Anyone here still welding with a torch?

I am wanting to start/try it and was just looking for some images of torch welds, sheet metal welds, and possibly some tips and help getting started.

I'd like to try welding my body panels with a torch instead of mig.....just because I guess.

Just need some general info on what size tips to use, what sizeand types of filler rods etc...

 

I remember being a 16 year old kid watching the old guys use brass to attach 1/4 panels and such on cars
but I think its a lost art like lead work

 

I picked up a little jewlers torch and try to use it as much as possible.

Used it exclusively on the Screaming Robot cup holder console.
My HAZ is a bit big and I put in a lot of heat, but was still able to hammer everything pretty flat.

 

The lost art thing is exactly why I want to try and pick it up. My grandad could weld with a torch like nobodies business. Unfortunately I wasn't able to spend enough time with him to learn it. I inherited his torches so I want to learn/teach myself with them.

 

I still use it occasionaly but only on thin gauge like body sheet metal. 00 or 000 tip for body sheet metal, very clean torch, sheet metal and rod. I like Victor torches. Rod diameter same or close to sheet thickness.

 

Is there a certain material that the rods are made of that works better than others??? I am assuming that steel needs steel, alum needs alum rods etc...just like tig welding?

 

Derbydad, when you get the hang of it, you will love it. You can make real nice low crown welds with a small HAZ, that are easy to hammer and grind.It dose take a lot of practice,but it,s worth the learning curve to stick with it.I started to run rod with a torch more than 50 years ago and still enjoy the experience.

..............Jack

 

You are right that you need rod that is the same as what you are welding. If you can learn to torch weld aluminum you are doing great,it is very hard to torch weld.

 

At yoiur local welding store, there will be several diameter steel welding rods. Buy some of each, but more small. It has a gold color coating to prevent rust in storage. Use a small tip, move the tip from one side to the other to the rod, a drop of metal will fall in the puddle. On long runs in sheet metal, tack each end, the middle, and move around a lot. Let it cool and come back. Make a small table on wheels with a hanger, when the metal is still red, lay the burning touch down, grab the hammer and dolly and smack it several times. I like to gas weld exhaust, it can be done with very little filler rod and look good.

 

Just clipped my 58 Ford 1 ton into a crewcab. You can see it on the 57 - 60 Ford posts. Used nothing but the torch do it. When you are desperate to get the job done, and the welding shop is closed, any thing will work for welding rod. I once finished a job using the handle off of an ice cream bucket. Clothes hangers, farmer's favorite - baling wire, I prefer the telephone company locator flags wire. No I didn't steal the phone company flags. If it will melt, it will weld. Just watch out for galvanized. A steady hand and a neutral flame are your friends. I prefer a flip down face shield over goggles. I have a beard, they melt if you get too close to your work. Old school art form that used to be taught in every high school.

 

I use it quite often when making linkage and thin stuff.

 

talk to brad masterson its all he uses!!!!!!! and he is a master at it . its actually a better weld than mig..

 

I would use it as the method of choice for body panel work, and exhaust building.
Full custom header systems are easily done this way (use arc-stick weld for the flange, then torch for the rest.). You can even create the collector housing from larger dia stock tube.

 

I think that the oxygen/acetylene torch is one of the most versatile tools in the shop. I use mine alot.

Buy a name brand setup like you would find in a welding supply store. The set will include most of what you'll need. You may have to later add tips to suit what you do.

The example above show what happens when you attempt to use a torch that is too small. With a proper sized torch you will actually heat the piece up less because you have a lot more heat just where you need it and you can move along more quickly.

Buy your own tanks. Do not be tempted to rent them. When you go through times wher you are not using it much the owned tanks do not cost you a dime, whereas the rented owns keep costing you.

I cannot imagine a shop without an O/A torch! Not only can you weld, braze and solder, but you can cut and you can heat to bend or expand a press fit.

~Alden

 

Get some old body panels or flat steel of the thickness you are going to be working on and practice running a pool of molten steel. (don't worry about a filler rod for this, and sand the paint of or the fumes will make you sick.) When you can do this for 100 inches or so without blowing through or having the pool drop away you can start thinking about welding panels. Don't worry about heat distortion just yet, that's why you use old stuff. Just get the steel melting nicely and move the torch at the correct speed and angle.

Also, sit or stand so you're braced and balanced nicely, and don't be too tense holding the torch.
You need a few factors set right to give you the best chance of good welds - correct pressure, tip size and edge prep for starters. There's a ton of info about this on the net if you hunt for it.

