Cutting Brazing
 OSHA Welding, Cutting, & Brazing DVD-Metal Fabricating US $99.00 
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 VICTOR Cutting Torch Set with Double Hose Gauges Oxy Acetylene Cutting-Brazing US $179.95
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How do you weld using an oxy-actel- torch?
it says you can cut, weld or braze with it.. its a harris kit
The Oxy-Acetylene torch is a wonderful tool for metalworking. I use mine constantly, and love it. To be without it, would rob me of what has become a necessary tool for my job. However...it has its limitations, and its quirks. What it can do:
- Cut ferrous metals. Iron and steel can be cut easily. It won't cut aluminum or brass, and really doesn't work on stainless, either. Make sure you use the correct tip for the thickness you are cutting. The kit will only come with one or two...there are probably a dozen you can buy. Torch cutting is smokey, and messy...but it's portable (no electricity needed) and powerful. I just cut some 1/2" thick plate with my torch, in order to make a leg vise stand.
- It can braze and solder, which allows you to join dissimilar metals, or saves you the hassle of burning up thinner metals by trying to weld them. It's great for fixing cast iron.
- It can heat things. It is VERY handy to just grab the torch, and heat up something you want to bend (or straighten). Nothing beats it for freeing up rusted nuts or parts. I use it all the time to anneal sheat metal that I hammer. It's also great for wrapping wire or bands around other metal pieces for decorative purposes.
- It does weld, very well actually. In fact, it can be used to weld steel AND aluminum AND stainless. The use of flux is needed for AL and SS. Tip size = heat, so you really should pay attention to the recommendations made by the manufacturer as to which tip for which thickness. My torch came with 2 or 3 tips...and I've since bought 2 more to supplement those, when I needed more or less heat.
- It also welds without the need for electricity...so if your shop does not have 220 for a welder, you can still weld. It also costs less, especially considering all it can do.
What it won't do:
- anything quickly. Torch welding is much tougher to learn than MIG or STICK. Well, to do it PROPERLY is more difficult, I should say. Like any method, it takes less skill to make a "pretty" bead, than it does to make a good one with 100% penetration.
The torch requires you to heat your base metal up, and make a moleten puddle. Then you add your filler metal manually, while manipulating the torch at the same time.
Compared to MIG or STICK, it is a slow process. It's the same basic welding method used when TIG welding, but it uses fuel gas, not electric current, to produce the heat. This is why people who are good, practiced torch welders, usually can become good TIG welders in short order.
But what a lot of heat it creates. Compared to the TIG's laser-precise heat zone, the torch is like Napalm. I don't mean heat for YOU, I mean it really heats up the metal, which makes distortion a bigger issue.
This is where you must decide what it is you want from the tool. I recently started up my own metal sculpture studio...and needed to make lots of tables, stands, and tools. I also needed to weld up bases and frames for my sheet metal sculpture. There's no way I would want to do that with a gas torch. It's too slow, and very inconvenient. I bought a MIG welder, because it's faster and so much easier.
For welding, I use the torch for sheet metal only...and seldom go past 14 gauge. Since I work mostly in steel, I find the torch's welds to be vastly superior to any MIG welds on sheet. With the torch, the extra heat makes the welds malleable, rather than brittle like the MIG. Plus, I'm in control of penetration and filler amount, and can make a very flat bead, which makes clean up much easier. It works very well on Aluminum, too.
It all depends upon what you need. Even though I have a MIG, I would be lost without a torch FOR WHAT I DO. If you do not need to cut steel, braze, or heat things...and just want to weld...I would recommend thinking long and hard about the type of welding you'll be doing...before going with a torch. This is true of the torch itself. I knew I'd be working with sheet most of all, so I selected the SMITH aircraft torch (AW series, in the Cavalier set). It will only heat/weld so high...but it's small size makes it easier to handle on precise work.
Also, when torch welding, you can choose from a wide array of proper filler metals. You can use the same ones that TIG welders use. For mild steel, I use RG45 filler in 1/16 diameter, 3' rods. Unless you know the precise metalurgical content of your filler, you are taking a gamble that it will hold.
Northern Tool has a great video for a beginner torch welder, that covers setup, turning it on and off, and basic welding of steel. Also, Kent White is a huge proponent of the gas torch, and his FAQ section is worth a look.
Good Luck.
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