This relates to an earlier post I had Re: inverter welders and concerns about the adequacy of my domestic electric service ...
I'm trying to decide on what equipment to invest in for home use. My primary use in the short term will be making up implements for my farm tractor. (quick hitch for front loader, frames for mounting a plow, forks, etc.) Most of my welding experience is with arc welding (stick, some MIG), but right now I'm leaning toward a cutting/welding combination torch. I have about 1 hour of experience welding with gas. Aside from perhaps being slower than arc welders, my understanding is you can weld just about anything with the appropriately sized torch and filler material.
My question: Is it difficult to produce welds strong enough for this application using gas welding? Can you produce multiple pass welds with gas? I'd also be interested in any other points/opinions regarding gas vs. arc for this type of work.
Thanks
gas welding is slow than and produces welds with less penetration than a stick welder. for farm implements, i'd imagine you want to weld steel 1/4 inch thick up to 1 inch thick steel. in order to heat up a sizable chunk of steel to weld it would take a large torch and a lot of gas. yes, you can weld almost any thickness of steel with oxy-acetylene...but do you want to sacrifice your time and money? also consider this...you need 2 hands to operate an oxy-acetylene set, but you only need 1 hand when operating a stick or mig welder. this comes in handy when you're by yourself and trying to tack weld something together. your choice. my choice? i'd take a stick welder for building farm implements any day! faster, easier, more reliable welds. also, with the right size and type of rod, you can weld down to 16 guage steel and you're unlimited in how thick of steel you can weld.
i think i remember reading your earlier post on your domestic electric service. you could always pick up a small engine driven unit. i know from experience how much of a pain in the butt it is to have something break out in the field and not be able to move it for fear of further breakage. BUT, if i had a portable welder, it would be a different story. the moral of the story...farms are big, extension cords are not!
I would just like to make one point, gas welding as you call it is not welding it is soldering, it will not
fuse steel together like arc welding. my advise is stay away from gas and buy an arc stick welder
you cant go wrong with arc.And you will be far better off .best wishes
Guy. O/A welding is a form of welding. Yes there are other uses for this torch set up. IE: silver soldering, brazing, and high strenth brazing. Gas Welding is just that. You are melting steel...Fusion is occuring...and that my friend is welding....I hate gas welding..to impractical...but every once in awile you will find a use for it...quick small jobs if you dont have a tig :)
David
Here is another point.
Oxy-Fuel welding is indeed a reality. Items from light aircraft to Battleships to the ½ inch boilerplate workbench in my own garage have been produced with this tried and true method. In fact Oxy-Fuel is the only system I use in my garage shop. Its cheap, it's versatile and it's mobile. (If I had better equipment in my garage I would have no peace on the weekends)
In fact, most Apprenticeship, High School or Junior College training courses begin with Oxy-Fuel welding. The dexterity, manipulation and attention to the weld pool required for this process is quite complementary to GTA welding
Is Oxy-Fuel the first choice for repair of farm equipment? Doubtful.
The best advice is to go to your local Jr. College. In a single semester, if you are motivated you will most likely have the opportunity to use Oxy-fuel, Mig and Tig welding systems and make a much more informed choice about your purchase. Not to mention the skills and knowledge you will gain.
Lawrence
Tim
I would personally go for a small engine driven stick welder myself. The Scout from thermal arc is a nice unit that I purchased last year. Stick is nice from a flexibility stand point, you can weld virtually any material ( I wouldn't recommend aluminum) you do not have to buy whole spools of wire for specific jobs ( most weld supply stores will sell minimal quantities of stick rod) which keeps cost down, there isn't any need to purchase shielding gas ( again with mig if you want to weld both stainless and mild steel, two different gas mixes are required).
With a small engine driven stick machine you also have the ability to do scratch start tig welding. Personally I find tig welding much easier than O/A welding.There are many different models from all of the leading manufactures of welding equipment. I happened to get a good deal on the Thermal Arc.
The bottom line is for a farm you will always need a good set of torches for heating, cutting, welding and brazing, but I wouldn't want to do all of my welding with O/A. A good set of torches can be picked up for a reasonable cost, but get a stick welder for the big jobs, you'll be glad that you did. Time is money.
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