PJ,
Remember when I said it's all about heat and speed?
If you want to cut a piece of steel and you don't have a torch or a saw you can cut it by applying more heat and moving at a slower pace.
This is method of last resort in most circumstances. It is usually a very ragged cut and to be welded needs considerable grinding to make a joint or a "fit". Making that joint is an art in itself. The professionals are call "fitters" or "pipe fitters".
There is a saying in the business about a joint being so well made that even Ray Charles could weld it. That a blind man could do it.
There's more to that saying than it being a metaphor. When one is welding sometimes the stimulus that is most dominate in directing the weldor's actions is not the eyes but the ears. You're subconciously listening to what's happening and reacting accordingly.
It's again sorta like driving. When you're driving right your attention is ahead of the vehicle. How far depends entirely on your speed and the conditions at the time. A rookie driver will be looking ten feet in front of themselves and weaving etc.
It's the same with welding. When you're adept and doing it right you're not concentrating on the puddle or what is happening with it. Your attention is ahead of the weld and your body is following, again very much like when you're driving.
An example of what's happening when you're welding might be explained by considering this. You have three candles. You lay two of them side by side. You take a Bic lighter and with the flame you melt the third candle into the gap or grove between the other two. But you're not just dropping wax. You aim the flame and hold the third candle in such a way that the two candles are melting together and the third is melting into their pool of wax as additional filler. When you're done you have one candle.
Now the best weld in steel and iron is a blacksmith's weld called a "forge weld". With conventional welding methods you melt the two pieces together. With a forge weld they become one piece, period, end of story, close the book.
I've never seen personally but I've heard many times the story about the blacksmith that used to challenge weldors to a welding contest. He never lost. His welds were quicker and they all passed destructive and non destructive tests.
Never trust a blacksmith. They're tricky. I think it has something to do with the hammering.
