Harbor Freight Oxy/Acetylene Welder and my first weld. I weld for the first time with gas.

This is my first time trying to weld using my Harbor Freight Oxy/Acetylene torch/welder. I was able to weld a piece of metal for my friend and neighbor to fix his lawn chair.

I LOVE this kind of welding!

[itstallionman]

Great start. Everyone has a start. The more you practice the better you'll get.

[jimzivny]

Good afternoon, I'll try to help you with a few explanations.
;the pop you heard was the tip overheating usually from being too close to the puddle. The change in the flame was probably a tiny bit of metal sticking to the opening of the tip, it would change the flow of the gas exiting the orifice.
; from looking at the video the metal looks to be hot-rolled steel, you can see on the edges where it was sheared to shape. That steel has a finish that must be mechanically removed or else it'll try to prevent a good weld which may have caused the bad mig weld, but I also think the mig weld was a little cold, there was no penetration, it just layed on the surface.
; all quality welds start with a clean dry surface
; after every welding session use the tip cleaner, the slightest bit of crap in the tip can prevent you from having the proper flame pattern.
; everyone starts somewhere, don't be discouraged, get a book and a tube of filler rod and keep practicing.

[Reidscook]

Like your humor brother. Everyone have to start somewhere. Good job.

[sharkrivermachine]

Very enjoyable video. I learned to gas weld over 50 years ago. It is a fun way to weld. I have a similar set of torches from Forney.

[LarsJohnson-rozc]

I like the way you describe what is going on in your head as you figure things out. It makes the welding process seem a lot less impossible. I wanted to see your oxy acetylene setup because trying to get a plasma gun setup is a lot more involved. Now, you can cut steel quickly and do welds in the field. very cool.

[PantsProjects]

Loved the video and the humor! Thanks for the help!

[bobweiram]

You're a lot braver than I am. I tried it once without practicing and completely ruined a part. Throughout the process, I was terrified about the possibility of the fuel back flowing into the oxygen tank even though I added flashback arrestors. My setup wasn't as nice as yours. I had one with an oxygen and MAP bottle. The oxygen is ridiculously expensive! It costs about $10 bucks and you're lucky to get 3 minutes of welding out of one.

[RPMechanics]

Turned out pretty decent and you'll only get better from here. Good vid!

[jimzivny]

I'll add an exercise my welding class teacher gave me in high school that I believe made me a better welder in the 45+ years as a mechanic, fabricator and hot rodder, I'm disabled now but still have a few old ford's to work on.
On a piece of loose-leaf draw continuous circles with a pencil the height between the lines across the page, if you are right handed go right to left. After a few lines you'll understand the motion of the tip of the torch. And you would dip the filler rod periodically to keep the puddle consistent. The same motion can work with mig or tig, you may even see a roll of dimes lol but that's usually only when things are perfect.
I have mig, tig and arc machines in my home shop but sometimes I still gas weld because I like it, it was what I learned first.
I subscribed, I see you have a lathe and a shaper, I have a South Bend heavy 10 lathe and I'd love to get a shaper also a power hacksaw those machines are what helped build America. Good luck to you, ask me anything I'll try to help

[kenskip]

WOW, Now I know what I have been missing. You may have started something.. Great job,

[grntitan]

I was taught by an old machinist to always open the bottle valves with your hand around the side of the bottle valve as opposed to your hand covering the valve handle. This way if for some reason that valve blows off, it flys out of your hand instead of through your hand.

[jonsworkshop]

Fortune favours the brave, lol. I did a bit in school 40yrs ago, fun but not easy. Thought you made a decent job for your first attempt, well done.

[Airon]

At about 7:00, looks like you clogged your welding tip by touching the molten puddle of metal ; cast metals pop (similar to a campfire), and sometimes other impurities will cause the pops but not as consistent as cast metal does, and sometimes it's not touching the molten metal that causes the clog, it's those pops that clog tips . I don't think that metal you are welding is cast iron, looks like medium carbon steel, to me . By the way, how are you liking gas welding ?

[sailawaybob]

Lol i love your intro " I know nothing about oxy welding " i remember shop class 9th grade the teacher let us all take turns lighting one no welding just lighting 😅fast forward i have a stick welder and a flux mig welder and other than tack welding i pretty much su*k at it . sad part my Dad was a master welder at GM but never taught us to weld. keep practicing i watch a ton of welding videos but i need to pull mine out and practice, practice, practice.

[SouthernEngineering]

We have all been there. LOL. If you like gas welding you will love TIG; get yourself an in-expensive Tig welder and have fun. Harbor freight Titanium is a good starter.

[waymonstoltz]

Nice weld! I've been itching to get one of those kits..

[JTL]

They make a flux coated filler rod for that kind of work. Selecting the correct type of filler rod for you application is half the battle. Your on the right track. Practice, practice, practice and you will do great.

[ozyrob]

Good job on your first effort. Glad you weren't tempted into buying one of those set ups with the disposable oxy and propane bottles. You can do real work with what you bought. Get yourself some brazing rods and some flux. It's another string to your bow and will allow you to join dissimilar materials.

[theweldmasster]

hahaa nasa part! you regained my respect..lol//
just use the mig wire as a filler next time, if its too thin you can fold it over and put into a drill tighten it and twist the two halvs together. .030 wire is now .060

pretty cleaver using the old weld though

[khester]

When you master oxy acetylene welding, you'll have basically mastered TIG.