How to learn to weld by yourself. Part 5

Selecting a process to learn.

Earlier, we did mention the fact that some people want to learn oxy fuel welding. Most people are quite intimidated by an Oxy-fuel torch setup. There’s volatile, explosive pressurized gas, knobs everywhere at finger’s reach, hot flame continuously shooting out, and a quite heavy torch apparatus that must be kept under control at all times (to prevent catching everything on fire). Quite a few people do eventually buy one, even if they reluctantly do so.

But only a few of those few realize that this same torch setup can be used for learning to weld with a proper welding type tip. Not to mention, you can braze with this as well which is great for repairs and joining of dissimilar metals. But as a choice for welding, it may seem slow and outdated for sure. But it was not too long ago, that Oxy-acetylene welding was the first type of welding taught in trade schools. It was and still is an excellent tool for developing a broad range of welding skills.

Many of the oxy fuel welding skills transfer readily into other welding disciplines. In fact, most people that learn to oxy-fuel weld, take to TIG with little or no problem. Skills learned in Oxy-fuel welding are puddle recognition skills, left and right hand eye coordination, muscle memory, timing, manipulation, torch angle control, and heat management skills. It is definitely an older style of welding, but it is not completely forgotten yet. If you do not have plans to buy a oxy-acetylene torch rig, you should. It cannot be completely replaced. And if it comes down to it, make this your first purchase if budget is a concern. You can weld and cut with this until your budget allows for a more modern type of welder.