Never said you couldn't. I've had to do my share of thin with a torch. Never got to where I really liked it but it's doable. However as stated the big problem is with warping. Just to much heat put into the piece with a torch. Really shows up on thinner plate like 16 -18 ga.
It's possible especially with a track torch. The problem doesn't really rear it's head till you get close to 45 deg with the angle. At that point it gets harder and for really steep you have to start cutting from the other direction to keep it going.
Say like a knife edge. If you cut from the thick side of the knife you're going to have trouble. But if you cut from thin side then it's possible. It has to do with the angle of attack with the torch.
I think I may need to make a video of these sometime. Not sure when. I'm kinda booked up this weekend. Might have a little spare time next weekend depends a little on what happens with the family.
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We beveled with an OA track torch and got nice results by making a preheat pass then reversing direction for the cut.
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we did all our beveling with a torch. I will see if I can find a camera and take some pictures. If I was doing it by hand i drag the tip on the plate for quick and easy. On a track unit I can set the height and not worry about consistency. I used a victor buggy with dual torches. the first torch was set for vertical and the back torch was set for the bevel.
On our cutting table, we cahnged from acetylene to propane. It took a short learning curve for what the flame looked like but once you got it down you could get better than a factory edge.
On all our pipe bevellers we used both propane and acetylene. it depended upon if we were inside the shop or outside the shop. we only had propane drops inside the shop.
I didn't say it couldn't be done. In fact I do it often. I was just saying that for steep bevels it can get tricky. Also when beveling half way through a plate (like for a weld bevel on both sides) I've had a lot of slag buildup on the bottom end. I've not found a way to prevent it in those cases. I've also noticed that slower cutting speeds are generally needed to keep the cut going more so for steeper angles. In those cases plasma is faster for me anyway.
Last edited by irish fixit; 12-18-2011 at 11:10 PM.
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Got a chance to shoot this the other day. Unfortunately it was late in the day and there wasn't much sun so it came out darker than I like even with the lighter filter. It looks ok playing on my computer but after upload it got darker.
Anyway it's just a demonstration of angling the torch when cutting thin metal.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQZ__WUDUSU[/ame]
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If you listen to the sound as he speeds up you will start to hear a sputtering sound... similar to what a plasma arc makes. That is the sweet spot in speed... much faster and you lose the cut.
With propane and oxygen the sputtering is very clear compared to acetyene.
Well today I spent the morning prepping pieces for a project and then in the afternoon I got my laptop set up in the shop on a rolling cart and spent the afternoon watching the videos and cutting. I am pleased to report my cutting has already improved drastically once I got the torch adjusted right. My Victor 00 tip would not work like yours even after cleaning but I had very good results with a new Victor 0 on 1/4" plate. Finally I can make clean cuts that don't "grow" back together behind the cut, and with minimal slag. Just need to work on my straightness.
I'll order a new 00 tip, I think my old one got distorted on the end.
I am also having a tough time with my little Victor 100C torch handle, my hands are big and I am constantly bumping the valves. I am also fighting the hoses, they keep wanting to pull the torch over when I set the valves at the bottom like yours. I ended up setting them to one side so the hoses would stay relaxed. I do think I need a bigger torch.
I have a nice 1/4" angle framework from an old refrigeration compressor stand that I am going to put a grate on top of for my cutting table, for now I put some old window security bars on it, the scrolls make a great place to lay the torch!
I want to thank you again for all the time you took to do this, for people you don't even know. And if I recall you lost your house in a fire recently yet you still found time to do this for us. For us rookies this is one of the best Christmas presents we could ask for.
If you ever come to Tucson, PM me. I am not going to buy you a beer, I am going to buy you a prime rib dinner!
Last edited by bigb; 12-24-2011 at 09:01 PM.
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Great. Glad to hear they helped. Straight will come with practice. Work at following a line with one side or the other of the kerf.
Tips do get messed up to the point where they're not usable. In my experience it's rare to get a tip as good as the one I demonstrated but as long as it doesn't shorten the flame drastically it's probably ok.
Don't worry about the valves. That's probably a bad habit of mine. I didn't have anybody teaching me when I learned. I tried several different directions but kept bumping the valves as you say so settled on that position. It's worked for me over the years but I don't know anybody else who uses that position.
I have small hands and still like the larger diameter Purox handle over any of the Victors. If I do have a Victor I much prefer the small one. The large Victor is just ungainly in my hands.
Sounds like you've got a pretty good cutting table as is.
You're welcome. The house loss is over a year ago now (Nov 9th or so). I'm just starting to get my finances flowing in the right direction the last couple of months so maybe by the end of next year I can start thinking about rebuilding.
I went through Tuscon about 3 years ago when on vacation. The only time that I went through there that I know about (might of gone through when I was 4 but I'm not sure).
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Love the videos, they will help me a lot. I subscribed. tbndeereman75.
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Thanks. I'm glad they're helping people.
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Coupla things to add - coming late to the party - first, most quality manufacturers provide tip charts which help enormously in setting gauge pressures; second, whole lotta guys don't realize that it isn't the size of the torch it's the size of the tip. You can cut huge slabs of steel with a little bitty torch if it's set up for a tip big enough.
