Perhaps, a Dumb Question

[5030]

You'll probably find that welding with oxy-acetylene is ok for welding thin stuff, perhaps up to about 1/16" thick. However, you will have to watch warping. You'll be able to braze a little bit larger stuff, which may or may not do what you want.
The oxy setup is, however, good for heating and bending, or cutting.
If you wish to do heavier welding, then start looking at other welders. MIG is easy to use for general welding. Stick does well if you're doing a lot of thick stuff that needs a lot of heat, or just quick and dirty welds.
And, of course TIG is somewhat like gas welding with electricity.

Kind of sort of but not quite.

 

[big bubba]

In over 45 years of OA welding, heating and brazing, I've never used 'arrestors / resistors'. I know which knob to close first...

i went decades w/o them as well....but recently installed, no reason to tempt fate.

 

[mrmikey]

In over 45 years of OA welding, heating and brazing, I've never used 'arrestors / resistors'. I know which knob to close first...

With respect, as BB said above, no reason to tempt fate. I've paid taxes to fund the fire dept. for almost 50 years, haven't had to cash in on it but still nice to know it's there . Graduated trade school over 45 years ago and in that 45 years have seen a couple of melted rosebuds and destroyed torches caused by flashbacks, both have had check valves/arrestors and I'm glad they did. None that I know of were caused by operator error....just fate.

 

[big bubba]

as a caveat, teaching jr hi shop for years, i had some of them using torches. but without flashback arrestors. boy what a fool i was...glad i reached retirement w/o incident.

 

[rScotty]

You'll probably find that welding with oxy-acetylene is ok for welding thin stuff, perhaps up to about 1/16" thick. However, you will have to watch warping. You'll be able to braze a little bit larger stuff, which may or may not do what you want.
The oxy setup is, however, good for heating and bending, or cutting.
If you wish to do heavier welding, then start looking at other welders. MIG is easy to use for general welding. Stick does well if you're doing a lot of thick stuff that needs a lot of heat, or just quick and dirty welds.
And, of course TIG is somewhat like gas welding with electricity.

I've welded all my life, and even worked a year as a mobile "tinker" in the jungle down in Central America. Oxy-acetylene is perfectly suitable for weldng thick metal - it just eats up a large amount of oxygen and acetylene. So the problem of gas consumption is the limitation when you need to do long thick welds.

But the welding process itself is perfectly suitable for thick metal. In fact it has several advantages.
One being that the the operator can see and control the interpenetration and alloying of the metals being welded. There is also sometimes an advantage when heat treating is required or desired.

So don't be afraid to try your hand at "torch welding" thick metal - say up to 3/8" in steel. I'd recommend everyone do it once for a few inches to a foot of good 1/4" to 3/8 plate so you will be aware of how it works... just realize that doing lots of thick metal will cost significant welding gas.
But then you'll know how to so if you have to, just do it. The weld itself will be good and a good learning experience because torch welding moves slower, giving you time to watch the metals flow.

And if you need to heat treat the steel - for example if you are welding broken leaf springs in the boondocks, or a torn anchor fluke out on the beach....well, there is no choice but to use a torch, and really no better way to do it. Just fire up the torch and do it right.

Of course brazing is where the torch really shines brightest. Modern high nickle bronze brazing rod is far superior in strength and flow than the old copper/zinc/tin traditional brazing rod. The best rod can cost several times as much as the traditional brass...but worth the price. A good braze joint doesn't use all that much rod anyway.

rScotty

 

[big bubba]

community & agri adult ed trade classes are a cheap & great way to introduce a person to this trade & skill. highly recommend along with safe personal experimentation along the way
in re to above post on brazing, agree. i like the coated rod & preheating/grinding the joint esp cast. regards

 

[Langanobob]

In over 45 years of OA welding, heating and brazing, I've never used 'arrestors / resistors'. I know which knob to close first...

I was about to say the same thing, but I suppose it's best for a new welder to use arrestors, I don't think they are expensive.

 

[WranglerX]

Some new torch handles (mixers/bodies) they have arrestors built in now..... Must be a reason....

 

[Langanobob]

I was about to say the same thing, but I suppose it's best for a new welder to use arrestors, I don't think they are expensive.

Well, due to this thread, I broke down and bought a set of arrestors.

 

[Richard]

Though I like the idea of taking a class..... my work has me on the road covering 13 counties. I simply don't have the time to take a class. One irony? (note that I help State & local Govt employees with their pensions & 401K's)

One irony is, I cover about six different technical community colleges in the territory I cover. They take folks in and spit them out as certified welders. These guys (that I'm helping with their retirement trajectory) have already done things for me for free because of what I do for them. They view it as a bit of a thank you. Little doubt I could get as much free advice, guidance, education as I could except I simply don't have the time. (I'd be happy to pay for it too, I'm not looking to mooch on them)


Since I'm in dumb question mode, here's something that puzzles me a bit.

You have a stick welder. The rod might be (guessing) 1/8" diameter. I'm presuming the welding material (the inner stick) might be thinner with the flux being the outer layer, taking the stick to 1/8".

Now, you have a MIG wire welder. This wire looks to be maybe a FRACTION of the size as the stick.

When I imagine trying to do a weld, I'm scratching my head thinking how on earth can that thin wire create enough heat to do what it needs to do. Seems to me the thicker stick would be able to carry/sustain much more heat and might give either a better weld or, for the same circumstance, might be able to weld a thicker item.

Am I remotely in the ballpark with those thoughts?