Oxy welding flat panels

[brightspark]

It's far, far better. Stick does tend to get affected quite badly, especially if you haven't much power available.

180 amp oil cooled it burns galv and rust of no probs

 

[Bill Edwards]

180 amp oil cooled it burns galv and rust of no probs

Well maybe it works for you but not always for me! And 180 amps on 2mm steel might burn the galv off but that's not very helpful when you're looking through to the other side of the piece because of the hole you've blown...

But then, there's galv and there's galv. Some stuff that I grind off on shed RSJ seems like it's half the thickness of the steel before you get through it! Other stuff is barely covering the surface.

 

[brightspark]

I just normaly do it on thick stuff like scaffie tubes and thickish materials

 

[norlander]

I love it and find it more enjoyable than any other processes.
There's very little call for it though when there's a MIG available (in my work anyway) because there's a big speed difference and the heat - it's easy to set a vehicle on fire with O/A welding.
I mainly get to use it for bodging up very thin rusty rubbish.

When I was an apprentice, we only had MMA and OxyA (Argon Arc -now TIG was about but we did not have it. I got to be really good with OA -welding that is-brazing I was crap.
The bloke I was apprenticed to could weld ali with OA but I never learned that.
I could weld the thin stuff no probs, usually no filler.I recall it was all about the torch set up (as with all processes of course) you could get a real nice flame for welding sheet with the right set up.
I never got the hang of the stepped nozzle for cutting sheet out though.
Nowadays I'm crap with OA and avoid it as I have TIG and MIG.
Shame really, should practice a bit more.
Anyway, nice work Mr Burdekin

 

[Turbo]

My neighbour growing up was an old school mechanic & only ever used o/a to weld up cars. I remember seeing him make up new outriggers for his land rover chassis with beautiful even stack of dimes welds.

I also remember him brazing a return line into the diesel tank of a tractor with the tank half full of diesel! There was no fire extinguisher, just me with a lenor bottle full of water on fire watch!

 

[Dell]

Just thought I would add the way I gasweld mild steel sheet although I don't use steel very often these days it is easier to make panels with aluminium anyway I digress, I cut and shape the parts I need allowing a 1/6th extra then I turn the edge (1/6th) to be welded to a right angle then trim that edge approx 64th then weld without rod so all I am doing is melting the turned edge then dress to shape with dolly and spoon.
The reason I only use gas is it is a softer weld easer to dress and file than any other.
Dell

 

[Maxakarudy]

The main use of O/A welding in the motor trade is by panel makers/coachbuilders, the highest skilled craftsmen you'll ever meet.
These guys make the million $1 dollar cars like Aston Martin, Ferrari's etc, they'd never consider migging panels together, it's mainly due to planishing joints especially on steel, they fuse weld as the O/P showed.
O/A joints are never placed on flat areas, but crowned areas on the panel, the joints are nice and soft, so can be shaped and dressed/filed out, distortion isn't something they think or worry about.
If you look at this Y/T video shows an example of the sort of panels I'm talkng about, this guy does a great metalshaping DVD, shows what can be done with hand tools.
Martin

 

[Bill Edwards]

The main use of O/A welding in the motor trade is by panel makers/coachbuilders, the highest skilled craftsmen you'll ever meet.
These guys make the million $1 dollar cars like Aston Martin, Ferrari's etc, they'd never consider migging panels together, it's mainly due to planishing joints especially on steel, they fuse weld as the O/P showed.
O/A joints are never placed on flat areas, but crowned areas on the panel, the joints are nice and soft, so can be shaped and dressed/filed out, distortion isn't something they think or worry about.
If you look at this Y/T video shows an example of the sort of panels I'm talkng about, this guy does a great metalshaping DVD, shows what can be done with hand tools.
Martin

I'm quite sure you're right but the video you've tried to show isn't visible, try linking to it again.

 

[Maxakarudy]

Sorry forgot to paste link

Martin

 

[Bill Edwards]

There are some skilled people around...

 

[normspanners]

I used to know an old guy who was an old school body builder and he could weld a patch in with OA and there was no distortion, at all!, I have no idea how he said the trick was once he started welding he did not stop no matter what, his jobs where incredible the patch hardly needed any finishing
he used to hand paint if he wanted a good finish-------- using spray as an 'it'll do job'

 

[Shedendman]

Would have been nice to see the actual process

 

[normspanners]

I used to do a lot of OA at the time, but I tried and tried all ways to emulate him with OA that was the only cheap way to weld cars, those days, as migs where only for production welding and MASSIVE.

 

[Maxakarudy]

The old boys who weld patches with O/A aren't magicians, they are using a multiple of skills, to reduce the distortion they carefully choose a place to join, usually near a shape with strength, not a flat area. Secondly they must be able to get a dolly on the backside to planish and stretch the weld, they only hammer on the striped area, if you can't get to the back of a joint, then mig is a better choice.
BTW, the original OP, didn't show the piece after welding, the piece would have distorted to a Vee shape, the fact that he added no filler wire was a major reason why it planished back flat, nicely done.
Martin

 

[Burdekin]

I planished as I went along after each tack is coolish to bring the two sections back together and aligned so that keeps it all pretty flat.

A mate uses the same technique with tig and also uses blueing dye to ensure the area is spot on flat. He is a bit OCD but does beautiful work.

 

[Dell]

The video would need to be several days long to show all the work dressing wheeling and planishing to make all the separate pieces needed to make up the wings.
For example I made a fuel tank recently and just for that 10 pieces and many hours labour.
Dell