TORCH PRACTICE

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 34.--Rotary Movement of Torch in Welding]

The weld is made by bringing the tip of the welding flame to the edges of the metals to be joined. The torch should be held in the right hand and moved slowly along the crack with a rotating motion, traveling in small circles (Figure 34), so that the Welding flame touches first on one side of the crack and then on the other. On large work the motion may be simply back and forth across the crack, advancing regularly as the metal unites.

It is usually best to weld toward the operator rather than from him, although this rule is governed by circ.u.mstances. The head of the torch should be inclined at an angle of about 60 degrees to the surface of the work. The torch handle should extend in the same line with the break (Figure 35) and not across it, except when welding very light plates.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 35.--Torch Held in Line with the Break]

If the metal is 1/16 inch or less in thickness it is only necessary to circle along the crack, the metal itself furnishing enough material to complete the weld without additions. Heat both sides evenly until they flow together.

Material thicker than the above requires the addition of more metal of the same or different kind from the welding rod, this rod being held by the left hand. The proper size rod for cast iron is one having a diameter equal to the thickness of metal being welded up to a one-half inch rod, which is the largest used. For steel the rod should be one-half the thickness of the metal being joined up to one-fourth inch rod. As a general rule, better results will be obtained by the use of smaller rods, the very small sizes being twisted together to furnish enough material while retaining the free melting qualities.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 36.--The Welding Rod Should Be Held in the Molten Metal]

The tip of the rod must at all times be held in contact with the pieces being welded and the flame must be so directed that the two sides of the crack and the end of the rod are melted at the same time (Figure 36).

Before anything is added from the rod, the sides of the crack are melted down sufficiently to fill the bottom of the groove and join the two sides.

Afterward, as metal comes from the rod in filling the crack, the flame is circled along the joint being made, the rod always following the flame.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 37.--Welding Pieces of Unequal Thickness]

Figure 37 ill.u.s.trates the welding of pieces of unequal thickness.

Figure 38 ill.u.s.trates welding at an angle.

The molten metal may be directed as to where it should go by the tip of the welding flame, which has considerable force, but care must be taken not to blow melted metal on to cooler surfaces which it cannot join. If, while welding, a spot appears which does not unite with the weld, it may be handled by heating all around it to a white heat and then immediately welding the bad place.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 38.--Welding at an Angle]

Never stop in the middle of a weld, as it is extremely difficult to continue smoothly when resuming work.

_The Flame._--The welding flame must have exactly the right proportions of each gas. If there is too much oxygen, the metal will be burned or oxidized; the presence of too much acetylene carbonizes the metal; that is to say, it adds carbon and makes the work harder. Just the right mixture will neither burn nor carbonize and is said to be a "neutral"

flame. The neutral flame, if of the correct size for the work, reduces the metal to a melted condition, not too fluid, and for a width about the same as the thickness of the metal being welded.

When ready to light the torch, after attaching the right tip or head as directed in accordance with the thickness of metal to be handled, it will be necessary to regulate the pressure of gases to secure the neutral flame.

The oxygen will have a pressure of from 2 to 20 pounds, according to the nozzle used. The acetylene will have much less. Even with the compressed gas, the pressure should never exceed 10 pounds for the largest work, and it will usually be from 4 to 6. In low pressure systems, the acetylene will be received at generator pressure. It should first be seen that the hand-screws on the regulators are turned way out so that the springs are free from any tension. It will do no harm if these screws are turned back until they come out of the threads. This must be done with both oxygen and acetylene regulators.

Next, open the valve from the generator, or on the acetylene tank, and carefully note whether there is any odor of escaping gas. Any leakage of this gas must be stopped before going on with the work.

The hand wheel controlling the oxygen cylinder valve should now be turned very slowly to the left as far as it will go, which opens the valve, and it should be borne in mind the pressure that is being released. Turn in the hand screw on the oxygen regulator until the small pressure gauge shows a reading according to the requirements of the nozzle being used. This oxygen regulator adjustment should be made with the c.o.c.k on the torch open, and after the regulator is thus adjusted the torch c.o.c.k may be closed.

