learning to Oxy/Ace a waste of time ?

[MrFluffy]

I used to own a little portapak oxy/acet setup with proper bottles on account from boc etc.

Back then (10 years ago) there were no restrictions on how the small portapak had to be stored etc as there was exemption from the regs for bottles under a certain size, designed to give caravanners a sensible life which the portapaks come in under.
...
Ring up your local boc depot and see if its still the case, theyre usually pretty knowledgeable peeps...

 

[Welderpaul]

what about brazing paul? you start messing with gates and railings you will get tarred as a blacksmith then it will be sad bits of copper brazed to a gate.

 

[p261brm]

I do like, as Cappy (I think) said you have the best view of the weld pool and also if the weld is not as good as I like, (penetration or appearance) I can just run over it with the torch without, generally, adding more filler. O.K. that works with T.I.G also.

totally agree with cappy, if you can gas weld properly, then other forms of welding become much easier, particularly TIG, learn to gas weld thin aluminium sheet (18swg) TIG is then almost a doddle. I accept the points made about H&S regulations and no one is suggesting the dark side for obtaining supplies of gas.

 

[zardoz]

Indeed oxy ace is the daddy of all welding. Im just glad that i am getting the priveledge of practising it, before it is stopped at my night class college too. Chasing the keyhole up or down the weld is actually fun, and i get involved in it quite unlike i do with any other forms of welding

ps: "I must maintain my neutral flame"

 

[Barking Mat]

Back on a H&S issue, I was talking to some firemen t'other day about a diesel storage unit and they pointed out it should be clearly labelled in case there was ever a fire, otherwise they wouldnt know what was in the shed. I imagine as with trucks and vans you 'should' have some of those diamond signs explaining dangerous gases, in case your garage ever caught fire.

I love to whinge about H&S but it's there for a reason, here across the channel there is practically no H&S but up at the local steel fab' factory they have ambulances every 6 to 8 weeks carting off the injured. Chains breaking, leaking gas hoses etc.....

 

[Barking Mat]

Any O/A or Oxy/Prop is damn handy to have around for cutting thick stuff which your plasma/ grinder won't do.

 

[p261brm]

Hi, I take in and appreciate what you say. I am well aware of the dangers of oxy/ace, all my cutting now achieved by computer aided laser process up to 12mm and most of the welding MIG or TIG as material generally stainless or aluminum

 

[TazzieTig]

Oxy-Acetylene has been some what outmoded over the years, but there are times when the need may just spring up and bite you fair on the kaiser.

For instance, I did some site work at Comalco (large aluminum electrolysis works, now known as Rio Tinto) on a piece of pipe that required a site weld around a flange fitting. Tackling it with the TIG was easy enough, but the magnetic disturbance in the area was significant enough to drag my molten filler rod away and cause the arc to dance like a drunken pom.

We tried stainless filler rod, but the arc dance was just enough to bugger any decent chance of a putting down a nice run.

So, We cranked out the Blue Wrench and she was all good.

 

[p261brm]

fair dinkum cobber!