The welding flame is classified as neutral, carburizing, or oxidizing. Each type of flame has its own special function The operator can adjust the torch to produce the type of flame best suited for the job at hand. The neutral flame, in which a balanced mixture of oxygen and acetylene is burned, is used for most welding operations. The oxidizing flame, in which an excess of oxygen is burned, is used for welding bronze or fusing brass and bronze. The carburizing flame, in which an excess of acetylene is burned, is used when welding nickel alloys.

NEUTRAL FLAME. -The neutral flame does not alter the composition of the base metal to any great extent; therefore, it is the flame best suited for most metals. The neutral flame burns at approximately 5,850F. A balanced mixture of one volume of oxygen and one volume of acetylene is supplied from the torch when the flame is adjusted to neutral.

The neutral flame is divided into two distinct zones. The inner zone consists of a white, clearly defined, round, smooth cone, 1/1 6 to 3/4 inch in length. The outer zone, made up of completely burned oxygen and acetylene, is blue with a purple tinge at the point and edges.

A neutral flame melts metal without changing its properties, and it leaves the metal clear and clean. If the mixture of oxygen and acetylene is correct, the neutral flame allows the molten metal to flow smoothly, and few sparks are produced when welding most metals.

CARBURIZING FLAME. -The carburizing flame, produced by burning an excess of acetylene, may be recognized by its three distinct colors. There is a bluish-white inner core, a white intermediate cone, and a light-blue outer flame. It may be recognized also by the feather at the tip of the inner cone. The degree of carburization can be judged by the length of the feather.

OXIDIZING FLAME. -The oxidizing flame is produced by burning an excess of oxygen. It has the general appearance of the neutral flame, but the inner cone is shorter, slightly pointed, and has a purplish tinge. This flame burns with a hissing sound. When welding ferrous metals, you can recognize an oxidizing flame by the numerous sparks that are thrown off as the metal melts and by the foam that forms on the surface.

FLAME ADJUSTMENT. -To adjust the flame, light the torch by opening the torch acetylene valve one-fourth to one-half turn. With only the acetylene valve open, the flame will be yellow in color and give off smoke and soot.

Now open the torch oxygen valve slowly. The flame will gradually change in color from yellow to blue, and it will show the characteristics of the excess acetylene flame described earlier.

With most torches, there will be a slight excess of acetylene when the oxygen and acetylene valves are wide open and the recommended pressures are being used. Now close the acetylene valve on the torch slowly. You will notice that the secondary cone gets smaller until it finally disappears completely. Just at this point of complete disappearance, the neutral flame is formed. To see the effect of an excess of oxygen, close the acet ylene valve still further. A change will be noted, although it is by no means as sharply defined as that between the neutral and excess acetylene flames. The entire flame will decrease in size, and the inner cone will become much less sharply defined.

Because of the difficulty in making a distinction between the excess oxygen and neutral flames, an adjustment of the flame to neutral should always be made from the excess acetylene side. Always adjust the flame first so that it shows the secondary cone characteristic of excess acetylene; then, increase the flow of oxygen until this secondary cone just disappears. During actual welding operations, where a neutral flame is essential, the flame should be checked occasionally to make certain it is neutral. This is accomplished by momentarily withdrawing the torch from the work and increasing the amount of acetylene until a distinctive feathery edge appears on the inner cone. Then, slowly decrease the amount of acetylene until a well-defined cone, characteristic of the neutral flame, is formed.

With each size of tip, a neutral, oxidizing, or carburizing flame can be obtained. It is also possible to obtain a "harsh" or "soft" flame by increasing or decreasing the pressure of both gases.

For most regulator settings, the gases are expelled from the torch tip at a relatively high velocity, and the flame is called "harsh." For some work it is desirable to have a "soft" or low-velocity flame without a reduc-tion in thermal output. This maybe achieved by using a larger tip and closing the needle valves until the neutral flame is quiet and steady. It is especially desirable to use a soft flame when welding aluminum, to avoid blowing holes in the metal when the puddle is formed.