Open the acetylene c.o.c.k on the torch and screw in on the acetylene regulator hand-screw until gas commences to come through the torch. Light this flow of acetylene and adjust the regulator screw to the pressure desired, or, if there is no gauge, so that there is a good full flame. With the pressure of acetylene controlled by the type of generator it will only be necessary to open the torch c.o.c.k.

With the acetylene burning, slowly open the oxygen c.o.c.k on the torch and allow this gas to join the flame. The flame will turn intensely bright and then blue white. There will be an outer flame from four to eight inches long and from one to three inches thick. Inside of this flame will be two more rather distinctly defined flames. The inner one at the torch tip is very small, and the intermediate one is long and pointed. The oxygen should be turned on until the two inner flames unite into one blue-white cone from one-fourth to one-half inch long and one-eighth to one-fourth inch in diameter. If this single, clearly defined cone does not appear when the oxygen torch c.o.c.k has been fully opened, turn off some of the acetylene until it does appear.

If too much oxygen is added to the flame, there will still be the central blue-white cone, but it will be smaller and more or less ragged around the edges (Figure 39). When there is just enough oxygen to make the single cone, and when, by turning on more acetylene or by turning off oxygen, two cones are caused to appear, the flame is neutral (Figure 40), and the small blue-white cone is called the welding flame.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 39.--Oxidizing Flame--Too Much Oxygen]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 40.--Neutral Flame]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 41.--Reducing Flame--Showing an Excess of Acetylene]

While welding, test the correctness of the flame adjustment occasionally by turning on more acetylene or by turning off some oxygen until two flames or cones appear. Then regulate as before to secure the single distinct cone.

Too much oxygen is not usually so harmful as too much acetylene, except with aluminum. (See Figure 41.) An excessive amount of sparks coming from the weld denotes that there is too much oxygen in the flame. Should the opening in the tip become partly clogged, it will be difficult to secure a neutral flame and the tip should be cleaned with a bra.s.s or copper wire--never with iron or steel tools or wire of any kind. While the torch is doing its work, the tip may become excessively hot due to the heat radiated from the molten metal. The tip may be cooled by turning off the acetylene and dipping in water with a slight flow of oxygen through the nozzle to prevent water finding its way into the mixing chamber.

The regulators for cutting are similar to those for welding, except that higher pressures may be handled, and they are fitted with gauges reading up to 200 or 250 pounds pressure.

In welding metals which conduct the heat very rapidly it is necessary to use a much larger nozzle and flame than for metals which have not this property. This peculiarity is found to the greatest extent in copper, aluminum and bra.s.s.

Should a hole be blown through the work, it may be closed by withdrawing the flame for a few seconds and then commencing to build additional metal around the edges, working all the way around and finally closing the small opening left at the center with a drop or two from the welding rod.

WELDING VARIOUS METALS

Because of the varying melting points, rates of expansion and contraction, and other peculiarities of different metals, it is necessary to give detailed consideration to the most important ones.

_Characteristics of Metals._--The welder should thoroughly understand the peculiarities of the various metals with which he has to deal. The metals and their alloys are described under this heading in the first chapter of this book and a tabulated list of the most important points relating to each metal will be found at the end of the present chapter.

All this information should be noted by the operator of a welding installation before commencing actual work.

Because of the nature of welding, the melting point of a metal is of great importance. A metal melting at a low temperature should have more careful treatment to avoid undesired flow than one which melts at a temperature which is relatively high. When two dissimilar metals are to be joined, the one which melts at the higher temperature must be acted upon by the flame first and when it is in a molten condition the heat contained in it will in many cases be sufficient to cause fusion of the lower melting metal and allow them to unite without playing the flame on the lower metal to any great extent.

The heat conductivity bears a very important relation to welding, inasmuch as a metal with a high rate of conductance requires more protection from cooling air currents and heat radiation than one not having this quality to such a marked extent. A metal which conducts heat rapidly will require a larger volume of flame, a larger nozzle, than otherwise, this being necessary to supply the additional heat taken away from the welding point by this conductance.

