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?

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stellabennett21d ago

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.