Thanks Bob. I'm killing it at my new job with all of your expert advice stuck in my head. I'm 50 and still learning thanks to you sacrificing your time to share your knowledge. Much appreciated.
A little trick that will make that cutting edge slicker is run a piece of soapstone along the edge. Slicker than snail snot. Torch will glide right along and never try to drag.
Hi Bob, and thanks for another QUALITY training video. Our shop had a setting of 12/42 for everything. Of course we worked with heavy steel all the time and kept big tips on the torches. Here's a trick an old boiler-maker taught me, over 40 years ago, that works really well for cleaning your cutting tip, right before you start cutting. Get a rough-cut Oak 2x4 x 18" long. You can use that as a rest to keep the heat away from your hand...that and a C-clamp vice grip. Get your flame ready to cut. Squeeze the Oxy handle and place the face of the tip onto the face of the Oak board, and drag it to you...like 6" in 2 seconds fast. Then immediately put it to the metal, get the puddle and start your cut. You'll be amazed at the difference! He said the Oak carbon blows out the mill-scale and cleans your tip...HOT. Then it's ready to eat! I appreciate your videos! Please advise ALL your students to NEVER oil the threads on your bottle caps nor get oil anywhere around oxygen! It will blow up!Very dangerous! The 3 piece bottle caps are the way to go. Screw them on, hinge them closed and put the pin in the hole. When not using torch. That way, if for some reason the securement for the tank releases its hold on the tank, the valve will be protected! THANKS FOR POSTING
Hidy. Thanks for another wonderful video. You were speaking about tip cleaning...an old boilermaker taught me a kewl cleaning trick, back 40 years ago...take a rough-cut Oak 2x4x12" with you, everywhere you work. Most of the steel he would cut was 2" thick end sheets and 1" on snow-plows (which are modern day cow catchers), on the end of a Locomotive. He says...when your tip starts singing to ya, keep it lit and press the cut trigger and put the tip right on the face of thw wood and drag it along wit the tip touching the wood. The flames will force away...back up toward the torch. Rub the tip on the wood with the trigger pulled, for 4 or 5 three inch rubs and then pull it away from the wood. If the tip was full of scale, the oak will boil it out and the tip will be cleaner than if you ran a wire file into its ports and the end will be like a new tip! Needless to say, I keep a rough cut Oak 2" x 4" x 12" in my welding bay all the time, for tip cleaning. Try that one out
I always refer to the charts that come inside the Victor cutting torch manual .... It has travel speed and pressures listed. It's never let me down. Thanks for video.
Yep ! Always tell my helpers "PRE-HEAT, & PATIENCE ! PRE-HEAT, & PATIENCE !" You'll end up with a beautiful cut ! When they don't listen I tell them to clean up their own mess with the 7" grinder !! I also tell them "OLD AGE, AND TREACHERY WILL ALWAYS OVERCOME YOUTH, AND SKILL !!" 😁😁😁😁👍👍👍😉✌
Used a Oxy Ace for a couple of years. Probably have 500 hours on them. Mostly 1/4 to 1/2 plate. The very first thing you said, imho, was the most important. You have to keep the oxygen jet orifice "pristine" for good cuts.
Great Video Bob, Unless the camera is not showing it good I have been adjusting my torch wrong for 40 years. I have always open the mix valve until the preheat flames come down close to the tip and create that fine pretty feather effect. Guess I have some things to try this week.
very good lesson, i needed that one, thanks, my oxygen regulator blew the fusible plug out for some reason when i cracked the valve open, it is a Victor set, scared me to death, the set has been used very little but they are several years old.. keep up the good work that you do for all of us, thanks again,,
Things can go so wrong so fast with that pressurized gas. Once you see or hear about what happens when things go bad, you will either respect the hell out of it or walk away from it forever. Bob, once again you show us why you are the coolest cat on the planet! Great video.
Excellent video. I’m afraid the torch is under appreciated. I would love to see more videos on the torch. I learned more here about cutting to correct some of my errors. Keep up the good work and don’t gloss over the common knowledge some that really isn’t so common.
That bevel cut was nothing short of amazing. I have a lot to learn when it comes to torch work. It's always fun watching a true pro cutting steel. I probably would've fallen over if I saw 30 psi on the acetylene. I'm a bit scared of using it, to be honest, which can't be good from my cutting ability, but oxy/propane just doesn't do it. I guess if you're safe and mindful of your equipment that's all you can do. It just sucks having to keep an explosive device next to you all day, knowing that if you screw up, you're going to have a very, very bad day.
Bob I have had the same experience with multiple layers of protection and still get scale in my eyes. Probably 3 or 4 Times in my 40+ years of welding and burning.
