I'm trying to learn gas welding. I bought a Harris torch and today tried it for the first time. I was welding 1/8 steel. Used the tip suggested by the mfg. Set pressure to 5psi as suggested and welded some flat beads and some T's.
First question. Is there a way to determine how much to appropriately open the acetylene. I remember reading somewhere that it should be high enough that the actual flame under just acetylene should be about 1/8 inch away from the tip. Is this correct?
Second question. I don't really know I can adjust for a neutral flame. I am partially colorblind so this may not be a good way for me. I saw somewhere adjust until the inner cone becomes well defined. Also saw references to the hissing sound. Should the inner cone be small and well defined such as 1/4 inch or would it be longer when neutral. It seemed that the inner cone would get so small and then not change much. Really could not tell much color. The sound seemed inconsistent at times but I did note a hissing sound with just acetylene that continued with the oxygen as I turned it up. Then at a point the hissing would abrupty drop off and become much quieter. Is this a sign of a neutral flame. It seemed that the hissing was also a function of how much the acetylene was open but there was a clear point at which it dropped off.
Third Question. I tried some T joints and of course had the well noted problem of undercutting the vertical piece. Of course, I did not notice it during the process. I clearly had too much heat on the vertical part. I think the reason I did this is I did not really like the way the puddle was forming. Perhaps you can tell me if this is normal. The bead tended to develop in a U shaped configuration with the arms being on the horizontal and vertical components pointing in the direction of travel. The concavity of the bead was right at the vee and I was concerned I was not getting the corner hot enough and as such likely overheated the vertical component. Is this a normal shape for the bead or am I doing something wrong. Is my weld likely weak at the actual vee because of how thw puddle formed. I guess there is a chance the filler/weld simply bridged the corner. When I get a chance, I will cross section the piece.
Fourth question. Is .125 thich material good to practice on or should I try thinner.
I thought I did some nice looking beads on just flat stock. They were straight and had that fish scale look. There was some irregularity of the underside which I think suggests I got good penetration. It was a lot of fun.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks
Barry