School me on oxy-fuel welding

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preferably on oxy acetylene.I bought a book "welding principles and applications 6th edition"tomorrow in class i get to start welding, but often our instructor is nowhere to be found, or is busy with a project or another student. so if you guys could give me a few tips and pointers and steer me in the right way. i've never gas welded before, only smaw and gmaw.So first thing, i need to do a couple stringer beads. what is a stringer bead defined as?then i have to do a bunch of various joints, lap, tee, butt, etc.the book is very vague and doesn't say what pressure to set the regulators on or anything. can someone help me with that? whats a good starting point?
Reply:Originally Posted by DroptHiluxpreferably on oxy acetylene..So first thing, i need to do a couple stringer beads. the book is very vague and doesn't say what pressure to set the regulators on or anything. can someone help me with that? whats a good starting point?
Reply:Originally Posted by DroptHiluxpreferably on oxy acetylene.I bought a book "welding principles and applications 6th edition"tomorrow in class i get to start welding, but often our instructor is nowhere to be found, or is busy with a project or another student. so if you guys could give me a few tips and pointers and steer me in the right way. i've never gas welded before, only smaw and gmaw.So first thing, i need to do a couple stringer beads. what is a stringer bead defined as?then i have to do a bunch of various joints, lap, tee, butt, etc.the book is very vague and doesn't say what pressure to set the regulators on or anything. can someone help me with that? whats a good starting point?
Reply:That textbook is not Vague. I have the 3rd edition, I doubt they have changed much.It has a Glossary- Look up Stringer Bead.Since I have a different Edition I'm not sure where the chart is in your book but there is one in the  OxyFuel Section.The 1st Chapter discusses set up and safety2nd discusses "Gases and Filler Metals" that is where the Chart is.It doesn't state which Tip to use since the book has no idea what brand of Torch you will be using. Example:Tip Orifice Drill#, material Thickness, O/A Pressure, Acetylene Flow, Oxy Flow 70                     , 1/64                     , 1/1               , .1CFH             , .1CFHAnyhoo here is a good chart with Tip sizes and settings for Victor and Harrishttp://www.hoopersupply.com/tipchart.htmlEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadwrong. first thing is learn , as you are asking , how to set the regulators.  without the right flame  you can't succeed. two requirements i have found essential are --the flame must be hot enough to give you a puddle within a few seconds , or you'll stay toolong in one spot and overheat, and --the flame must be soft enough that it causes no waves in the puddle. that said, look on a site called tinmantech and you'll find a description of how to start learning to do this. this  method does  not rely on gauge readings..
Reply:here's a link to a book from the site that weldbead mentioned.  although the title refers to aluminum gas welding, the book applies to all gas welding and also covers the method of setting your regulators up without depending on the gauge.  for 10 bucks, its a good book and got me started in the right direction when i first began gas welding sheet metal.  http://tinmantech.com/html/bklt_aluminum_welding.php
Reply:Originally Posted by DroptHiluxpreferably on oxy acetylene.I bought a book "welding principles and applications 6th edition"tomorrow in class i get to start welding, but often our instructor is nowhere to be found, or is busy with a project or another student. so if you guys could give me a few tips and pointers and steer me in the right way. i've never gas welded before, only smaw and gmaw.So first thing, i need to do a couple stringer beads. what is a stringer bead defined as?then i have to do a bunch of various joints, lap, tee, butt, etc.the book is very vague and doesn't say what pressure to set the regulators on or anything. can someone help me with that? whats a good starting point?
Reply:Originally Posted by yorzaxtTake a class. Acetylene can relocate you and your house in short order if you screw up. For example, set an Acetylene regulator higher than 15 PSI and you will cause the bottle to become unstable and potentially BLEVE. Don't do that. Its worth the cash to take a saturday course. If you dont take a class, get someone to youtube record your house. The explosion will be spectacular. Oh and evacuate the family before you weld. I am not joking here. It isn't a little MIG rig you are messing with. Acetylene is one of the most dangerous gasses. Welding pressures depend on the thickness of the material, the welding tip you are using and personal skill. I rarely weld above 5psi but I have been doing it a long time and can run vertical uphill and a bunch of positions. You also must really master puddle control, its like TIG but with a huge heated area. IMHO its much harder than arc welding. The only thing harder is forge welding. Even TIG is easier because of instant and very local heat. That is just my 2c worth. Oh did I mention you should take a class? Did you know if you accidentally touch your arc welder and run an arc through the Acetylene bottle, it will blow up? Did you also know that you cant set the acetylene bottle on its side and if you do then you have to let it rest upright a while? Did I mention you should take a class?
