Assorted tips and tricks from Kent's class here at the Redneck Ranch.
Using the wooden block to clean the tip of the Mecco torch by intermittently used in a rubbing motion.
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Dominic Manera and Roy Epps watch as Kent puts an 'oilcan' in a flat sheet, the mentioning that an 'oil can' is both stretched and hard, proceeded to anneal it and then shrink it.
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As mentioned in one of his earlier posts, Kent shared his approach to using the TIG welder to tack weld prior to using the Mecco torch to gas weld an aluminum panel. Several of us have seen this before, but Kent explained in more detail the critical nature of the recessed gap of the tungsten vs the cup. It should be recessed about .015" - .020", then adjustments to that dimension are needed if you are tacking a curved panel. I experienced this issue on a panel that I was making for the Model A fender project. This idea was VERY helpful to many of us in making quick starts on the aluminum gas welding exercises.
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Kent brazed two separate pieces of aluminum to an aluminum sheet to display the strength of aluminum brazing.
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Here, he is displaying one method for annealing our 3003H14 aluminum sheet, while mentioning that using a felt tip pen to 'read' annealing on this sheet is not very accurate as the felt tip pen ink disappears almost 100 degrees lower (550 degrees)than the aluminum annealing point (650 degrees). He actually does not use either a felt tip pen nor takes the time to 'blacken' the panel surface, opting to rely on the color of the reflected flame as the panel heats up to the annealing point. Good 'stuff'!
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We sacrificed a metal clamp to make it into a Mecco torch holder in the event that you want to keep it lit for pre-heating the filler rod and assorted other uses.
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At the far right of this photo is an adaptor made to better hold the Mecco welding torch as opposed to the wider design found on most gas savers.
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A display of the outline of one of the class segments.
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