How to Use an Acetylene Gas Welder
Acetylene is one of the major fuels used in oxy-fuel gas welding. This type of welding mixes a fuel with oxygen to produce the heat needed for the weld. Oxyacetylene welding joins two pieces of metal by filling the space between them with a molten filler metal. An acetylene gas welder is relatively inexpensive and is frequently portable.
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Instructions
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Use solvents to clean the workpieces of any contaminants such as dirt, oils and paint. You may also need to sand or grind the workpieces to expose the bare metal. Cut the workpieces that are less than 3/16 inch so that they have flat edges. Thicker pieces should have beveled edges.
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Select the tip of the oxyacetylene torch based on the thickness of the workpiece. Thicker pieces require a larger tip, and the largest tip can produce a flame 2 inches long and 3/16 inch in diameter.
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Adjust the gas flow of the oxyacetylene torch so that the flame blows on the workpiece with the proper force. A gas flow that is too low will produce a flame with a tendency to backfire. The flame will blow the molten steel out of the weld puddle if the gas flow is too high.
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Choose the welding flux. The welding flux will generally have a composition similar to the base metal, although the flux's melting point should be lower than that of the base metal. The optimum welding flux for oxyacetylene welding varies according to the specific base metal, and there are no national standards on welding flux selection.
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Use the appropriate weld for the joint you're making. For example, workpieces that will form a single, flat piece typically require a groove weld that fills a groove between the two workpieces with the filler metal. A fillet weld is a triangular-shaped weld that's commonly used to join workpieces at a right angle.
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