Oxy Fuel help

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So i tried my hand at oxy fuel welding the other day. The practice piece is pathetic. I need much more help. The reason I'm trying this is from advice routinely given on this forum, "Learn to weld before you learn try to mig" trying to work on puddle control and seeing how the penetration really happens. I'm using a Uniweld mini oxy/acet. kit (it's what I've got for work) #1 tip. welding on some 18 gauge mild steel. My questions is more about technique than anything else. This is a bad drawing of what I was trying to do. I've identified my travel direction, the side I was feeding rod into the puddle, and the angle I was attempting to maintain with the torch. Did I get anything right? Also, I'm used to brazing, were the filler uses a cappilary action and is drawn towards the heat. I didn't see that happening with this proccess. I thought I just needed to touch the filler to the puddle and it would magically melt, it didn't. It took heat from the torch to melt it. My filler was R45 3/32 thick. Attached Images
Reply:Why is you puddle behind the flame.  Stay in the flame and move it. Feed into the puddle.  Can you identify the neutral flame? do some runs without filler.
Reply:Try some 1/16 filler and keep it in the flame, and make sure your flame is set right(neutral flame). The puddle should have a nice liquid appearance ( not fizzy). The heat does draw the puddle a little bit.
Reply:So I need to drag the puddle, rather than push? Do I still add filler from the same side, or do I need to reverse my filler and flame?My flame was neutral.Last edited by Birdwell4; 08-16-2011 at 11:44 PM.Reason: thought of something else
Reply:Your drawing is pretty close, but raise the torch to about 60 degrees, not 45 degrees. 5 pounds of each gas is a good starting point. Make counter-clockwise circles if your right-handed, and clockwise circles if your left-handed. Circle the heat until a puddle forms on each piece of the joint. When the puddles merge, keep circling the torch around that puddle until the whole puddle is fluid. Be patient. Dip into the leading edge of the puddle when the torch is at the trailing edge. Start a rhythm around the molten puddle, and gently move that puddle along the joint. Keep the torch circling, but pull away if a hole begins to burn through.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:like tangle diver says, learn to develop the puddle..it will have more mass and the filler wont cool it, it will melt the filler...