Ok... you guys have been great. Tips received here have helped me become a better welder, helped me make my HF flux core into a better rig, and guided me towards selecting my Miller w/ spool gun for aluminum.
Now here is the deal. I never really learned to cut well with on O/A torch. I can patch thin sheet metal with one, but cutting seems to elude me. Sure I can whack through a piece of steel and make it into a smaller piece of steel, but my dad can cut out the top out of a barrel and make it look almost clean without using a grinder on it afterwards, and I have seen guys cut C-channel and I-beam and it looked good. Most of the slag could be knocked off with a hammer. Hardly any grinding needed at all. When I try a cut like that it looks like a lava monster chewed on the end of the piece and spit it out after a while.
Then I read stories about cutting steel a foot thick with O/A and just I am amazed. I just want to do a decent job of cutting garden and farm variety steel. Most things I use a chop saw, or a cut off wheel in a cheap circular saw for so I get good cuts, but sometimes those things just won't fit where you need them too. Even a Sawzall with a "Torch" blade won't fit everywhere. Sometimes an O/A torch is the still the best tool for the job.
Yes I have a cutting head, and I think I have the right pressure settings, but you guys tell me (if you will) and then I'll know.
Thanks Bob La Londe