Oxy Acetylene Weld Beads

[Paticus]

Does anybody have pictures or tips/techniques for good oxy acetylene welding beads? I see all of these super clean looking welds with mig and tig and I'd like to get near that quality with a good ol oxy acetylene torch and some rg 45/60 rod.

 

[metaleltr]

I don't have any pictures, but last year i made some welds on sheetmetal outside corner joints that you could swear were tig. It can be done, and i had never even welded with a torch before.

 

[PCO6]

Paticus - I don't think this is quite what you are after and it goes more to metaleltr's comment about welding outside corners on sheet metal, but I welded the panel below without using rod at all. Like you, I like welding with a good old torch too. I use rod for a lot of things but I like fusion (no rod) hammer welding in places where you can do it.

 

[Paticus]

Paticus - I use rod for a lot of things but I like fusion (no rod) hammer welding in places where you can do it.

I don't fusion weld ever but I think I should give it a try. What do you mean "fusion hammer welding" ?

 

[PCO6]

Hammer welding is basically fusing two sheets of metal together using a fine neutral flame and planishing the weld with a hammer and dolly. If you plan to finish the panel with an English wheel (I didn't in this case) it's best to hammer weld the panel. If you weld the panel using rod it's not possible to wheel it because the rod will knick the wheels and destroy them. Hammer welding is tricky but once you get the feel for it it's enjoyable to do.

 

[Paticus]

That sounds awesome. Looks like I need to invest into an Anvil ey?

 

[PCO6]

Actually, regular dollies for auto body work are most commonly used.

However, I also have a nice 40" peice of rail that come in handy for LONG welds ...

BTW - the proper spelling is "eh". Don't ask me how I know. (lol)

 

[metaleltr]

Paticus - I don't think this is quite what you are after and it goes more to metaleltr's comment about welding outside corners on sheet metal, but I welded the panel below without using rod at all. Like you, I like welding with a good old torch too. I use rod for a lot of things but I like fusion (no rod) hammer welding in places where you can do it.

Yeah the welds I made were fusion welds, it actually happened accidentally. The plan was to braze it and next thing I know the super tight fit up resulted in a fusion outside corner weld.

 

[FMC]

fusion welding is nothing but practice,patience and a devout refusal to be sloppy, a patch needs to fit correctly, be scribed onto the parent piece and the hole trimmed to the center of the scribe line (this is the prep, meet this and your 3/4's there) you need small tips a steady hand and very clean welding goggles, try starting out with some 18g its way easier than some prethinned 20g on an old car.
Post some progress pics Im sure we can help you along lol

 

[Paticus]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/tls/3304486482.html

This may work well for hammering

 

[ATC]

Eh...did this years ago before I got a real welder

 

[Paticus]

Eh...did this years ago before I got a real welder


Those are good looking torch welds

 

[Zeke]

TIG has big advantages over gas welding. Mainly the foot or hand control, but pulse and frequency are others. Oxy/gas welding uses a lot of heat not that well concentrated. The Mico and Henrob torches help immensely. Back in WWII when aircraft were gas welded AL, Victor made a very small torch handle with a set of tips smaller than 0.

If you're going to do fusion welding on sheet metal, the fitup has to be zero tolerance. The area welded will be somewhat thinner as a function of any gap. I'm talking .000's.

The last fusion job I did was a set of flares on a sports car. I ended up using some solid MIG wire where I couldn't get a perfect fitup. I noticed some pin holes as well. The wire made sure there was enough material to join the metal.

If you leave a small crown of a bead, you can still hammer/dolly this down and grind it. So, I think it's still possible the wheel the part. Everything you do work hardens the metal, so do as little as possible to achieve your results. Retempering sheet metal is tricky business.

 

[Paticus]

Yea the large radiant heat area can sometime be a pain when doing gas welding. This Henrob torch looks awesome. I found one here:
http://www.fournierenterprises.com/W3000.html


I may need to invest into this

 

[Paticus]

Actually that Meco torch looks pretty awesome and its considerably cheaper..

 

[Ozwelder]

I taught oxy acetylene welding in trade college and high school shop for years.
The big thing,in my opinion is getting the regulator pressure right.Around 5 PSI is good.
The trick is to set the acetylene gauge pressure at 5psi and " feel" that pressure on the palm of your hand.

Using that technique, adjust your oxy regulator pressure and weld .
Always melt the pool not the wire.T filler wire is melted by and into the leading edge of the the molten pool.Make sure your filler and weld path are very clean.

One you gain the rhythm and motion of dipping the wire,its just practice from there.

No worries,it will work
Ozwelder

 

[leon renaud]

Mecos Aviator Jet torch is a nice little unit for sheet metal work.I bought the complete outfit and cut over 1/2 inch plate with the cutting head.the welding torch has a flat body that makes it easy to control and it's light so not very tiring doing a lot of welding.