gas welding , need input

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2 fotos attached. 3/8" ms ,smith mt209 tip(they recommend 10psi ox and 10psi acet  at regulator) . I  start with acetylene flame,, cant seem to get to a zero-soot  flame nomatter how much i open the acet valve, so back it off some , actually trying to get a soft sound as my instructor showed us briefly,and add ox to neutral flame, then reduce it a tad to get a feather. Start to heat steel;get a puddle, seems totake longer than the ten seconds i.ve heard it should take but this is the right sized tip..anyway, i seem sometimes to blow the puddle to one side of the bead because the torch is out of the intended line of the bead. also ive heard feed the rod(rj45 , 1/16) into the leading edge of the puddle--what does that mean?the edge nearest the flame is where it seemsto work best, the edge further away from the flame  is too cold and the rod sticks there.SOmetimes i get it going well, (at least better than other times)the fotos show my best to date. i notice if i aim the flame straight down the puddle holds still. if i angle the torch, the puddle tries to react  to the other direction, also the orange flame coming off the steel will push off opposite the flame if its not aimed straight down.advice would be most welcome.i want to get this right before i start tiggingon my ta185.also how far off the steel should the torch be? if i get much further away than the end of the feather touching steel, i lose puddle. Attached Images
Reply:3/8" is really thick and expensive to learn to gas weld on. Get some 1/8" steel and a tip to match. Grind off the mill scale before welding. Even if you're welding on scrap you'll save a lot on gas. Now you can practice welding at 3-5 psi. You'll still learn how the torch angle effects the puddle but it will be more forgiving. About the only reason there is to weld 3/8" is just to show that it can be done.
Reply:i would never weld 3/8" steel with gas welding, maybe brazing but thats totally different. i think you are wasting your time. try some 1/8 or 1/16. your wasting lots of money in gas. --Gol'
Reply:Go play with your TA-185.   I have one, you are going to love it.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:10 seconds to get a puddle is much too long.  The flame won't be quiet at the required , though it should definately be neutral.  Did you clean the metal.Try some 1/8" steel.Might be easier to start the puddle at the edge.  Brush off those welds.I don't see why you need to learn to o/a weld before you tig.  This, I am sure in an unpopular opinion.Don't frustrate yourself.  Controlling what you can, like cleanliness and metal thickness will go a long way toward being successful.Good luck
Reply:As the others have said, get something thinner to learn on, 0.090"-1/8" is ideal.Torch technique varies according to the thickness being welded...'Leftward' (forehand) is the most common, used for materials up to around 5mm thick- it becomes impractical above this. For righthanders (torch) the flame is lent back from vertical (60-70*), pushing the puddle along. Filler is introduced to the leading edge'Rightward' (backhand) is used for thicker material- or if very skilled above 1/8"! Flame is angled back from vertical (40-50*), dragging the puddle and the filler follows along behindIt's not so much torch tip distance that's important but the flame. Highest temperatures occur at the tip of the inner cone. Don't dip the inner cone into the puddle but you want it close to the puddle- the flames variation in temperature can give finer control of the weld puddle
Reply:i was backhanding, probably varying torch angle from vertical to 30 deg  back at the puddle, and dipping rod into the right(hot) side of the puddle. The tip of the inner cone would be where the acetylene feather is, so it sounds like my distance off the puddle to that point was ok . I found if i slowed/stopped moving the torch and with vertical torch  heated the puddle it grew at a controlled rate and i could dip  rod several times, actually drawing it across the bottom of the puddle right to left, more heat , drag, more heat, drag...is the torch supposed to move away as the rod is introduced or can the rod get quite close to the flame?is torch moveement continuous or a series of overlapping discrete puddles? it seemed like i'd build a puddle larger and larger with heat and rod and  then move to the right and start a new halfcrescent-shapedpuddle that grew from the one id left behind..
Reply:There's no acetylene feather in a neutral flame
Reply:the flame must be neutral? I recallmy instructor saying go just thje slightest bit to the carborizing side toavoid oxidizing.