Wow, this presentation is top notch! The first true welding master I've encountered anyway... the way you explain this information is just perfect. This channel seems to be one of those rare gems as far as welding info goes. Thanks gentlemen!
Just started welding class. Not sure what the exact tip size was but it looked to be similar to yours a 00. I found it was easier to cut the thicker piece a 5/8 I believe. The thinner piece like a quarter inch or smaller wanted to melt back together when I was cutting. We were following corresponding victor tip charts and keeping acetylene not too far over 5 psi.
Bob, thanks for this great video, so many super points. Before the days of u tube "older" people like myself had to rely on books. I never thought of kicking the O2 pressures up that high, but my plasma cutters often exceeds 70 lbs. Many who use a straight edge for a guide should note that your leading edge is elevated off the work surface, we'll I'll go back to my nap, once again thanks. J
I have inherited a 30+ year old oxy acetylene rig. The hoses appear to have lots of cracks. I would like to replace them and have seen hose sets at a local discount hardware store that are smaller in diameter but are relatively inexpensive. Say 50 ft for around 40 dollar's. Would it be ok to go to a smaller diameter hose. Also I would like to add a flame arrestor inline at the tanks and torch ends. What would be recommended as I have seen cheap and expensive ones online. I am new to welding. Any advice would be most appreciated. ppear to have lots of cracks and
I was expecting to see a little chipping hammer action... when he cleaned the slag off with that little striker I was really amazed! I'm MILES away from this action. When I cut something with a torch I'm really excited if the cut piece falls off by itself and I didn't get hurt.... The idea of cutting to a LINE and so on gives me something to live for.
I’ve noticed you really only get the “pour” from the beveled cuts when cutting an edge. When you leave some land the Slag will build up at the bottom of the cut but usually flakes off and cut quality is comparably the same.
Funny I should find this video lol. I just bought a torch and regulators, second hand, and I had an irregular regulator too. Mine was the oxygen gauge that was faulty though. Now, this is in my little home shop so... super scary stuff. Went through proper procedure, turned it up to about 30lbs, it worked for about 3 seconds then I could feel the torch start to push back a bit, then a lot! By the time I got to the bottle to shut it down it had gotten to well over 150lbs! (literally bent the needle) I was pretty shook up by the whole ordeal, but also thankful it was me that got the torch set. If someone less experienced picked it up well, it could have been a lot worse. Needless to say, that regulator is stripped down and out of service and the %$^% that sold me the regulator got a serious earful. Sorry for the extra long comment, honestly it was pretty recent and I'm still venting about it 🤣. Thanks for the video, Bob! 👍😊👍.
Haven't gas welded in years. Veteran, retired, built a forge, baught an arc welder (stick), and was gifted an old double carbon tip arc torch. Anxious to learn about it. Can I weld or cut with it? What is its main use? ... can you help me?
I realize this video is 2 years old but I do have a question... how do you prevent slag, or what are the causes creating slag when one does cutting??? Thanks! Your vid is wonderful!
I'm making a straight edge today at work like that, thanks for the idea Bob!!!also nice flame work sir. Thanks for sharing these little tricks and ideas, they help out quite a bit!!Often at work we have to cut 2'' and under by hand all the time and a nice little straight edge like that will help me...normally I just use a little aluminum straight edge but that is so so...
I noticed shipyards were using Propane, so I switched from Acetylene to Propane 30 years ago (SO much cheaper, and only a LITTLE bit colder) and NEVER looked back.
Propane is about 75% cheaper to buy (plus you can get it just about anywhere today. I also use a small 1 lb bottle if I am on the road (so I only have to BUY and lug around one heavy O2 tank). While it is colder (5700F Acetylene vs 5100F for Propane,) but it also uses a lot LESS oxygen so for me it was a win win situation. This 600 lower temperature means nothing for 99.99% of the users I have a cheap set of torches and some single stage regulators (Look at ARKSEN Harris on Amazon) and have used and abused them for over 30+ years. You will need to buy an adapter to convert the Acetylene regulator to fit the propane bottle (About $5 at a welding store)The only thing I had to replace on the torch set was the rubber hoses about 5 years ago.
Richard Cournoyer Awesome, thank you! I'll definitely look into that, I was kind of skeptical but you aren't the only person who's said propane was better. Thanks!
Since my hobby workshop is in the cellar I decided for Acetylene. The heavier than air Propane is just to dangerous in this case. Otherwise I would also use Propane.
