Gas welding

[weldsplatter]

Is it right that you cannot gas weld on car bodies anymore?

 

[BChild]

Is it right that you cannot gas weld on car bodies anymore?

I hadn't heard that - a weld is a weld surely? (I'd mean a good weld when I say weld)

Is it something to do with the difficulty in getting acetylene?

 

[Chickenjohn]

Where did you hear that from??? Sounds like a myth to me.

Gas welding is actually a far superior form of welding over Mig for car bodywork. If you can butt the repair up to the original piece then a weld with no filler and no protruding seam is possible. You can simply run the repair section into the original piece. A light dress and a bit of seam sealer and paint and the repair is invisible.

 

[pedrobedro]

I can, mine still works fine. You are probably thinking of the new generation Boron steels used in modern car production which need special processes using inverter spot welds. Have a look round the internet and you'll find details

 

[Chickenjohn]

The new generation of cars aren't worth restoring anyway! Let them rot and be scrapped/

 

[BChild]

The new generation of cars aren't worth restoring anyway! Let them rot and be scrapped/

I agree - actually I might not - define new

 

[zzr1200]

Is it right that you cannot gas weld on car bodies anymore?

Can't see why not, apart from the new-ish steel (Boron Steel?) that is supposed to be mig-brazed, maybe???

 

[Chickenjohn]

I agree - actually I might not - define new

We are going OT here, let's start a new thread.

 

[BChild]

We are going OT here, let's start a new thread.

Hey lets not - lets stick to welding as a subject

 

[rikrobson]

This Myth may have sprung up due to the nanny state not liking acetylene cylinders being left around workshops. There was a Fire in a Barn near Dundee earlier this week and there was one c2h2 cylinder in the vicinity. According to the news report they isolated and cooled the cylinder and setup a 300m exclusion zone. Then tackled the 200 gals of fuel oil and 20 tons of straw!!!

 

[weldsplatter]

I heard it through a third party, a welding tutor he said he could not confirm it be he had heard rumours.
So I decided to ask the forum, cos there is bound to be someone who can or cannot confirm.
Incidentaly I did my first piece of gas welding last night it is a bit of the dogs kahoonas with thin metal, I hardly had to use any filler rod and the finish was superb, hope they aint banning it

 

[brightspark]

I heard it through a third party, a welding tutor he said he could not confirm it be he had heard rumours.
So I decided to ask the forum, cos there is bound to be someone who can or cannot confirm.
Incidentaly I did my first piece of gas welding last night it is a bit of the dogs kahoonas with thin metal, I hardly had to use any filler rod and the finish was superb, hope they aint banning it

have u tried inspecting welding with underseal and catty slapped on it if u have just started gas welding u will soon pick it up i learnt meself 30 years ago .the more u do the quicker it gets. its easy to weld disimlar and worn thickneses of metal with just one setting

 

[Adam_R]

Is it something to do with the difficulty in getting acetylene?

its only difficult to get it from BOC

 

[Tino]

I don't believe it has been banned (could be wrong) but for quite a long time it has not been the best way to weld cars. The reason being that most of the panels used to build a car are pre-stressed, and welding (any type) weakens them, this is why M.I.G is by far the better process. The heat input is far less, so less effect on the steel. That said any weld is better than no weld.

 

[carson]

Gas welding is almost a lost art with the development of the Mig. Gas welding puts a lot of heat in the area of the actual weld which can cause warping of the metal. For those that still do it and really know how it is a work of art in the making. Never pass up a chance to watch an old timer run a puddle with a gas torch and leave a near perfect weave behind.

So who remembers the carbide acetylene generators to run the gas torches? There was a time it was the only way to have acetylene before they figured out how to compress it safely for storage in a bottle.

 

[68bus]

I did a oxy welding course early this year. Our panel beater instructer said he no longer oxy welds new cars because of the composite alloys and the fact that a lot of new cars have gone down to 0.6mm sheet for weight. Anything less than 1mm is tricky.

In my opinion, oxy welding is the best form of weld for car bodies because of the softer weld it is a lot easier to stretch and skrink and panel beat. It is true though, because the flame is 3000 degrees centergrade instead of the 6000 for mig, you spend more time heating the panel and therefore increase the amount of warpage, leading to more panel beating, patient tacking can mitigate this effect.

I am awaiting delivery of a new torch head that mixes gas in the chamber giving a softer more concentrated flame and supposedly giving less warpage that migs????

 

[brightspark]

I did a oxy welding course early this year. Our panel beater instructer said he no longer oxy welds new cars because of the composite alloys and the fact that a lot of new cars have gone down to 0.6mm sheet for weight. Anything less than 1mm is tricky.

In my opinion, oxy welding is the best form of weld for car bodies because of the softer weld it is a lot easier to stretch and skrink and panel beat. It is true though, because the flame is 3000 degrees centergrade instead of the 6000 for mig, you spend more time heating the panel and therefore increase the amount of warpage, leading to more panel beating, patient tacking can mitigate this effect.

I am awaiting delivery of a new torch head that mixes gas in the chamber giving a softer more concentrated flame and supposedly giving less warpage that migs????

mig might be fast but gas is more versatile practice makes perfect. more people would use it if it wasnt for all the so called dangers of acetylene and the price of bottle rental

 

[Chickenjohn]

mig might be fast but gas is more versatile practice makes perfect. more people would use it if it wasnt for all the so called dangers of acetylene and the price of bottle rental

Agreed, oxy-acetylene gas welding is a lovely technique and you can do things you cannot do with Mig or Tig. Such as heat shrinking or folding a flange round into a curve at the corner of a wing. Heat it red hot, then tap it round a curved dolly- will shrink and fold the metal at the same time.

 

[Slim Shady]

the price of bottle rental

Thanks For that Mr.BOC
He took all my pocketmoney when I was a kid. 80Euros For a large PortaPack Bottles and 200Euro a Year rental.

 

[Tigman]

I have welded a few cars with oxy aceteylene , many moons ago , before we had the mig , I had no problems with it , BOC`s Aceteylene plant went bang I was told and is shut down for investigation so its in short supply I managed to get a small bottle which I was told was shipped from France and it was delivered free of charge !