Reply:You are not at max heat available with a carborizing flame.Try welding with a oxidizing flame--take note.  Then, try a neutral flame.  If you can tell the difference between the two welds/performance, then you will be able to use/adjust a neutral flame correctly.  How do you gauge slightly carborizing?  I have heard of using a slighly carborizing flame for Al.
Reply:i think a neutral flame minus a bit of oxygen is a carborizing flame , actually quantifiable by the amount of acetylene feather coming off the inner cone. what you say about it not being maximum heat may explain why i was taking so long to make a puddle , ill try it tomorrow, thanks.
Reply:one foto;1/8ms smaller tip , 3-4 psi ox and acet, neutral flame.puddle came quicker.top bead no filler, middle and bottom 1/16 tigms rod, bead on right 3/32 rj45.  had better control, played with the puddle. still warped hell out of the plate. Attached Images
Reply:Bet that feels good.  Looks good.  Post more pictures.
Reply:You're going to have warpage with gas welding. Cutting strips of 3/4" or 1" x !/8" bar stock 5 or 6 inches long works well for practice. The whole piece heats up that way and does show as much warpage. You're doing better. Practice on moving at a consistant speed and moving in a straight line. Nothing to reference to but your beads look just a bit wide. Once you got the puddle going make little circles with the torch advancing the next circle about 1/16" or so past the last circle. End the bead by making a few stationary circles and add just enough rod to fill the crater, blend it in and back the torch off.
Reply:Withdrawing the torch slowly from your puddle at the end of the weld stops that little hole from forming as the weld freezes.
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Reply:Are you cutting the part apart before or after welding.  If you are welding on one sheet, then perhaps you are not compensating for the amount of heat already in the metal when you do another weld. Is your torch popping.  This usually signifies too low gas pressures, torch too close to metal or bad torch angle (torch too close to vertical).I think you have a basic idea of what to do.  Go tig now.
Reply:ground plate clean, precut strips with torch and ground off slag. Torch was popping, pressure may have been too low, also may have had oxidizing flame.may have had torch too close, trying to concentrate heat, had hard time holding puddle, dipping cooled it right down from clear to butterscotch, took about 4 slow torch circles to get back a clear puddle (lust noticed if you type "puddle" wrong it becomes " pussle"   lol)that wouldnt freeze a dip. How many dips to a puddle..??think i should go grind some tungsten, huh?
Reply:10 psi?  Sounds like a lot.  I dunno but to me it looks like that metal is a little overheated.  Any thoughts?
Reply:3 weel- the 10 psi is what smith says is needed on ox and acet. probably double other manufacturers. no question my biggest problem with o/a welding is either too much pressure at the tip blowing the puddle around, or not enough heat which leads to sitting in one spot, ironically overheating everything as you noticed. i think ill try an oversized tip with low tip velocities...
Reply:Weld, how dark are your goggles?
Reply:#5 i believe, 3 weelin..
Reply:Ya kinda started at the top and worked backards. Grab some 1/8 and do some butt welds and work your way up in filler size and tips.Bevel a little on 3/16, a lil more on 1/4 etc. Puddles on flat plate won't teach you a thing about gas welding. Looks like the old R45 is still the standard. Good to see.I guess it's hard to improve perfection.
Reply:With ALL forms or welding you must NEVER let the puddle dissipate......Don't be afraid to run that filler in therebecause when you run out of weld material your melting parent metal and UNDERCUTTING ........  Miller Dynasty 350Twenty Six HammersThree Crow BarsBig Rock
Reply:Try drawing some straight lines with soap stone to help with straightness of your bead. I beg to differ with torch distance not playing a huge part. Distance is one if the 4 things that make a great weld bead. Along with heat,torch an filler angles, and travel speed. I'm on my 3rd week or so gas welding at school I got this stuff pretty fresh in my mind lol.Eastwood TIG 200NAPA 83-315 MIG