Welding with torches?

[67chevemall]

Anybody have info or links to welding with torches?
Is there a tip for cutting and one for welding?
I'd like to learn how to do this.
I can cut with them but instead of buying a welder I thought
maybe I'll just give the old welding rods a try!

Cheers

[rodnok1]

There is a tip set just for cutting that has a lever for blowing material away. There are tips just for heating and welding. you can weld with a torch but it can be difficult, it's way easier to weld sheet metal than with torch setup. It's all about controlling the heat of the material, if you get it right you can fuse materials together without welding rod. I started with stick welding, then torches and then mig. Mig is way more fogiving than they others. You can braze in small rust holes with a torch, that's about all I use it for besides cutting and heating.

[fastwillie 696969]

take a eveing class at a junior college its cheap and in 6 weeks you 'll be cut and welding like the pro's

[pritch]

I could always make prettier welds with a torch. I would still rather use my torch for exhaust pipes and real thin stuff. Maybe that will change when I get a wire-feed of my own.

[dennislbrooks]

that allows use of argon/carbon dioxide and buy an air saw.

you will be much happier.

[Fred T]

Here's an on-line book
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7969

[Mad Dog]

Take your time, practice getting your hands steady, and buy quality rod. Oxy-Acetelyne is probably the most difficult form of welding to learn....but that makes it more fun,right? Good luck, and when you are done you will have a great skill.


BTW, if you are short on patience or don't have good coodination....buy a mig.

[Stepsides 4Ever]

Just a couple of thoughts...

When I was learning to TIG weld, my community college instructor emphasized that the most important thing in welding by far is the filler rod...more important than technique, heat, any thing else. I can say from experience that a fusion weld (welding without filler rod) is a very weak weld, for several reasons, so try to avoid them whenever possible.

The best way to learn to weld is to practice, practice, practice. Get some metal scraps and some fire brick and have at it. The hardest part of it is getting both hands working together (one hand keeping the torch moving in circles and the other hand "dipping" the rod in and out of the weld zone). With TIG, you have the added complexity of using the foot pedal to control the amperage (and, possibly, the other foot operating a turntable speed control)...but I'm sure it would be a lot harder (for me, anyway!) to learn to play drums or guitar.

Basically, you need to match the torch tip and filler rod to the thickness of the metal and to your particular welding style. Start with a small tip and small rod (1/16") at first, because you won't have to move as fast, even though the longer you heat something, the more it will warp. Also, the force of the gas coming out of a larger tip will tend to blow the molten metal out of your weld puddle, so you want to start out with something smaller. Too low of a flow of gas will make your torch "back fire", so match the gas pressure to the tip. If it takes forever for the metal to melt, step up a size. Your goal is to get in, weld a small section, then get out and let it cool, but if you don't have the acquired skill level, it will be hard to do, so practice until you are confident. Be sure to tack weld every thing well before going back and finish welding.

The nice thing about gas welding is that, while you are learning, you can take your time to get everything warmed up and going, where with electric arc (TIG, MIG, etc.), once you light it up, you gotta go!