Reply:Originally Posted by yorzaxtTake a class. Acetylene can relocate you and your house in short order if you screw up. For example, set an Acetylene regulator higher than 15 PSI and you will cause the bottle to become unstable and potentially BLEVE. Don't do that. Its worth the cash to take a saturday course. If you dont take a class, get someone to youtube record your house. The explosion will be spectacular. Oh and evacuate the family before you weld. I am not joking here. It isn't a little MIG rig you are messing with. Acetylene is one of the most dangerous gasses. Welding pressures depend on the thickness of the material, the welding tip you are using and personal skill. I rarely weld above 5psi but I have been doing it a long time and can run vertical uphill and a bunch of positions. You also must really master puddle control, its like TIG but with a huge heated area. IMHO its much harder than arc welding. The only thing harder is forge welding. Even TIG is easier because of instant and very local heat. That is just my 2c worth. Oh did I mention you should take a class? Did you know if you accidentally touch your arc welder and run an arc through the Acetylene bottle, it will blow up? Did you also know that you cant set the acetylene bottle on its side and if you do then you have to let it rest upright a while? Did I mention you should take a class?
Reply:I read it. I don't know where you are studying but any class where the instructor lets his people play with an OA torch without instruction should be given a wide berth. About 100 yards or so. If you are in the public school system than that would explain it. Take a saturday class from a pro. Several companies out there offer good courses on OA welding with OA safety as a component for a very reasonable price.What seems to have missed you about my reply is the urgency. This isn't something that you can muddle through with a fw tips on the internet. Acetylene is one of the most dangerous things you will ever play with. It makes gasoline look tame. Hell, its probably more dangerous than dynamite and gunpowder. At least you have to light those two. Acetylene can explode without bothering with open flame. Acetylene is an incredibly useful gas but its serious stuff. Dont do anything with it without knowing about safety with it. And if that instructor is going to allow a bunch of high school kids to play with OA torches without adequate safety instruction then that would be a good day to get the flu.
Reply:well ****. i know its dangerous ****. i simply asked what the regs need set at.. how is that dangerous? i know that for welding you only use a couple psi on each side, as opposed to cutting. give me a break you make me seem like i'm that horribly unsafe guy in all those safety videos
Reply:The reg pressures will differ depending on the thickness of the material you weld or cut. There is no pat answer.If you have a Tractor Supply or Northern Tools by you, please do yourself a favor and pick up the Wall Mountain Company's Oxy-Act Welding video for 30 bucks. It is 42 minutes long and he goes over everything you need to know to safely get started. It is far better than a book as you can see the weld puddle forming as he narrates what is going on.Best of luck to ya!
Reply:A quick google search produced this.Here's a simple cart using material thickness, tip size and pressures to use as a guide.Click ---> hereHope that helps.
Reply:Originally Posted by DroptHiluxwell ****. i know its dangerous ****. i simply asked what the regs need set at.. how is that dangerous? i know that for welding you only use a couple psi on each side, as opposed to cutting. give me a break you make me seem like i'm that horribly unsafe guy in all those safety videos
Reply:I need more popcorn...ok, got it. The PC police will be bustin' my chops anyway I turn, but we generally started with 5 pounds of fuel, and 5 pounds of O2. You have the most recent edition, mine is the fifth ed. Yours has more chapters than mine, I forgot which chapter was added though. Oxy-fuel welding is challenging, but I always found it relaxing, you will like it. There is a definite routine to safely working with oxyacetylene torches, once you grasp these simple steps, the rest becomes a routine that practice will serve to improve upon, along with your new knowledge. Have fun!City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Originally Posted by DroptHiluxwell ****. i know its dangerous ****. i simply asked what the regs need set at.. how is that dangerous? i know that for welding you only use a couple psi on each side, as opposed to cutting. give me a break you make me seem like i'm that horribly unsafe guy in all those safety videos
Reply:You shouldnt need more oxy than acetylene when welding. If you add 9lbs you will start burning metal, cutting it rather than welding. Sure you might complete the weld but you will loose a lot of material.
Reply:Originally Posted by yorzaxtYou shouldnt need more oxy than acetylene when welding. If you add 9lbs you will start burning metal, cutting it rather than welding. Sure you might complete the weld but you will loose a lot of material.
Reply:Originally Posted by yorzaxtYou shouldnt need more oxy than acetylene when welding. If you add 9lbs you will start burning metal, cutting it rather than welding. Sure you might complete the weld but you will loose a lot of material.