time it will be second nature. Then Brazing and silver solder will be alot easier. Rose buds take a lot of acetaline to get things hot, and about 8psi on the guage then add some oxy till it also is a clean flame. Lots of black booggers will come off of it as you are lighting. Try not to explode or pop the torch when lighting as it will ruin the body of the torch. Good luck and have fun, I love the torch. Oh in case you don't know how to set the flame for a particular tip size, Start at 1 lb of pressure and light and increse slowly untill the flame jumps of the end of the tip, then back of the torch adjustment and add the oxy at about 10psi. When you light, have your aceyt valve wide open, and when it jumps, asjust. Hope this helps! One more thing, invest in some flash backs to protect the tanks, there cheap. Tim

 

[B.G. Smith]

As stated above and don't even think about cutting or welding without protective equipment(proper goggles and clothing). For a welding flame, light the torch and add enough oxygen till the smoke is gone, now look at the flame with goggles on, you will see a blue flame at tip of torch and a whittish flame extending beyond it, adjust the oxygen until both flames come to a point, this is called a neutral flame, good for welding, somtimes needs final tweek. To braze, cut back on the oxy. a little till the whitish flame just shows. The flash backs mentioned above are to prevent the possibility of tank explosion, very important. bg

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Sean: Go into debt like I did and get yourself a TIG box and a plasma cutter !!



I've gas welded a few times... ... it was a lot of fun. The only really bad part is the heat soak. By the time you get a weld pool formed... the whole workpiece is REALLY hot.



Since I learned to TIG - I've grown to really love to weld up stuff.

Stick welding is a lot of fun too... . I'm not so good at MIG welding..... I only did it once... . and a few TDR members can attest to my abilities.



Awww heck... . welding in general is just plain fun!!



Matt

 

[formula]

Hey, thanks for the replies Looks like I've got some practicing to do. Going to need to refill the tanks before long Should have some time on saturday to play. I'll post what happens



I've got the protectors on the regulators. I still would like to get a face shield and some better gloves.



Matt, how's that TIG setup working out for ya? What gas do you find you use the most frequently? Thinking that I need to burn a bigger hole in the wallet... ... ... . Oo.



Sean

 

[nickleinonen]

i did a fair bit of gas welding in HS and college [and at home when i had my tanks] and i never liked wearing gloves when welding with the gas [but always wear the goggles]. i had better control of the torch bare handed [and even now at work if i am burning metal, i'll do it bare handed or maybe some plain cotton gloves]. now if you touched the hot steel, yeah, you got burned, but that's what pliers are for. gas welding is nice and quiet and relaxing i think. no noise of electrical arcing or smell of the electrode coating. fusion welding mild steel is easy to do with a neutral flame. i liked using #1 tips for 1/16" and #2 for 1/8" and 1/16" mild steel filler rod for both. for brazing, i liked the same tips as for fusion but with a slightly carborizing flame [i like the coated braziing rod over the non coated and tub of flux]



i never did weld anything thicker than maybe 3/16" with gas, i always did mig/arc for thicker

 

[merryman]

I am a rank amateur, but I like playing around with metal.

I have gone to useing propane for cutting when I just need to cut something and not trying to be artistic.

Its cheap and I can get it an RV park a half mile away, while to get the other gases refilled I have to travel over 55 mifles.



Do many others use propane??



Vaughn

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Sean: I use pure Argon all the time.



If you end up doing a lot of aluminum or thicker steel... . you might need to do a mix of Ar and CO2.



I have zero regrets buying my equipment.



As for the noise level of TIG welding... . it is not that noisy at all on the DC side. AC can get a bit noisy..... as well has the high-frequency starts on DC... . if you don't get a good arc right away... it can make a little racket. I haven't had anyone complaining that I interfere with their TV's or phones..... except folks in my own house.



The huge difference lies in the amount of smoke produced..... I get very little when I'm TIGging... .compared to stick or MIG welding.



Matt