Oxy-Acetylene

 

I finished up the oil tank the other day but Blogger was having an issue with inserting pictures. I don't know what I would have to do or what it would cost to own the Shop Teacher Bob domain, but I might look into it. I've been doing this for quite a while and plan on continuing as long as I've got something to say.

While I was finishing up the oil tank I got to thinking about my choice of welding processes for that job. I could have TIG welded everything, or MIG welded it with a small wire. I've got .030" in house but .024" might have been better. But going along with the "prepper" mindset, how are you going to weld anything when the power goes out? I've got a gas drive rig that I could use with a small 6011 rod for the sheet metal and it'll run 5/32" rods for the heavy stuff, at least until the fuel runs out. It puts out enough AC current to run my 110V wire machine, but Oxy-Acetylene welding and cutting is handy to know, and not everyone is going to have a half dozen welding machines as part of their preps. There are still a lot of people out there that don't even have a spare gas can, if looking at the long lines at the gas stations recently is any indication.

I don't know where you would go to get some decent instruction on welding and brazing. We taught cutting at the college but just briefly touched on welding and brazing. You can get a cheap combination torch set at Harbor Freight, Amazon or a big box store. Get a small set of bottles and your all set - if you get some instruction on the safe set-up and operation, that is.

Might be I'm thinking too much like the old guy I am. Nobody fixes things much anymore - toss it out and buy new. However, people with skills are going to be pretty valuable when there aren't any new ones available.