Interesting. Have a question for you though. When I am burning, I always seems to get an unusual amount of slag at the bottom of the cut. Then I have to work at it to get it off. On the other hand, I've seen other guy/gals that can burn through almost anything and it looks like (almost) a machine did it. I was told I had too much oxygen coming out, too much gas. I've played with both many times and still have too much slag. Tip is always clean and a number 1 or 2 is used. Suggestions?
Like your version of the straight edge with the stand off bar edge. Now I go add it to mine, wish I had thought of it year's ago! Never too old to learn new and different thing's Stay safe out there brothers.
A set of "tip cleaners" was always in my work bucket. Along with that I'd carry extra, different size tips. On a repair job, I'd swap out the company tip for mine (if necessary). Then swap back, when I was done.
I guess thick is relative. I was hoping to see some 3-6" stuff cut. My son replaced the 45 amp plasma cutter on his CNC table with an oxy torch to cut some 1" stuff. First cut was great. Haven't needed to cut anything thicker yet.
🤣 it was just 4 pieces of metal welded together... what plans could you need. Part of welding and fabrication is figuring it out. Think he had a set of plans when he built that one? No he had an idea for something and made it.
Bob .. cleaning: you mentioned a mill file, yup, work good! But another old timers trick... Polish the soot dirt and junk off the outside of the tip too. Seems to help make a hotter cleaner flame. Otherwise, I've always just flown by the seat of my pants... Instinct I guess. My favorite torch set is an old Smith's, my dad picked it up used about 50 years ago. Tips are hard to find, so it's in a box in the shop😥 but back in the day, I could cut a nice clean smooth cut in 3/4" to 1" materials... With a torch rated to a maximum of 1/2" piercing...😎 Safety glasses, shield, goggles... The more you wear, the more chunks get through... I've made that trip to the eye doctor, that Dremel tool is psychedelic!! Bending and twisting the lens!!! LOL... I've been there 5 times in over 40 years. Each time I had all the protection I could have.. I'm a bad boy, don't always wear safety glasses... But when I do, I get a ride to town to see the eye doctor.. Accetaline... Ten pounds is usually a great plenty!! I've gone to 12 a few times.. makes me nervous!! 6 or 8 is great!!!
Can’t be too careful when it comes to flying bits of slag or hot metal. Keep a good eye on your hoses and the condition of your equipment. And what areas your cutting in. Having another pair of eyes watching what’s going on while your concentrated on your cut is always a good idea. I remember my father telling me he was up on an extension ladder cutting away with a brand new out of the box set of gauges on the bottles. Turned out they were a bad design by a reputable manufacturer. They had a plastic plug in the top and sparks were falling around and onto the bottles which were off to the side but still enough for a spark to drop into the plug, melt it and release and ignite the acetylene.The guys working in the factory actually bolted and my father raced down the ladder and turned the bottle off. After abusing the shit out of the CIG rep, all those gauges were recalled and removed from sale. So lesson learned, pay attention to your equipment. Cover things if need be. It could have gone horribly wrong.
Matt Tradie Go horribly wrong. Now there is an Understatement. More like a real bomb going off. No wonder your Dad cussed the rep out. Hard to hear but better than going to a Coronial Inquest.
Meanwhile we have a guy at our scrapyard blasting tons of metal away to the point he needs 2 propane tanks in his basket. He said he runs his oxygen at 180 with a size 6 Victor tip. He had so much condensation on his basket that he burned it all off only with propane. Regulators line and all.
I have a question that may sound stupid. When should you stop using the oxygen from the cylinder? Is it a case of going until you lose all pressure or should you stop before that. I have flashback arrestors fitted if that makes a difference.
I'm planning on buying some 1/2 and some 1 inch plate for a couple projects I have and my only means of cutting at the moment are a angle grinder and a chop saw. Almost looked into a harbor freight plasma cutter but that only does 1/4 inch at 120 volts i dont currently have a 240 setup in my garage so that won't work.
Love your videos. Have a question or request for a video. I clean much of my new metal and then spray with a light coat of regular metal primer for storage from rust. In your opinion , does welding thru the light coat of primer affect the strength of a weld or how much. I would love to see an in-depth video with cut an etch test and bend test with primer and no primer on equal samples of same welds. All opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks, I've done a bit of this up to 3/4" and ok for what I wanted but always looking for new tricks. I was cutting bar weights for my son so being round and having a wheel bearing or to hanging round I made a turntable, worked quite well very smooth to turn but at that time my issue was setting pressures and using the correct tip so lots of slag! Just wondering with your manual cuts would it be smoother to pull the torch instead of pushing?? Re your mill scale I've been on site with all the good gear on and still got grit in my eye. I believe it either bounces off your cheek or turbulence draws it in. Another quick story we had a "gun" pipeline welder from the good ol' USofA and he had huge ear holes! why? well he would stick a fair sized coin in there to stop the nasties getting in...good bloke to.
