On Sun, 29 Apr 2018 20:47:50 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Mon, 30 Apr 2018 09:00:02 +0700, John B.
wrote:

How much heat do these water based systems develop. You talk about
welding .040" aluminum but could the same torch be used as a
replacement for a small oxy-acetylene system for general use. Welding,
brazing, etc?

Disclaimer: I are not an expert on hydrogen welding and have limited
experience in using a hydrogen-oxygen torch.

No, or at least not for welding anything big. The typical
electrolysis generator does not have the capacity to produce enough
gas volume to maintain the required flow rate. Worse, the theoretical
hydrogenxygen 2:1 ratio doesn't quite work because the torch works
best at 4:1. It's difficult to store enough gases for instant
availability because the hydrogen leaks rather badly and the oxygen
rots everything it touches. At best, it's good for running the tiny
torches that I mentioned:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=hho+torch
Also, you can get more heat out of an acetylene oxygen mix than a
hydrogen and oxygen mix. That's beneficial when working with thin
aluminum and a tiny torch because it reduces the heat affected zone.
I've tried aluminum welding with my big oxy-acetylene torch on thick
aluminum cross sections. Thick pieces work, but I often destroy
anything that looks like aluminum sheet metal. I usually blow a hole
at the beginning of the bead, or produce something useless that looks
like corrugated metal roofing. Learn by Destroying(tm).

I forgot to mumble that you need to add NaOH (sodium hydroxide or lye)
to the (demineralized) water to make it sufficiently conductive so
that the electrolysis works. Also, a backfire arrestor is probably a
good idea.

My thoughts were not to have to be forever messing with rental tanks.
I get half way through a job and the oxygen runs out or the fuel gas -
I am using LPG recently - expires and one has to run out and get some
more. When we were in Phuket that was nearly an 80 km round trip :-(

Gas welding aluminum is pretty much a lost art these days with the
availability of cheap TIG welding sets. I certified gas welding
aluminum in 1950 and never gas welded aluminum again :-) I seem to
remember that we gas welded aluminum using a flux which I'm not even
sure one can buy these days.



HHO Welder video worth watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGz5X1hB3Nw (5:52)

If you want to go cheap with a very fine torch tip (using a syringe
tip), there's the ER50 Electrolyzer for about $400.
http://www.eagle-research.com/cms/store/browns-gas/er50-assembled-mini-browns-gas-electrolyzer
Video on how it's used:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwPZoowQ-Rs
Small backfire at 28:30. Note that the maximum indicated torch
pressure on the gauge is 3 psi.
--
Cheers,

John B.