The relative rates of expansion of the various metals under heat should be understood in order that parts made from such material may have proper preparation to compensate for this expansion and contraction. Parts made from metals having widely varying rates of expansion must have special treatment to allow for this quality, otherwise breakage is sure to occur.

_Cast Iron._--All spoiled metal should he cut away and if the work is more than one-eighth inch in thickness the sides of the crack should be beveled to a 45 degree angle, leaving a number of points touching at the bottom of the bevel so that the work may be joined in its original relation.

The entire piece should be preheated in a bricked-up oven or with charcoal placed on the forge, when size does not warrant building a temporary oven.

The entire piece should be slowly heated and the portion immediately surrounding the weld should be brought to a dull red. Care should be used that the heat does not warp the metal through application to one part more than the others. After welding, the work should be slowly cooled by covering with ashes, slaked lime, asbestos fibre or some other non-conductor of heat. These precautions are absolutely essential in the case of cast iron.

A neutral flame, from a nozzle proportioned to the thickness of the work, should be held with the point of the blue-white cone about one-eighth inch from the surface of the iron.

A cast iron rod of correct diameter, usually made with an excess of silicon, is used by keeping its end in contact with the molten metal and flowing it into the puddle formed at the point of fusion. Metal should be added so that the weld stands about one-eighth inch above the surrounding surface of the work.

Various forms of flux may be used and they are applied by dipping the end of the welding rod into the powder at intervals. These powders may contain borax or salt, and to prevent a hard, brittle weld, graphite or ferro-silicon may be added. Flux should be added only after the iron is molten and as little as possible should be used. No flux should be used just before completion of the work.

The welding flame should be played on the work around the crack and gradually brought to bear on the work. The bottom of the bevel should be joined first and it will be noted that the cast iron tends to run toward the flame, but does not stick together easily. A hard and porous weld should be carefully guarded against, as described above, and upon completion of the work the welded surface should be sc.r.a.ped with a file, while still red hot, in order to remove the surface scale.

_Malleable Iron._--This material should be beveled in the same way that cast iron is handled, and preheating and slow cooling are equally desirable. The flame used is the same as for cast iron and so is the flux.

The welding rod may be of cast iron, although better results are secured with Norway iron wire or else a mild steel wire wrapped with a coil of copper wire.

It will be understood that malleable iron turns to ordinary cast iron when melted and cooled. Welds in malleable iron are usually far from satisfactory and a better joint is secured by brazing the edges together with bronze. The edges to be joined are brought to a heat just a little below the point at which they will flow and the opening is then quickly-filled from a rod of Tobin bronze or manganese bronze, a bra.s.s or bronze flux being used in this work.

_Wrought Iron or Semi-Steel._--This metal should be beveled and heated in the same way as described for cast iron. The flame should be neutral, of the same size as for steel, and used with the tip of the blue-white cone just touching the work. The welding rod should be of mild steel, or, if wrought iron is to be welded to steel, a cast iron rod may be used. A cast iron flux is well suited for this work. It should be noted that wrought iron turns to ordinary cast iron if kept heated for any length of time.

_Steel._--Steel should be beveled if more than one-eighth inch in thickness. It requires only a local preheating around the point to be welded. The welding flame should be absolutely neutral, without excess of either gas. If the metal is one-sixteenth inch or less in thickness, the tip of the blue-white cone must be held a short distance from the surface of the work; in all other cases the tip of this cone is touched to the metal being welded.

The welding rod may be of mild, low carbon steel or of Norway iron. Nickel steel rods may be used for parts requiring great strength, but vanadium alloys are very difficult to handle. A very satisfactory rod is made by twisting together two wires of the required material. The rod must be kept constantly in contact with the work and should not be added until the edges are thoroughly melted. The flux may or may not be used. If one is wanted, it may be made from three parts iron filings, six parts borax and one part sal ammoniac.