Metal Cutting: Using Oxygen-Acetylene - Kevin Caron

[cottersay]

Hi Kevin; I like your videos, but this one contains a pretty glaring error: You state that a O/A cutting operator should open the valves on both tanks a "quarter turn only". That may be correct for the acetylene, but most definitely NOT for the oxygen cylinder, as you must turn the oxygen tank's valve ALL the way on, since oxy valves are double seated (if not opened completely the oxygen will actually leak from around the valve stem's o-ring due to the immensely high pressures).

[kevincaron]

@cottersay I keep getting conflicting answers on this point. Some say 1/4 turn others say full open.

Thanks for posting.....

[cottersay]

@kevincaron I too have seen the "open 1/4 turn" for oxy, but typically only in books for metal artists. All of the "open oxy fully" comments were in hardcore welding books. Just two I found:

"The oxygen valve is opened all the way until it becomes tight ."

'Welding: Principles and Applications', 7th Ed, Jeffus

From Stanford University:

"Open the main valve on the oxygen tank. Turn the valve until it is fully open (until it stops turning)."

Thanks for your great videos Kevin!

[kevincaron]

@cottersay Cool!!! Is everyone paying attention to this post??!!

Update your valve turning habits!!

Thanks for setting the record straight...

[laparka512]

dude you rock, i needed this

[kevincaron]

@laparka512 You are welcome! Glad I could help.

[nvr4saken]

thank you. i am definitely enjoying doing it. even if my projects don't turn out as planned.

[nvr4saken]

i do. but you never can tell who is giving the info or who wrote it. here, i can see the quality of your work and feel very positive you know what your talking about. i know you've said your self taught, but its obvious you've mastered your craft. sorry if i'm bugging you. just let me know if i am. i won't be offended. thanks again for the quick responses and advice.

[kevincaron]

@nvr4saken You are not a bother m/y friend. I like hearing from the people who watch these videos. Anytime you have a question please post it up. If I can 't answer it one of the pros that stop by will. This is turning into a great little community with a lot of very knowledgeable people.

[nvr4saken]

it does but not so much that i cant change tips bare handed when i change metal thicknesses. the cutting torch, i couldnt even touch. with gloves on, i could still feel the heat when i swapped it out. no book i have or info ive found addressed it so i thought id ask. didnt want to find out the hard way i was causing a potential hazard. i increased the oxygen pressure and that helped a lot. thank you so much.

[kevincaron]

@nvr4saken Just remember that Google is your friend. All else fails try searching for your torch and see if anyone has info. for it.

[nvr4saken]

hello kevin. me again. ive been practicing with my oxy-acetylene set using the cutting torch. when i was using the welding tip, the tip never got hot. even after 40min or so of welding and bending. the cutting torch, on the other hand, got to hot to touch only after about 5 min of cutting. is that normal? thank you.

[kevincaron]

@nvr4saken Well the welding tip is getting a little warm right? It will be cooler than the cutting tip but not stone cold. The cutting tip getting to hot to touch may be pressure setting on the regulators. You should check the settings for your torch set and make sure the gages are set correctly for the tip you are using. The pressure for the welding tip maybe different than the cutting tip.

Hope that helps.

[nvr4saken]

hey kevin. i see that a lot of people say to turn off the acetylene first but in the manual that came with my victor set, it says to always turn off the oxygen first. its also in every welding book that ive read. im new to welding of any kind so learning something and getting other peoples perspective is always good. whats your take? also, i love your videos and art.

[kevincaron]

@nvr4saken Well, I taught myself, so I always turn off the knob I grab first then turn off the other one. IN MY OPINION it matters not as long as the flame is out before you set the torch down. As for the bottle valves, I only open them 1/4 turn so I can turn them off in a hurry if I have to.

Thanks for posting.

[VisorBlue]

Ah...O/A. :-)

[jorgencream]

You should turn the acetylene off first when you are done. No black smoke that way.

And don't forget to bleed the system. So, no you weren't done.

[kevincaron]

@jorgencream I knew someone would catch that.

[kazl1m]

It was not clear what the lever controlled. Does it add more oxygen to the mix?

Thanks!

[kevincaron]

@kazl1m I knew I was forgetting something. Yes, the handle does add more Ox. to the mix. It raises the temp to help melt the metal and also helps to blow the molten metal out of the cut.

I blew it, good catch.