Update on welding class

Which is slowly open valves, don't screw them full open in case you need to close them rapidly?

Wes

I could tell you that in a minute - but then I'd [have to] kill you

-- Peter Fairbrother

Everything else was very general up to now. Like "keep flammable

There is a whole sequence to that, as I learned. It is much more than this.

Assuming the tank valves are closed to begin with...

Open valves on torch first, then close them, then turn regulator handles counterclockwise until they are clearly free from springs, open the tank valves (acetylene one a little bit, oxygen ALL the way), adjust regulators.

Then closing: close tank valves, open torch valves, back out regulators.

I hope that I did not forget anything.

Please do not tell me then!

Sorry to hear your class is spending as much time as it is on generalities/safety, and not as much on practical applications.

The one I took struck a really good balance really quick: a good dose of safety and a list of materials the first day, melting metal by the second. After that, new book-learning on techniques was matched by practice.

I hope yours speeds up!

So which valve do you shut off first on a lit torch, the oxygen or acetylene?

Old books/refs say to shut off the acy, new say to shut of the oxy... which way are they telling you?

For acetylene that's true. Only open it about 1/4 or 1/2 turn so you can close it quickly if needed. Acetylene is not very high pressure however so you can get away with that. What is it ... I forget, around 250 psi?

For O2 and all the other high pressure welding gases (a few thousand PSI), you need to open it all the way up and allow the valve to seat against the back stop so the packing on the valve doesn't have to hold the full pressure while you use it.

Then there is the order issues as iggy talked about.

They told me to shut off acetylene first.

Very true, and I didn't mean to imply otherwise -- we got what I think was a thick dose of safety (and I don't mean to imply this is a bad thing!), but didn't spend a lot of time on "generalities" before getting into specific techniques. It was the latter I was really referring to.

Absolutely (and my father had nine fingers due to using a tablesaw one day when he was distracted).

I, on the other hand, am glad you have an instructor who values your fingers and eyes as much as you do. There's a lot of ABC's to be learned before writing essays, as there is fundamentals before welding.

When I was in training to be a diver, I asked what the big deal was about learning to rig correctly. One of the old guys asked, "What the heck do you think you'll be doing underwater, watching fish?"

You are paying for this. Learn all you can, even the simple stuff. It's all valuable, and if it keeps you from having one fire or losing one finger, it's important.

This stuff ain't rocket surgery, but it CAN kill you in a heartbeat. And if you go blind, they send you home.

Steve (welder since 1974)

Interesting, that is what the old literature says and what I do. Don't be surprised though if you find literature telling you to shut the oxygen off first.