TheSamba.com :: View topic - how come nobody uses a oxy/acetylene torch anymore?

Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:01 am

I am new to welding, but it seems like these torches are pretty universal and handy (welding, bending, cutting) Is there a reason they are not used that much? Does anyone know a good web introduction to these tools?

Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:24 am

plenty of people still use them for cutting and heating, but not many use them for welding anymore. john kelly from this forum still does quite a bit of gas welding, he may be able to point you in the right direction.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=546

his website:
http://www.ghiaspecialties.com

Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:56 am

he also teaches a metal work course out of his ship in WA (on the coast)

Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:38 am

i almost bought one this year for the purpose of heating rusted bolts, but i started using a regular propane torch for that and it works fine. and a lot cheaper. as far as welding, torches do not offer the penetration of mig welders etc..., which is why they are not used in automotive industry too much. but for cutting i guess they are very useful. i use a little air jig that i have been able to cut almost anything on a car. so for me i see no need to spend the money on them, i would prolly buy one though if i had $400 burning a hole in my pants 8)

Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:40 am

i gas weld most days in both steel and ali.

its fallen out of favour because mig is much easier on steel and tig is easier and doesn't require flux which if not completely removed will cause the ali to crack. Also it puts a fair amount of heat in the panel compared to electro welding

The advantages of gas welding is a much softer weld which can be hammered up and finished to make the join invisable easier than electro welding, hammer up a tig weld in ali and chances are it'll split

Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:42 pm

#1 reason, on other boards, the low cost and ease of using the newer wire-feed welders. For me arc won out when the price of auto darkening helmets came down to where I could afford them.

Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:36 pm

Gas welding requies considerable skill in both welding and metal finishing. My first car I gas welded the repair panels because that is what I had. I was taught to cut sheet metal with a 00 welding tip. Mig welders were rare and expensive in the early 70s. Then came the eighties $1500 for a good welder. I went to the trade show in 1980 with my boss. He would not even look at a mig they were letting people demo, but after he saw what I welded for the first time he bought the Mig on the spot. After gas welding sheet metal mig was easy. We still used gas welding a lot on the antique cars.
Mig welding lets almost anybody weld sheet metal with very good results.

Sun Aug 26, 2007 6:09 am

adam watson wrote: i gas weld most days in both steel and ali.

its fallen out of favour because mig is much easier on steel and tig is easier and doesn't require flux which if not completely removed will cause the ali to crack. Also it puts a fair amount of heat in the panel compared to electro welding

The advantages of gas welding is a much softer weld which can be hammered up and finished to make the join invisable easier than electro welding, hammer up a tig weld in ali and chances are it'll split
Would "ali" be aluminum?

Sun Aug 26, 2007 10:58 pm

candyman wrote: as far as welding, torches do not offer the penetration of mig welders etc..., which is why they are not used in automotive industry too much. )

Gas welding offers as good of penetration as any other method of welding! If not better. At work we vapor test fuel tankers and other federaly regulated vessels and I do all repair work with oxy/act. We often fix brand new tankers that have been mig and tig welded, that are not air/water tight. Mig welding is prone to pin holes, pitting, and other inclusions. And most mig welds look like turkey shit, only fit to be ground down.

As far as the automotive industry i.e. body work, A) it's mandated that mig be used because of the high strength alloys that are used, B) mig is alot faster than tig or oxy/act, time is money in a shop.

The catch to gas welding is in the equipment. For sheet metal you need an aircraft torch. Meco, smith, henrob/dillon, and victor are a few brands that make them. These torch's are alot smaller than a torch you would have in your shop for heating and cutting.

If you spend a little bit of time learning to gas weld, you will be a much better welder. Things happen alot slower and you have a chance to study and manipulate the puddle of wet metal . With a good set of googles you can see the surface tension of the puddle as it breaks. You can also see the edge the transition from solid to liquid. These things carry over into other types of welding .

All welding methods have their strengths and weakness's, a good welder can overcome the short commings. I don't think any one way is better, its just what you're good at or perfer.practice is more important than the process you use.

Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:12 pm

I was taught to weld when I was about 13 years old (I'm 41 now) by a nieghbor of my grandfather. He had Arc welding equipment but prefered to teach me with Oxy/Act. He taught me all about the puddle, how to adjust the flame for the right heat and the right tip for the size of material. I'm convinced that once you are taught to weld with gas, you can weld with any process.

Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:10 pm

LittleThunder wrote: adam watson wrote: i gas weld most days in both steel and ali.

its fallen out of favour because mig is much easier on steel and tig is easier and doesn't require flux which if not completely removed will cause the ali to crack. Also it puts a fair amount of heat in the panel compared to electro welding

The advantages of gas welding is a much softer weld which can be hammered up and finished to make the join invisable easier than electro welding, hammer up a tig weld in ali and chances are it'll split
Would "ali" be aluminum?

Yes aliminum, sorry but I weld it better than I spell it :lol:

I agree 100% with the comments about understanding the weld pool from learning gas that help improve mig welding. Tig is the same, in fact learning to Tig and gas weld improved my mig welding a lot. Also I agree with pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice, pratice....

Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:57 am

PRATICE makes PERCTIF!!! :lol:

Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:57 am

Oxy act is not a structial weld it also uses more heat to preform the same job and causes warpage. Mig or Tig is a better welder for structial welding