questions...Oxy and stick

By wnc

Date 01-24-2004 00:03

I've asked a few questions on here regarding getting started in oxy-fuel and I appreciate everyone bearing with me while I'm learning.
I finally broke down today and bought a used, but in very good condition Victor torch, a propane tip and an oxy bottle. I plan on starting out using propane and then later on, hopefully go to acetylene.

*I'm wondering if there's anything else critical that I might need other than gloves, goggles to be able to use this setup? I've been told a few times that it's impossible to weld using propane, so could someone set the record straight here for me on that? :-)

*Will I need to buy a bunch of flux and Borax to do things right?

*And, what would you folks recommend as to a stick electrode (ac machine) that puts down a nice bead instead of a bunch of splatter? I'll be using this on cleaned scrap, so scale and rust won't be much of a problem.

Thanks for all the great information:-)

By billvanderhoof (****)

Date 01-24-2004 07:30

A bucket of water in case you inadvertantly set something afire. Also good if you need to cool something off. It's hard to get a neutral propane flame hot enough to weld anything. That tempts you to add oxygen so the flame will be hotter. The extra oxygen burns the carbon in the steel to carbon monoxide which forms bubbles in the steel. Result is a porous deposit of little worth. Propane will braze and cut fine though.

You need flux to braze but generally not to weld. A can of flux goes a long way. Some like the flux coated brazing rods but I still like the can. Don't bother trying laundry borax the real flux is much better.

6013 is an easy stick rod to use. If you're getting a lot of spatter try keeping the arc shorter.

http://www.adtdl.army.mil/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/tc/9-237/toc.htm this is the army's welding manual. Lots of info on oxy-fuel and many other processes.

Be careful, have fun, read a little then practice, courses are nice but sometimes money is tight. Come back with more questions.

Bill

By TimGary (****)

Date 01-24-2004 18:05

In addition to what Bill said, you'll need:
A grinder to clean the cutting slag
A wire wheel for the grinder to clean excess burnt flux
A torch tip cleaner
A striker for lighting the torch
Various sized cutting and brazing tips
Layout tools and soap stone
A chipping hammer
And most importantly, learn all the safety concerns for your equipment.
Also, a circle burning attatchemnt for the torch comes in handy.

Please forgive me if I'm stating the obvious.

Be safe,
Tim

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 01-26-2004 12:46

Alot of good advice already given, I will add that a E7024, in addition to the 6013, is a nice "drag" rod to start out on and like Bill stated, keep the arc short. These "drag" rods are just as the name states, drag it along the joint. The flux on the rod will burn away and will keep the arc the correct length for you. With these rods you'll gain some confidence and feel like you have that tiger by the tail. However, after you get comfortable with those type rods move on and try a E7018 or the like and it will humble you and feel like it has a magnet in the end of the rod that will stick to the base metal. With these rods it takes more patience to work and get the rod started and then you must adjust the arc length to keep it burning. But practice, practice, and practice some more.
John Wright

By wnc

Date 01-27-2004 00:42

Thanks again for the information. You folks are always a wealth of knowledge.

wnc

By - Date 01-28-2004 03:58

go with propane,you can play a lot more with the torch then wasting all that expensive acetylene,and that's all you gotta do is just buy the tip once you got the torch set