I keep wondering if this guy is an actor, or the best technical salesman ever, or a SMITH engineer or what? I don't meet people like this in the welding sector.
I agree that there should be more of these videos! I check every few months. I have Smith equipment, and am inclined to trust them, especially after watching this one! It's one of the greatest lab presentations I've ever seen!
I don't think I have enjoyed watching any youtube video as much as I have enjoyed this one. Such a proffessional. Thank you so much. There is so much to learn from this gentleman.
Airgas & praxair (Army also teaches this) says only to open the fuel gas 1 to 1.5 turns. I asked the fire department about this, they concurred. They went into a whole of reasons why to not fully open the valves, but the two main points I took away from it all was; In the event of a problem, it only takes that much to do an emergency shutdown. And damage/ leaks can occur by opening fully opening the valves, and manufacturers recommend not opening all the way, especially to full open stop. Just passing that along.
I am cutting titanium up to 12 inches thick. The man who taught me at my job hardly speaks english. Nobody has a understanding of the torch theyre just doing what they think is right. This was so helpful you have no idea. Im going to do more research!
This is helpful. I'd love to see another video or two showing how to get a neutral flame with the oxy-propane brazing tips (I have the MW-411) and also the oxy-propane rosebuds (I have the MT-805). Some additional commentary on the propane tank sizes required to run the rosebud for short periods of time (as opposed to continuous use) would also be helpful. Thanks in advance -- it's great to see high quality tools like your torches being made in the US. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks for your presentation! Kudos to you, your explanation of star patterns of gas flow is extremely helpful! I'm learning things now from your video that I'd hope that an apprentice metal worker might learn, so your video is extremely important to a whole bunch of people! (I'm a 70 y.o. retired pilot and amateur metal sculptor who recently changed from oxy acetylene to oxy propane.)
Great instructional video. Helped me understand how to use this specific setup. This guy should definitely be running a school when it comes to this kinda stop.
Thanks for the video. I just ordered a propane cutting torch just like the one you're using in the video and have never used propane to cut, so your video was perfect for me. Thanks for the info.
When this video first started out I thought I was going to hear about the Turbo Encabulator version of the OXY Propane Torch! I learned something new about the neutral flame that I did not know. After all I am an airplane driver not a welder. 🤣🛫
Thank you sir every thing you showed me I was doing wrong ,Trusting my welding supply to show me the correct way . I could never drop the cut piece like you showed ,I would have to tap off with a hammer . I had pressures at regulator set at what they suggested ,Witch was way to high . Thank you . My cut piece drops now just like yours .
This video is well above average compared with those who wish to deal in superfluous and useless chatter. Those who go to youtube for helpful information need more ladies and gentlemen of this caliber,
I started out watching this with the sound off and was getting a distinct Will Farrell vibe from this guy...so now I want to see Will Farrell do a skit about a welding teacher.
I was taught and always teach others to shut the fuel off first, then the oxygen. Also, there is no reason to fully open the valves. But there is a big reason NOT to open them fully. 1.5 turns is enough for fuel and oxygen to fully pressurize the system.
You ALWAYS, ALWAYS, Always turn the fuel off first otherwise as you turn off the fuel without the oxygen running, the flame of the fuel can crawl up the torch and gas hoses and cause an internal fire and possibly blow up the regulators. That's why the ministry requires flame arrestors on the base of the torch. When shutting down the torch the saying is " A before O or up you will go" referring to shutting off A (acetylene) before O (oxygen) or blow yourself up.
That is the way I learned it as well. Ag class at a small high school in S. Az in the 70's. My instructor was an island-hopping Marine in WW ll and a serious cat. He enforced lessons by a well-meaning smack to the back of the head, generally. Very effective I might add.
awesome lecture! I'm going to buy a setup and only use propane. I figure the lower temp will reduce the chances of "flaying" charred steel attaching itself to my cornea. :)
Filling a couple acetylene tanks today, I realize I have to move to a cheaper gas and propane will seem free in comparison. Just a couple fills will pay for the new equipment.