To me, torch cutting is like playing golf or shooting pool - it's all about practice, and muscle memory. I don't think there's any way you can teach someone to cut well in a few minutes.
metalmagpie
Excellent videos. Thanks for taking the time to set it all up. Great tip on angling the torch for thin metal, that always gave me trouble with a cutting torch. I will remember that one for future reference.
You're welcome. The angle tricks works well for straight cuts. It's not as good for curved cuts especially sharp curves but every little trick helps.
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I watched the first video and the first thing I noticed was that your flame looks nothing like mine. Actually, it looks nothing like most shops I have been in, which got me thinking.
So, I did a quick google search and found a link to show how Ihave always set my torch up and got excellent results. Not saying you are wrong, but I have never seen a torch with your flame. I have always set mine to have a nice small cone. The way I was taught by seasoned pros.
Anyway, I did not look through any other videos other than the very first one. I don't have the time to. So if subsequent videos cover the settings I will link in the following video, my apology!
BTW, the flame setting is about 1/2 through the video I believe.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...orch-tips.html
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On another note, I spend nowhere near the length of time preheating the cut with my flame compared to yours. I can set the flame at the edge of the piece to be cut and start cutting within seconds using a small victor tip all the way up to half inch.
I also never depress the oxygen level while adjusting. That makes no sense to me and is contrary to most manufacturers guidelines IIRC.
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I think what you're seeing is that particular tip. It's one of my new tips I just got in and I'm not happy with it. They've changed the way they're making them and it's not as good as the old way. I do cover adjusting the flame with a better tip and in much more detail in a couple of later video's.
Preheat time varies. In that video I'm demonstrating the different preheat settings and what happens when you change them. I go to extreme's when doing so in order to bring the point across. Thus the long preheat time on the second cut from the really low preheat. I explain in the video that it's one of the drawbacks to low preheat.
As for the not depressing the lever. Well if you've got short large hoses it's probably not a big deal. But if you've got long and or small hoses then it can change the neutral flame of the preheat pretty drastically when you depress the lever. It's not that big a deal on the smaller tips though. But if you want the best cut possible with the tip you have getting that neutral flame while cutting is going to be the best. The only way I know of to ensure that neutral flame while cutting is to do final adjustment with the lever depressed.
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You can increase the valve friction on Victors and most other torches by gently, slowly tightening the packing nut with an open-end wrench.I am also having a tough time with my little Victor 100C torch handle, my hands are big and I am constantly bumping the valves.
You are right on Irish, in the final adjusting with the lever engaged. Every old timer I've ever known did it this way as well as myself.
Irish, thanks for this post. After watching you cut with the torch I couldn't help but notice you using the face shield. Since I wear glasses now (age has a way of changing things), I have been suffering with the goggles along with the elastic strap! Went out and purchased a face shield with # 5 shade and man I feel like a kid again!! What a change!! Thanks again. Bob
Thanks for backing me up on that. Should of noticed this post a long time ago.
You're welcome. I've worn glasses before I started using torch which was when I bought my first one at 13. I learned about the dark face shield from some friends who where welders helpers back during that boom. I can remember fighting with the goggles and glasses before switching to the shield. I like them a whole lot better for most things though they do have there drawbacks. The worst problem is keeping them from getting scratched up. Those dark shields aren't cheap either. But worth every penny in my book.
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Well today I worked on getting my new to me track torch working. I managed to snag it for $150 and looks like I did good. From what I can tell it's not been used a whole lot but has set for a while. I had to grease up the bearings and gear box as well as clean a rats nest out of it. Once that was done it seems to work great. I do wish it was a little faster for use with the plasma but maybe I'll manage to work that out down the road. A two or three speed gear box would solve that. As it stands it'll go from less than 5 ipm to just over 30 ipm. It has a governor on the back of the motor and maintains speed better than any other track torch I've been around.
I had the track already. It came with a lot at a auction one time so I saved it hoping that I could find a machine that fit it. I'm pretty sure that they're a match. The color on the track is a Linde green and this is a Linde torch. It didn't come with a rack for the torch so for now I stuck a piece of 3/4" CRR in it so I could try it. I've checked and McMaster has rack the right size and pitch to fit so I'll have to get a piece and turn the ends down.
Anyway here's a short video of a cut in 1" plate. I've still got a little bit of dialing in for the perfect cut but it's good enough for most work.
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Cool. Now you have another circle cutter too.
Just unlock the casters and pin the arm at the circle's center.
Hey Irish -
With all the effort you put in your video productions they deserve to be more than just a dark screen.
With YouTube's video editor you may be able to "one click" edit your too-dark videos to make the detail more visible.
Just:
Video Manager --> Edit Video --> Fill Light and/or Contrast (drag to adjust) --> Preview --> Save
Good Luck
Last edited by denrep; 01-07-2012 at 09:15 PM.
Yep good for large ones in heavy plate.
I've tried to lighten them before and didn't like what came out so went back. Interestingly they're not that dark when I play the original movie on my computer but they darken once I upload them. If I take them with strong sunlight outside it's not a problem. But it was starting to get dark by the time I managed to get this one done. I've discovered that the main adjustment I have on how dark they are with the filter is with the zoom. I worked at getting it set up in wide angle for this shot to try and lighten it enough. I thought it was till I uploaded it.
If I don't use the filter then you can't see anything while cutting. Oh well I'm still trying to get all the kinks worked out of that part.
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