I've only done a bit of Mig and Arc welding. But I've been offered a portable oxy acetylene setup in a trade.
Lincoln port-a-torch
That's the setup. I'd get bigger welding tips if I got it.

Does anyone even use this stuff anymore? Should I go for something with bigger tanks? Or should I continue to hold out for an Arc welder? Probably start out with 110v because I don't really want to run a 220v line. I won't be doing anything big or structural for a while anyway. Probably not until I have time to get into a class. But I'd still like to stick some stuff together in the mean time. And the versatility would be nice.

 

I probably wouldnt, I like the mig, myself.

 

OAW is old! lol, stick with MIG.

I like the OAW setup for the torch, it is nice to be able to heat pieces of metal up red hot. But i like bigger tanks than those little ones you've got pictures...

 

Old and slow doesn't bother me. But the tank size on that set was one of the reasons I didn't just do it.

 

I just finished learning how to OAW and its a pain. Nice if your brazing or doing light sheet metal, but anything else I wouldnt bother.

Buy a cutting torch and use that with the bottles. You'll find many more uses for it.

 

i have that kit, got it for christmas or my birthday one year. Its great for cutting etc. and brazing small things but thats it. get a decent wirefeed mig welder and you'll be off and running.

 

Back in my metals classes in high school I enjoyed OAW. Some thing about the flame and the patients it took to weld something was really cool. I wouldnt build anything with it though, and definatly nothing structural. The torch would be nice for heating and cutting though.

What are you trading for?

 

Decided to go for it. If I end up wanting or needing something more for welding, I've seen some pretty good deals on CL. Even if I only use it once, that will be more than I've use the 24in lcd hd monitor I'm trading for it in the past year.

 

Oxy has its place, thin stuff if you are good with it and brazing has been mentioned, soldering can be done. If you learn to oxy weld then TIG will be much easier in the long run.

 

I learned to use oxy these past few weeks and we just got into Arc welding in my welding class yesterday. So far I enjoy oxy SO much more so hopefully I can get arc welding down pat here in the near future.

 

Ive only used o a to cut steel and heat steel... I wouldnt weld anything together with it... Brazing yes but other than that it doesent bond metals together as well a electricity and argon and just electricity and rods...

 

I learned to OAW when I was a kid, then dad tried to teach me to arc weld...that part didn't work. So only knowing how to OAW, I tried to weld some skid bars to a home built motor bike. I did a wheelie with it and the bars promptly fell off. Not a strong weld at all.

 

Its you, not OAW. If you preheat the metal properly, then actually penetrate the metal, there is no problem why it cannot withstand the same amount of force as and GMAW (mig) or SMAW (stick).

Last week in my welding class we put our OAW welds to the test. I am not going to get into the details cause its going to take me 15 mins of typing. But the bottom line is that the 1/4 thick plate that I welded snapped before the weld did.

 

yes in that kind of welding pre-heating is a must, its the only way the metal is going to bond. Otherwise its like soldering two pieces of steel together. Just like if you use a standard mig welder to weld plate to cast, you need to pre-heat the cast otherwise it works like poo. They both have two different cool down and heat up times so they will never set-up right if not.

 

tospol,
How's the OA Welding going ?
Easy to make the transition to TIG once you master Gas welding (gas vs electric torch).
Show us some of your gas welds.
ltr, luck,