Get a nice even joint to weld - trim and file so you only have a gap the thickness of the metal or less (time spent here will cut down the finishing later) and make some tacks of about 1/8 inch, spreading them along the seam. I was trained to hammer them flat (should only take 2-4 taps) then cool with a wet rag once all the redness was gone. Eventually You'll have a lot of tacks and can start welding an inch at a time; dipping in filler rod as needed. Again, hammer flat and cool.
As I say, this is how I learned it, there will be a dozen other ways. Maybe a night class would help you?

Anyway, then practice, practice practice. Your second hundred feet of welds will be much better than your first hundred, and there will be mistakes on the way but keep at it, a neat gas weld is very satisfying. Good Luck!

 

Man I haven't done it in a long time.

Most coat hangers are made out of plastic now.

 

I have a set of tanks and no one will fill them around here. You have to rent them now.

 

They must be Linde tanks.

Nobody will fill Linde tanks.

 

Spend the money and time with Gene Winfield.
He is Old School and is willing to pass knowledge along to others.
I used to use OA torches all the time but now use MIG/TIG as my work has changed.

John

 

i think this is some good advice here. i havent done any oxy welding in a long time. i was looking at teaching some welding courses around here. they dont even teach this anymore!

 

It's the only right way to weld unless you can afford a TIG. MIG welding sucks. It's the hardest to metal-finish and is not as workable as oxy-acyteline, or TIG, welding.

Ever welder should learn to weld with torches just like every car-guy should learn to drive a stick.

Now, of course, I've only used oxy-acyteline torches to weld for the last 25 years in my own garage. I only recently decided to use a MIG on this last project to "hack some floor patches in" on my current ride. I did it only becasue it was quick, dirty, and I just needed to get it done. As far as truly fabricating and metal-finishing are concerned, there is no alternative to oxy-acyteline and TIG.

Practice makes perfect

 

HOLD THE PHONE!!! more pictures of the screaming Robot cup Holder! That thing is awesome!!!

 

and to answer the question.. I like gas welding I'm not great at it, but I like the control of the elements better than mig. Most of what I do in a day would be thin metal like exhaust etc.. I like using gas for that

 

I have my grandfather's torches also. He welded with them and I'd love to pick up this skill.

 

Some years back an in law uncle from Alaska wanted to know if I had a "gas welder" to put new motor mounts in his homemade plane. I replied that my gas welder was oxy/A and he needed a wire feed to put new motor mounts in a 3140 chromoly air frame. I told him he was crazy to try that and that they needed to use TIG which I didn't have. I explained that 3140 was hard to weld even with TIG as a desert bikes I was riding had the frames welded twice with TIG and they still came apart at the same place. I really hated to start a family argument and didnt want to be responsible for killing the guy but on second thought I considered that might not be all bad as I wouldn't have to listen to his BS anymore. He insisted that Oxy/A was the best way to weld 3140. I called two different welding instructors who both indicated he was dead wrong and that I should take out a life insurance policy on him. I pursued the question over time, asking anyone who might have heard about welding airframes. Finally ran into an A&P mechanic who gave me phone number for the FAA in DC. I called and the guy there said that Oxy/A was still listed as the "preferred" method of welding airframes, but that most people used TIG nowdays. I was shocked and asked why I couldn't use oxy/A on my bike frames and he replied "you can". I did and I don't claim to be a welder but my weld held through numerous desert races and might still be holding today, although that was twenty years ago. Oxy/A, while a dying art is a thing of beauty when done properly.

 

find a welding class, a few years back it was a free class- we had to learn on oxy/acy before we could do anything else.

 

There was a huge thread about this a couple months ago, with most of the really good fabricators/bodymen prefering using gas. Lots of tips and recommendations for equip.
Personally, I always recommend a newbie getting an Oxy-Acy set-up, with a Dillon/Cobra/Mk4 torch if they are limited in budget, or room. The versatility of the gas set-up is unmatched...welds, cuts, solders, heats, steel, SS, alum., even cast iron!
Besides, the experience in learning it, makes all the other methods easy to pick up.

 

These are the words of advice that I would concentrate on...if you can find a course, it will help, mostly because the instructor will make you do things over and over until you get good at it. It's hard to force yourself to practice, but having paid for a class seems to provide some extra motivation.

I find myself using my torch more and more as time goes on. I still use the wire feed for things that it's good for, but I use the torch for most exhaust work, butt welds, etc.

 

If you own a gas set up, and frequent garage sales, look for square rod. Its cast iron. To weld cast, you need that rod, wire brushed to get the rust off, and a fresh can of Lewis Lye. Example; an ear is broken of a manifold; grind both parts 1/2 thicknes. Clamp both parts to a big square tube. Use a big tip. Heat along the weld, heat the rod to red and stick in in the lye for flux, weld slow but normal. Let it cool slow. Hand file the gasket surface.
Its like magic, you just did the imposible.