Oxy/acetylene rig

I have already said that gas welding is THE way to go on thin (e.g. .020”) steel. This is because you get more time to do the work.

Honestly, anything under .040” and I am choosing the gas welding cart.

I hope you find gas welding as relaxing as I do.

Brazing is even more low stress because you never have to worry about blowing a hole in the steel.
 
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erikmannie said:
I have already said that gas welding is THE way to go on thin (e.g. .020”) steel. This is because you get more time to do the work.

Honestly, anything under .040” and I am choosing the gas welding cart.
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I was trying to TIG some 16 ga tubing today and it was darn hard to do...
 
DavidR8 said:
I was trying to TIG some 16 ga tubing today and it was darn hard to do...
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So .0625” (what I call .063”). Yep, getting into “blowing holes” territory.

Most students go all the way through welding school and never see anything under .120”.

Have you ever extensively practiced on .120”-.250” coupons doing stringers and butt, lap, fillet, Tee, edge and corner joints? That is good to build confidence due to the increased margin for error.

Is your machine capable of pulse? That is a great strategy for thin material. 1.7 PPS, 25% on time and 10% background current is a good starting point. You set the max Amperage pretty high. For example, 150A for .063”. Obviously, you wouldn’t mash the pedal; you would regulate and use only what you need. I use the laywire technique with pulse.
 
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erikmannie said:
So .0625” (what I call .063”). Yep, getting into “blowing holes” territory.

Most students go all the way through welding school and never see anything under .120”.

Have you ever extensively practiced on .120”-.250” coupons doing stringers and butt, lap, fillet, Tee, edge and corner joints? That is good to build confidence due to the increased margin for error.

Is your machine capable of pulse? That is a great strategy for thin material.
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In truth I have not. I will do though as I've I just finished wiring up my shop including adding a 40A 220v receptacle for my TIG machine (which does do pulse)
 
DavidR8 said:
In truth I have not. I will do though as I've I just finished wiring up my shop including adding a 40A 220v receptacle for my TIG machine (which does do pulse)
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We all need to walk before we can run. Consider flat and horizontal welding only on .120” and up for now. I like .120” because you can skip beveling (for practice joints).

I also have a 40A breaker. Using up to 210A, I have never tripped the breaker.
 
erikmannie said:
We all need to walk before we can run. Consider flat and horizontal welding only on .120” and up for now. I like .120” because you can skip beveling (for practice joints).

I also have a 40A breaker. Using up to 210A, I have never tripped the breaker.
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Thanks for the encouragement Erik, it is greatly appreciated!
 
I start with stringers. Once I am happy with those, I go to butt joints. I won’t move on to fillet or T-joints until I am satisfied with my butt joint beads. And so on and so forth on to edge and corner joints.
 
erikmannie said:
You’re welcome. Are you going to listen to music for those many, many hours? The rhythm will definitely help you with your tempo.
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That's a good idea. I would never have thought of that!
 
DavidR8 said:
That's a good idea. I would never have thought of that!
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Spending long hours in a helmet, welding 90+% of the time wearing headphones is an amazing experience! Take a trip without leaving the house.
 
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