To all the welders of America, I salute you!
Thank you in advance for your time in considering my question.
My intentions are to learn to use the oxy-acetylene welding system, exclusively.
#1. My question is what sorts of certification, if any, are relevant for this system? and...
#2. What sort of jobs can I hope for with some level of mastery of the oxy-acetylene torch? and...
#3. What types of techniques are most important to learn with this torch?
Thanks again for your insight! I hope to hear from everyone interested, and will carefully consider your replies.
Welcome Joe.
Almost Zero employment prospects for a person who exclusively oxy-aceteylene welds.
There are still some residential natural gas lines that get oxy-fuel welded joints out in the field. But you will not make a living just doing those.
Both the AWS and the ASME have qualifications/Certifications that can be gained in oxy-fuel. Relevance is debatable.
VERY old aerospace welders still do oxy-acetylene welds on cluster joints of 4130 tubing.
Techniques? Um... Safety, Plate with and without filler, pipe. Pretty much in that order.
API 1104 also.
But, as Lawrence stated, VERY LIMITED USAGE ESPECIALLY IF THAT IS ALL YOU DO.
Have a Great Day, Brent
I'm from the times that oxy acetylene welding was extensively used in industry.
Back in 1967, I was in charge of the erection of a Combustion Engineering boiler for a small (30 MW) power station. The superheater tubes were oxyacetylene welded to the nipples protruding both from the boiler drum and the superheated steam header.
But that was a long time ago, Joe, many years have passed and things have changed. Things have changes so much that Combustion Engineering, whose boilers were considered to be the Tiffany boilers in the world, doesn't exist any more.
Here in Brasil, nevertheless, there's an application where oxyacetylene hasn't been replaced by any other method: welding of the exhaust gases tubes and silencers of cars.
Much to my disgust, I agree with Lawrende and Brent's answers.
Giovanni S. Crisi
I would also have to wonder Joe as to rather you were going to be working in the US or somewhere else?
There could be a fair amount of work for Oxy/Acet in other regions of the world that we just don't see anymore here in the states.
But, having said that, and having a son who has been in Zambia, Hungary, Yugoslovia, and other regions on missions trips, I know that even in very remote areas they have arc welders available.
Maybe you would like to share with us as to WHY you would like to concentrate totally on Oxy/Acet welding?
Have a Great Day, Brent
I agree with the others about questions 1 & 2. Not much use for it any longer, much of the production oriented welding uses faster processes to keep production costs down to a minimum. The largest percentage of the total welding cost to produce a product is the labor. Wire fed (SAW, FCAW, GMAW, etc.) type welding machines can run circles around just about any of the other hand operated welding processes.
As for question #3, and I know I will get a few raised eyebrows, but there can be some lessons learned and techniques mastered by learning Oxy/Fuel welding. Learning to manipulate the heat source, starting a puddle, reading the puddle, and adding filler to the puddle along with learning some two-handed coordination skills...as these all happen at a much slower pace with Oxy/Fuel than with some of the other processes where it all happens so fast.
I also realize that....If you are given a short time frame to get a welding student up and running on their own then Oxy/Fuel isn't a viable, cost efficient learning/teaching tool.
just my two cents worth
Joe
I enjoyed learning how to oxy-acetylene weld. I think it was one of the most fun things I've ever learned, also the techniques that I learned help me to pick up tig quicker.
Ronnie
Joe,
I've got in my personal library a booklet on Oxy Acetylene Welding Basics, published by L' Air Liquide, the well known French outfit that manufactures cryogenic gases, oxygen among them. They also make acetylene, which isn't a cryogenic gas.
The booklet is very old (about 45 years) and is written in Spanish, so it won't be very useful to you.
Why don't you get in contact with Air Liquide (I don't know their brand name in the States) and ask them whether they still have a publication on oxy acetylene welding?
Giovanni S. Crisi
Sao Paulo - Brazil
Ok, awesome. Will do. Will also notify you of the result.
Hey Again!
Thanks for your responses! Of course I am carefully pondering each of them.
Specifically I would like to thank Lawrence, Brent, Mr. Crisi, Jwright650, and Ronnie for your eloquent posts.
I would like to stay in the South(US). I will be using the torch to weld tubing into bicycle lugs.
Recommendations on heat control, and silver solder rods/flux are appreciated, as well as proper ventilation control, (as it seems this produces considerable fumes), and testing weld strength/quality.
Not to be contrary, but Art in general, not just jewelry, seems to be a viable field for this type of welding. For instance, I don't know much about wrought iron fences, or fixtures, but it seems to me oxy-acetylene would work well in that and similar applications.
I'll be checking back and updating. Please stop by again soon!
There are some industry standards that I have heard are being worked on for the Oxy-Acetylene welding trade. There seems to be some activity that is flying under the radar. I would not be surprised, since this post is not a radar battery, if it doesn't yield any fruit regarding that information.
Where is the vast oxy-acetylene trade cover up....
i currently have a job near houston and all we do is oxy weld. I will admit that it has helped in my tig, mig and stick welding. But my question is does it look good on an application?? As i am still young and wanna work somewhere else(oil rigs/outtages) because this job isn't for me.
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