Beautiful cuts, always good to learn a few tips from and old timer. Would like to see you try cutting that 3/4 plate, like the welder us to work with. He would use a 000 tip, 7 lbs acetylene and about 100 psi on oxygen.
Thanks so much for the information. Been looking at getting a small oxy set up. I don’t do much but being able to do a little of everything would be nice. Enjoy learning from you guys. Thanks again!!!
Get the old crew back LOL By the way those boots you wear look comfortable who makes them. Hell while i am at it, a video like the one today but with a plasma cutter would be super helpful. Thanks a lot
Maybe this was a "one-take" job? It must happen now and then. Anyway, I was really glad to have this information! I did some torch cutting this week and it wasn't nice at all! Let's try the burn-bar, at least go in a straight line!
two things bob., show people the difference in the holes in different sizes of torch tips, i use a #2,4 and 8 tips in the shipyard. also how about showing how to cut with propane or propylene gases which are very common in commercial cutting operations because the gas is so much cheaper
How can you tell if you have a regulator problem versus a pressure gauge problem or a acetylene doesn’t like the cold weather problem? I inherited my dads OA torch and am trying to learn but cannot find a teacher. When I set the acetylene to 5 psi the gauge drops when I open the torch valve, is it’s supposed to maintain the 5psi or drop while using it? Mind you the garage it’s in is 38-40°. Wish I had an old timer around because I’m sure they could show me so much in as quick as an hour. Hell I’d pay for a day class. Seems a lot can be done with OA but with zero experience and knowledge it’s making for little success so far. 😳
Jimmy Doe but if you're using a guide bar like in this vid it doesn't matter if your marks disappear while you're working, you line up the bar to your marks before you start and then just work from the bar. I still prefer a scribed mark, though, it should cut through any scale.
Hello sir, what would happen if too much argon is used during tig welding or mig welding? How does it affect the welding process? Will the heat carrying capacity increase? Thank you. Another great video by the way. Have a good one.
Just to throw my two cents in - I've had massive, massive dramas TIG welding aluminium when the gas is set too high. Blows the arc all over the place and makes it really difficult to add filler material without that (now) mega hot gas blowing out and melting the filler! Granted, it might just be my so very poor technique.. I'm sure other people will be able to add more comprehensive info!
This is a skill I'd love and have never had the opportunity to get. Have always cut with chop saws or occasionally a plasma cutter, and always used a large bench grinder for bevelling plate
Hi bob seen many videos on oxy cutting. Can you make some videos on cutting old rusty beam. As in the construction site there are old and rusty I beam which are layered and thick ones.
how do you deal with silly people in the shop? I moved the oxy hose away from dripping slag (was burning the hose) and i was scolded. I personally don't like to explode but as the FNG i'm clueless on what to do.
I can't wait until I'm old enough and grumpy enough to throw around phrases like, "Im'ma do this cut 1-handed", or "Lemme' see if I can do a better cut than this robot". Got dern' legend right there.
Love the trac-torch, and I too use Angle iron as a guide for a straight cut..but if you flip the angle iron over on the legs you'll get a 45degree Angle cut better
How do you figure out what speed to run the track burner? I know you said start slow but what are you looking for to determine if you're going too slow or too fast?
I don't even to make any video, yet, It is like I'm watching myself go (and yes! None touches my torch/tips/guides/etc) If I work for a shop full-time and can't have my own set of torch, I'll buy my own to work there just like I buy my own work-boots.
Love the videos. Thank you for all you do to make them! I would be interested in hearing why acetylene is dangerous and unstable above 10-15 psi. I have always heard that it was, but never knew why or what would happen...
Straight from the MSHA site: When exposed to excess temperature, pressure, or mechanical shock, pure or less than pure acetylene gas can undergo a violent, explosive decomposition reaction. Additionally, if this reaction, or an ignition of acetylene occurs within the torch base or supply hose, it can propagate back into the storage cylinder causing it to explode violently.
Bigger tip. Say, 4 or 5. (I like Harris) Pressure Gauges on torch. Two stage gauges at tank. 15 pounds propane, 65 oxygen. It’ll cut through most steel.
Thanks for the informative videos. It would have been great if the guide beveled cut was retained to compare with the hand beveled cut. Impressive hand cutting and good look at your homemade hand cutting straightedge.
Bob, I would like to see tips on oxy-fuel cutting thin metal as in 3/8" and thinner, I have more trouble with cleanly cutting them than I do thicker stock mostly blow outs and thick slag on the bottom of the cut, if you get a chance to I would greatly appreciate it and keep the videos coming 😊
