been messing around trying to gas weld, but can't seem to get it to stick. one side looks to burn in, but the other breaks easily. been using a 0 tip. getting the metal hot, and moving the puddle along. tried turning up the oxy but it blows the puddle all around. can't seem to find much info. any hints or suggestions would be much appreciated..................help.
Any pics? How thick is the metal? what material is the rod ? what size rod? need a short blue flame, use just the tip, leave a gap between (1/32 to 1/16) the metal pieces and fill with rod after getting both sides near molten hot ....work the flame to even the metal fill
I'll leave it esab since they type faster than I do... http://www.esabna.com/euweb/oxy_handbook/589oxy2_1.htm .
Take a class. The will teach you first how to stay safe and not burn down yourself or the shop. Then they teach how to run the tool. Time well spent. You will be amazed.
i've been using scrap angle iron for practice, the rod is copper coated steel, one is about the thickness of a coat hanger, and another a bit thicker. i did not leave any gap. maybe my flame is not hot enough?
I learned on 18ga. I don't think you have a hot enough flame for angle iron. It's not bed frame angle is is? You don't want to use that. Fyi.
Hey, Sounds as if you don't have a good, netural flame, that is to say one that burns an equal amount of acetytlene and oxygen. This type of flame makes little, if any, noise, and has a blueish coloured cone shape in its' center. Pratice on some 16-18 gage crs strips about six inches long, and butt weld them together without any filler rod used to join them. Once you've mastered that, move on to adding filler rod to your pratice sessions by leaving a gap between the strips no greater than the thickness of the metal-16-18 gage! You'll need to be able to butt weld as well as add filler rod to your welds, and both skills are important.
Best advice you'l get right there. I learned to gas weld in '63 and still like to weld with my torches. Especially exhaust tubing and light to moderate sheet metal....lotsa fun.(and frustration, too, sometimes) Anyway...some pictures of what you're doing would be a big help for getting advice. Also, for practicing how to use the torch you really don't need to actually weld two pieces together. Just learning how to set and control the torch, puddle, and rod can all be done with your angle iron piece.
Don't turn the oxy up you will make it worse. Without knowing what you are welding it is difficult to diagnose. Pictures would help. But as a general guide, to gas weld someting like sheet metal body tin or exhaust pipe heres what works for me. Set your presure regulators for acetelene and oxy down arounfd 5 psi max. lower if it will work. This will give a nice stable flame. With a clean tip, and again it depends on what you are welding (thickness etc) set your flame by starting the fuel and ading oxy till you have what looks like a flame within a flame. White with a trace of blue. No hissing or popping. If it hisses or pops you have too much oxy or too much oxy pressure.Get a good tight fit on your parts and apply the flame to the seam. If it is hot enough the metal should turn orange instantly and you should have a puddle in less than 5 seconds. If it takes longer to puddle than 5 seconds then you need more heat. Try making the flame bigger or going to a larger tip. Once you get a good puddle going dipp the rod in and out of the puddle and move gently along. If you are doing sheet metal, weld in short sections and let them cool, hammer and dolly into shape as you go to correct for warping. Practice on something that doesn't matter first. Then practice, practice, practice, and then pracice some more. It takes a lifetime to become really good. I still find fault with mine after 35 years.Hope this helps, keep at it and you will get there.
If there are any classes in your area, that is the best way to learn, unless you have someone watching you that can give good feedback. Check with some welding supply stores, they might give you some instruction or tell you where to find some help. If you are doing something wrong and don't know it, you'll continue making the same mistakes. Once you learn the correct methods, then practice is what you'll have to do to get better.
I learned about '56 working in a machine shop sweeping floors and cleaning chips. 'Ol machinist decided to give me a break from chores and asked me if I wanted to learn.He showed me the basics of setting the regulators and tip selection and I scrounged thru the scrap pile and found some 18Ga. mild steel sheet , started out with no filler. Just learning to push a molten puddle across the sheet without burning holes will teach heat control and speed. It is all practice-practice-practice ! Usually guys that learn OA welding first have little trouble with TIG . Take a course or watch some videos on it , it is fun after you master the heat and control.
i'll admit is pretty fun, even though i ain't gotta clue. a class would be great but may be hard with my schedule. I think i need to mess with the flame a bit. what will tip size change? i know what you all are saying, i need someone looking over my shoulder. thanks everyone for the advice.
How about a HAMB member close by to get together with fpr some pointers Welding by trial and error is not the way to go.... Lacking that - must be some good You-Tube welding videos out there....
practice, practice, practice,...like anything; but gas welding is usually more difficult to learn than other welding as you need the rite torch setting, correct rod, (I still use old coat hangers on a lot of stuff)...and you need to use both hands. Keep at it, you'll get it eventually. I still enjoy gas welding and using my old Lincoln stick welder. ps...that old bed rail stuff does weld funny sometimes altho I use it a lot to make things.
Here is a Victor chart that shows what tip size you should be using for what metal thickness and what you should have the gauges set at. http://www.atlweldingsupply.com/Victor-Welding-Tip-Chart_c_901.html The 0 tip is for pretty light sheet metal.
You need to hear your flame , it must have some sizzle , It must be a nuetral flame. Use the thiinest filler rod possible , 1/16" is a good starting point. Pushing a puddle across scrap tin is a good learning exercise to practice before you try joining two peices together. Good Luck.
Bud, I took a class years ago at the Manchester tech. I learned a lot and it was only one night a week for a few hours. It was pretty affordable too. Well worth the money! You might want to look into that
i was thinking the same thing, the 0 tip may not be hot enough. even if it's got a puddle going it may be a small one. if the thinner one is as thick as the coat hanger i hink you are on track with the larger tip. i have welded many old bed frames and while they may not be the best, you should be able to weld then fine for practice.
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