cutting with oxy acetylene torch

[davedarragh]

O/A Outfits

tony: Welcome to the forum!

Persoanlly, I prefer Victor, but Harris and Smith make a good choice as well.

Here's some Victor prices:

Super Range II..........$275.95

Contender................$345.95

Journeyman II...........$445.95

Journeyman..............$550.95

They all come with a HANDBOOK and INSTRUCTIONS for PROPER USE.

Dave

[seattle smitty]

Stretch, maybe someone else said this but I didn't spot it: If your tip is at all dirty or worn, and you don't have a properly-formed flame, you can't make a decent cut even if everything else is right. Sometimes grinding most of the mill scale from where you are cutting will keep pieces of crud from popping off the plate and sticking to the tip. You could also shoot a little MIG anti-spatter nozzle-spray on your tips after you get them clean.

As a wild guess, about a fourth of all owners of welding and cutting equipment are trying to weld with dirty and/or worn tips, excessive acetylene pressure, and incorrect (high or low) oxygen pressure, oh, and often with the wrong size tip (usually way too big). A lot of us, including me sometimes, tend to saw away with the tip-cleaner too aggressively, which eventually bell-mouths the tip, screwing up the shape of the flame.

Your welding supply store can get you a big, full-color wall chart illustrating the effects of each of the many cutting variables. It's a bargain at whatever price, and can get you good at inspecting your cuts. When you get the hang of it, the ability to make nice cuts that require little cleanup with the grinder is one of those really soul-satisfying skills!

[bretsk2500]

I'll

No matter which direction I go in once I do get the MIG, I don't want to outgrow the O/A torch/regulator setup. Is there a brand or model that you guys/gals can recommend over the others(Harris, Victor...)? As far as money goes it seems like $500 or less should cover almost everything I've seen, so I'd like to stay in that range (excluding bottle costs). I want something quasi professional.

Suggestions please?
thanks

You can't really go wrong with a Smith (Miller/ITW), Harris (Lincoln), Victor or Purox (Esab). $500 should do you just fine, depending on whether you decide to buy or lease your tanks.

I I've got a Old Purox setup that I had rebuilt a couple of years ago... for 3/8-1/2" I'd be running 5-6psi Acetylene and about 30-35 PSI oxygen through a #4 tip... but I also run 100' of hose on my reel. You'll find that each manufacturer numbers their tips differently... a Purox #5 is for 5/8" to 1 1/2" while a Harris #5 is for 6"-8".

Stay away from the low end Concoa product.... they're junk...

[jackbrit3]

When you have the torch set up right, someone once told me that the preheat flame should hardly change color when you hit the cutting oxygen lever. That helped me a lot.

jack

[thehat]

Pressure settings

The best advise I can give is get the Owners Manual that goes with your torch.It will have the proper tip size and pressure for what you are doing.While the settings that were given for a Victor are correct,so are the settings that Welderdude gave for a Smith which just goes to show that we have to know what you have to give CORRECT info and advise. Bill

[davedarragh]

O/A Pressures

The best advise I can give is get the Owners Manual that goes with your torch.It will have the proper tip size and pressure for what you are doing.While the settings that were given for a Victor are correct,so are the settings that Welderdude gave for a Smith which just goes to show that we have to know what you have to give CORRECT info and advise. Bill

Bill: Now I quote from "The Everyday Pocket handbook for Arc Welding Steel"

Printed and published by the AWS-a series page 30

material thickness: 3/8"

drill size (tip): 55

cutting orfice diameter: 0.052

acetylene pressure: 3 psi

oxygen pressure: 20

manual travel speed: 14-16 IPM

I'm not making this stuff up, these are direct quotes from the most reliable rescources in the welding industry.

Dave

[WyoRoy]

Seems like Smith may not be following "The Everyday Pocket handbook for Arc Welding Steel" very closely. Smith does in fact list 35 psi Oxygen and 10 psi acetylene for 3/8" in the following manual:

http://enet.smithequipment.com/public/docs/BDBinDoc.asp?ID={FCCFBF32-5B09-431E-B58E-1271BD10BD71**&DownLoad=0

I don't own any Smith products and I'm not about to say who is right/wrong/close here.

EDIT: Well, it appears the link doesn't work, but if interested take a look on Smith's site in the "Literature" category.

http://www.smithequipment.com/

[Sonora Iron]

One thing I didn’t see mentioned here is the proper use of the cutting oxygen lever. Seems as every torch, gauge setting, and cutting tip has a different “sweet spot”. I like to adjust the torch where the cutting cone is at least 18-inches long (longer the better), and sounds like an Oklahoma tornado. Sometimes you can achieve it by only pressing on the lever an 1/8th of an inch, or 1/2, every torch is different. But I look for the longest and loudest cutting cone when I adjust and use a torch!

[thehat]

O/A Pressures

Dave, My point is every manufacturer has their own unique design and engineering and their owners and safety manuals sould be read completely and followed to SAFELY get the most out of what they designed that tool to do.

[davedarragh]

O/A Pressures

WyoRoy & thehat: If that's what their book's call for, then I do not dispute that. I can only use the information I have.

The only point(s) I try and stress, is there are just as many posts with "bad" or "misleading" information, as there is good info. For any new comer, or new user(s), it behooves all of us to instill "reading & researching" good data.

Many posts are ended with; "that's my opinion," or "this is what I think," or "I've always done it this way." Sundown mentioned one time, that once bad habits are learned, they're harder to unlearn (in so many words).

I've never intended to be overbearing or ostentatious. Can't dispute facts, whether it's the owner's manual, or the Structural Code.

By all of us practicing safe work habits, whether a hobbyist or a pro, will ensure we can all enjoy our passion, and this fine forum.

Dave

[WyoRoy]

Dave,
I wouldn't disagree with a word of your post. As I said, I don't own Smith equipment and it wouldn't be the way I would set working psi up either, but Smith...and maybe only Smith...has optimized their equipment for those numbers. The reason I even posted the information was in the spirit of your "reading and researching" good data as two opposed and equally valid points on the same subject came buttin' heads together and it interested me enough to go over and see just what Smith had to say on the subject.

[davedarragh]

WyoRoy

Roy: Thank you. I did log on to their website, couldn't find any answers, but it looks like they "upgraded" their regulators, and some have new settings.

Actually, it's good to put this to rest, as we've had our share of "out of control" postings here of late, and we all want to continue using this fine resource.

It's interesting to "bounce" things off of others and get their feedback.

Don't mean to condtradict what I posted previously, but we all know, there are "tricks to any trade," as long as we remain safe.

Have a great day, stay warm up there!

Dave

[WyoRoy]

Watch it Dave before Calweld comes on and tells us we all just need a group hug...

[davedarragh]

"Group Hug?"

Watch it Dave before Calweld comes on and tells us we all just need a group hug...

Touche'

Dave

[WyoRoy]

Yep, once he gets his blood up its like trying to shuck a love sick sand flea. Only thing worse to rid yourself of is the mess he makes on everything...yuck.