Yes! He's getting those numbers from a table in the little book that comes with the regulator. In the welding world generally I think there's a lot of guessing at this point because the information is lost, or you are using different brands of torch and tips! There's general information about oxy-acetylene cutting that helps you figure this out (it's in old books), but oxy-propane technique is not so common.
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.
Why did you shut off the oxygen to kill out the flame? I've always been told on acetylene rigs to shut off fuel first. Is this a difference between propane and acetylene?
He did a fantastic job of presenting this propane torch, i didnt know propane could be as fast and clean as Acetylene in an cutting operation. Im still not convinced that it could be better for welding than Acetylene tho. Also this Gentleman could just be the dad of Jason from Fireball Tools.
People DON'T weld with Propane! Acetylene and sometimes Hydrogen, that's it! Brazing, silver-soldering commonly, but Acetylene does it all if you have it, if you can afford it, if it's not out of stock (!).... I use both. THIS VIDEO shows something that really nobody knows about using Propane and Oxygen, I try to get students to watch it, 12 years later.
are there more videos on this channel??? I only see 3 videos from 6 years ago! It asks me to subscribe and to turn on notifications for upcoming videos, but it seems like we'll be waiting awhile.....
I don't think so! The cutting tips and regular torch tips for Propane are noticeably different. Ah, flame speed is lower for this combination than for oxy-acetylene or oxy-hydrogen. SO the tips have some feature to "anchor" or "sustain" the flame so it doesn't just blow off the end of the torch. It keeps re-lighting it constantly. The deal is that plain acetylene tips WILL WORK sort of, but you can't run them nearly as hard! My ignorance of this fine point and the set-up we see here used to make me think that Oxy Propane was weak and couldn't do much. I didn't know what I was doing! The correct set up as we see here gives a kind of shrieking effect to the torch that makes it hard to relax. Frankly, I'll use Acetylene if it's there, but sometimes it's not! And some kinds of work don't need it.
I know this is a 3 year old comment but whatever. Difference between oxy acetylene and propane is that. With acetylene, you open the fuel valve to smokeless point. Then adjust the oxygen and you are done. With propane, you have to open the fuel valve to the point that flames and torch have a connection still. If you open it more, when you turn the oxygen valve, oxygen will blow the flame. But at this oxy fuel ratio (flame still connecting to the tip while oxygen valve closed) flame is not hot enough to melt steel. You can try to heat steel for hours but nothing will happen. You have to give more fuel to cut. What i'm doing is turning fuel valve to the point that flame's diameter almost twice as big as the tip. Then i adjust the oxygen to neutral flame. So we are turn up the fuel second, and in this case third, time for not extinguishing the flame with oxygen.
@@blastomerxdefinitely correct. Setting a propane flame is certainly more complicated and difficult for me outside in the wind than acetylene for sure. You definitely have to take that stepwise approach alternating between adding oxy and propane or the flame will certainly blow out.
it really depends on what you're trying to do... for the most part, oxy-propane will get the job done, cutting, brazing, heating... plus it is readily available in case you run out... but you CANNOT weld with it, only with oxy-acetylene.
That's a load of bullshit, my 1910 Westinghouse vice jaws were repaired in 1998 with oxy propylene welding by my welding instructor. Still use the same vise today, and a pinch point bar and a simple jack all repaired via oxy propylene. Go find a new hobby.
@@tonyb7748 okay maybe you have some reading comprehension difficulty I said oxy-propane first of all Secondly, from what I read (and remember at this point..), it has to do with the stoichiometry of oxy-pro* combustion i.e. not balanced so you get inclusions of hydrogen (I believe it was hydrogen) molecules in your steel What do you know about metallurgy?
Seems a big difference in the shutdown. I was accustomed to fuel maintaining combustion after the oxygen shutoff. Perhaps I was using an unsafe procedure or am less familiar with propane as fuel.
Bottles should only be cracked one full turn at the most. 40lbs of oxygen seems like a awful lot . Is that the cost of using propane instead of acetylene?
