Oxy acetylene cutting question?

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Hello all,I’m a relative newbie sort of.  I have an old Sears torch with the cutting head, a Meco Aviator Jet (with cutting attachment too) and  Lincoln TIG 350.I dabble when I need to join metal but I definitely need to spend more time.  Having the equipment doesn’t make you a welder.I recently had to cut up an old water tank (no more than 1/8 inch thick).  The problem I kept having was that the metal was flowing back together behind the cut.  Any Ideas as to what I was doing wrong?
Reply:Tip was too big........flame was too high..........travel was too slow6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers
Reply:Thanks!,I could probably have done better with the Meco and the cutting attachment.It is a nice small torch that I overlooked for this job.  The Meco has a habit of "popping" which I was told was caused by poor seating of the tip. (no O ring tip)  The old Sears (probably made by someone else) is quite nice as well.   Lots of heavy brass.  My Dad showed me how to weld with that one, and I was hooked.  I think I have "B" size bottles that run out at the most inopportune times.:  I bought my TIG 350 years ago.  Had lots of fun with that.I built my own gantry crane to set the turret on top of my milling machine.  I am proud of the job that I did on the air compressor motor mounts for the shop at my “day job”.  I’m glad to have the opportunity to be part of this forum.I look forward to learning more about metal fabricating.  I’d like to get more time to weld.  It’s not good to practice on the final product.
Reply:Originally Posted by ExpatWelderTip was too big........flame was too high..........travel was too slow
Reply:Yes,Thin metal joining seems to separate the experts from the rest of us.It has always been my goal to be proficient on welding sheet metal.  The TIG helps…….
Reply:If you haven't done so already, you need to watch the videos in Irish Fixit's thread on OA cutting.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=63275He covers pretty much all you need to know about how to adjust your torch and travel speed etc. in them. there's also a bunch of good discussion included, so don't just read the beginning  and skip to the end..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I will have to check it out when I get to my home p/c.Utube is blocked at work.   Thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by sparks325Hello all,I recently had to cut up an old water tank (no more than 1/8 inch thick).  The problem I kept having was that the metal was flowing back together behind the cut.  Any Ideas as to what I was doing wrong?
Reply:Thanks Fran,No glass lining, this was a pretty cheap tank.  You are correct in that the cutting was for disposal purposes.  The most difficult part was scraping the “foam” that was poured in during assembly.I wanted to have a clean surface to cut. Not to mention that the foam really smolders when heated.  I ended up making a few passes and eventually got the job done.  Not efficiently but done.There is also the flue “pipe” that runs up the center of the tank.  It was a nice day considering it is February in northern Ohio.  I had fun and in the end isn’t that what counts?
Reply:Turn your torch on quite a  large angle and go like hell
Reply:Or use a zip disc no rael easy way to cut thin sheet metal with a torch Ive found