Took 11 months to realize my torch tip size was costing me time
I was out in Odessa last week on a 6 inch drum repair and kept fighting with slow preheat. Been doing this 8 years and finally checked the chart, my tip was two sizes too small for the metal thickness. Swapped to a #4 rosebud and cut my welding time nearly in half on that job. Has anyone else caught something dumb like that after years of doing it the hard way?
Funny you say that, but I actually think the chart gets leaned on too much. After a while you learn to read the puddle and adjust by feel, and that's saved me more time than any tip swap ever did.