Can somebody please help me, I just hooked up my cutting torch to propane and bought a propane tip, but when I light the propane and then apply oxygen it goes out.
? There are a few things: If you don't purge the oxygen line first (flow out some oxygen for a few seconds) when you light up you're mixing air with the propane and the flame will go out. / If you're using too much propane at first (if the plain propane flame is too big and tending to "lift" off the torch tip) you might sort of blow it out with the first little bit of 'oxygen'. / Is your oxygen pressure way too high? I see this a lot for some reason. The "TIN MAN" videos give a good idea of adjusting oxygen at the regulator... but you might try starting with as little oxygen pressure as you can get, and as you want more oxygen turn it up at the regulator... slowly! The idea is to open the valve pretty far, and make adjustments with the regulator, I think this is best practice. The problem with using a high pressure and trying to make it right at the torch is that you might not GET much adjustment, maybe your whole range of working adjustment is like 1/32nd of a turn of the knob... it's easy to go WAY too far. Don't give up! This wants to work! Then once you get it sort of working you can watch the video again! It's fun!
I noticed the most common cause of the flame going out is because the flame isn't touching the nozzle. If you always make sure the flame is touching the nozzle then add oxygen, it should be fine. Adding to much of one gas tents to smother the flame.
Fairly good video. Good info except lost me at 8:35. You always shut gas off before oxygen. That way the continuing oxygen flow will extinguish the gas flame as the mix ratio changes to only oxygen. Never shut the oxygen off first. It could possibly flame back into the torch head burning the o rings. 20+ years welding.
Also, even if your eyesight is protected from the flame, a face shield is still necessary. Failure to use one out here in the northern oilfields could get you run off. AND, you should be wearing fire resistant clothing and boot top protectors. Keep your pant legs outside of your boots so molten slag has less chance of rolling down into your boots and melting your toes together.
GraceEngineering washing a rig without a fashshield will get you run off. Even if you're running a bucket and brush. Oilfield safety men are a different breed from other industries.
Heck yeah.. plus having a Backlash arrestor is also very helpful. But yes your right. I'm also a welder. I love cutting steel . I don't know why but I really dig torch cutting and also Plasma cutting...
I just boucht an oxy acet torch and I am needing it more for heating. SO do you know where you would get a conversion kit to get it from acet to propane? thanks
You can get propane tips, they look different. The acetylene tip just has a plain hole in the flat end of the tip, propane tips have a recess in the end, or some kind of extra holes, something to "anchor" the flame. Propane burns slower than acetylene, and if you use regular tips you can't really crank it up b/c the flame will blow off. You'll see a gap between the tip of the torch and the flame, and it will want to go out. Air propane tips have these sustainers on them, too. If you look at the tip there might be little holes around the central one, or something that looks like a gear. SO, your main working flame is surrounded by little flames that keep the main one lit.
+Gabriele Trovato I'm taking a beginner welding class. I was taught to use 30 psi for oxygen and 5 psi for fuel (In this case propane). 6:1 ratio without every exceeding 15 psi for fuel in most applications.
I hate to think that needs to be explained , but I suppose so. Georgian knows why ,but others may not . I liked this video. Great review ,things that I don't think about anymore. 42 years +/- a loong time to remember .
@@georgianbents it's when the pressure of oxygen causes so much friction with a contaminate within the oxygen that causes ignition. So possibly the friction of the oxygen against the oil or the friction of another particle contaminant against the oil or regulator body that causes ignition. All from the high pressure and accelerating properties of the pure oxygen.
That lever opens a valve, which lets oxygen out. The jet of pure oxygen is what actually does the cut. The flames are just "preheat", but don't cut the steel, they just get it to ignition temperature.
Many welding torches have an accessory for cutting, it has this extra valve and lever on it. So what was an ordinary torch can be adapted into a cutting torch. This is very common. If you're cutting a lot, you can get a torch just for that, which is simpler and more rugged.
