Any hints or book reccomendations would be appreciated!

On Feb 10, 4:03 am, "Shaun Van Poecke"



Any hints or book reccomendations would be appreciated!

Shaun,

It's called "oxygen lance" cutting. I've never done it. But I've
read about it with fascination. Here's how it works.

FIrst, you "build" an oxygen lance. This is nothing more than a 1/2"
or 3/4" pice of black iron pipe that is at least several feet long.
And the longer the better, for two reasons. First, it becomes the
"fuel" and melts away as the cut progresses. Therefore, (second), the
operator continues to get closer and closer as the infernal process
progresses.

An oxygen shut-off valve is attached to the rear of the lance pipe.
Oxygen is supplied to it at a pretty high pressure and volume. I
don't remember the details but it's pretty high.

Once the rig is ready a SEPARATE oxy-acetylene rig is lit up. It is
used to heat the end of the lance and the area where the cut is to be
commenced, to a red heat.

Once this area is glowing red, the oxyacetylene rig is removed. The
lance operator opens the oxygen valve.

And the fun begins. I have read that a lance will cut through several
feet of anything, including steel reinforced concrete. Apparently it
was, and still is, used to cut defects out of huge steel blooms in
mills.

It releases an incredible amount of heat. All fed by an exo-chemical
reaction between the vaporizing atoms of the iron pipe and the oxygen
flowing through it.

All the above is based on my reading. None of it is based on
experience. So, use at your own peril yada yada.

Regards,
Vernon

On Feb 10, 4:03 am, "Shaun Van Poecke"



Any hints or book reccomendations would be appreciated!

Shaun,

It's called "oxygen lance" cutting. I've never done it. But
I've
read about it with fascination. Here's how it works.

FIrst, you "build" an oxygen lance. This is nothing more than a
1/2"
or 3/4" pice of black iron pipe that is at least several feet
long.
And the longer the better, for two reasons. First, it becomes
the
"fuel" and melts away as the cut progresses. Therefore,
(second), the
operator continues to get closer and closer as the infernal
process
progresses.

An oxygen shut-off valve is attached to the rear of the lance
pipe.
Oxygen is supplied to it at a pretty high pressure and volume.
I
don't remember the details but it's pretty high.

Once the rig is ready a SEPARATE oxy-acetylene rig is lit up.
It is
used to heat the end of the lance and the area where the cut is
to be
commenced, to a red heat.

Once this area is glowing red, the oxyacetylene rig is removed.
The
lance operator opens the oxygen valve.

And the fun begins. I have read that a lance will cut through
several
feet of anything, including steel reinforced concrete.
Apparently it
was, and still is, used to cut defects out of huge steel blooms
in
mills.

It releases an incredible amount of heat. All fed by an
exo-chemical
reaction between the vaporizing atoms of the iron pipe and the
oxygen
flowing through it.

All the above is based on my reading. None of it is based on
experience. So, use at your own peril yada yada.

Regards,
Vernon

On Feb 10, 4:03 am, "Shaun Van Poecke"

It's called "oxygen lance" cutting.  I've never done it.  But I've
read about it with fascination.  Here's how it works.

FIrst, you "build" an oxygen lance.  This is nothing more than a 1/2"
or 3/4" pice of black iron pipe that is at least several feet long.
And the longer the better, for two reasons.  First, it becomes the
"fuel" and melts away as the cut progresses.  Therefore, (second), the
operator continues to get closer and closer as the infernal process
progresses.

An oxygen shut-off valve is attached to the rear of the lance pipe.
Oxygen is supplied to it at a pretty high pressure and volume.  I
don't remember the details but it's pretty high.

Once the rig is ready a SEPARATE oxy-acetylene rig is lit up.  It is
used to heat the end of the lance and the area where the cut is to be
commenced, to a red heat.

Once this area is glowing red, the oxyacetylene rig is removed.  The
lance operator opens the oxygen valve.

And the fun begins.  I have read that a lance will cut through several
feet of anything, including steel reinforced concrete.  Apparently it
was, and still is, used to cut defects out of huge steel blooms in
mills.

It releases an incredible amount of heat.  All fed by an exo-chemical
reaction between the vaporizing atoms of the iron pipe and the oxygen
flowing through it.

All the above is based on my reading.  None of it is based on
experience.  So, use at your own peril yada yada.

Regards,
Vernon

On Feb 10, 4:03 am, "Shaun Van Poecke"



Any hints or book reccomendations would be appreciated!


Shaun,

It's called "oxygen lance" cutting. I've never done it. But I've
read about it with fascination. Here's how it works.

FIrst, you "build" an oxygen lance. This is nothing more than a 1/2"
or 3/4" pice of black iron pipe that is at least several feet long.
And the longer the better, for two reasons. First, it becomes the
"fuel" and melts away as the cut progresses. Therefore, (second), the
operator continues to get closer and closer as the infernal process
progresses.

An oxygen shut-off valve is attached to the rear of the lance pipe.
Oxygen is supplied to it at a pretty high pressure and volume. I
don't remember the details but it's pretty high.

Once the rig is ready a SEPARATE oxy-acetylene rig is lit up. It is
used to heat the end of the lance and the area where the cut is to be
commenced, to a red heat.

Once this area is glowing red, the oxyacetylene rig is removed. The
lance operator opens the oxygen valve.

And the fun begins. I have read that a lance will cut through several
feet of anything, including steel reinforced concrete. Apparently it
was, and still is, used to cut defects out of huge steel blooms in
mills.

It releases an incredible amount of heat. All fed by an exo-chemical
reaction between the vaporizing atoms of the iron pipe and the oxygen
flowing through it.

All the above is based on my reading. None of it is based on
experience. So, use at your own peril yada yada.

Regards,
Vernon

Yes you can cut without fuel for short periods but you cannot maintain a
cut with oxygen only more than a few seconds.
Generally the less preheat you have the better cut you will get. You
still however do need some preheat.
Randy

"Shaun Van Poecke" <shaunvanpoecke@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:cMgzh.5627$sd2.4032@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
hi all,
i remember some years ago a person i worked with telling me that once the
cut is started you need only oxy to maintain it and can turn off the
fuel. Ive been experimenting with this a bit at work lately as we have a
bit of spare time. I've had mixed results.

The plate im working with varies from about 1/2" to 2". Im using an
electric style plate cutting machine. There are all the usual
adjustments for height, travel speed, etc. I start the cut as usual with
a suitable tip and neutral flame, then once the cut is proceeding well i
start to reduce the acetylene. Ive had some excellent results by
reducing the acetylene to an extreme oxidising flame, to the point where
the flame almost goes out. i reduce the travel speed a little at this
point. The cuts im obtaining are really great - almost laser like. They
are dead clean, with no slag at all and a very neat edge that doesnt need
grinding. As a side benefit, there is less heat distortion on the cut,
on full plate length cuts you can notice that the cut off section moves
away from the main section by very little. It is noticeably cooler, to
the point that you can handle it without gloves within 10 minutes. using
less acetylene is only a minor benefit to me.

I cant completely turn off the fuel though, or the cut wont sustain
itself very long, maybe a couple of inches. does anyone have experience
with this type of cutting? Is it common? can anyone give some general
rules to follow or possible hints, is it possible to cut without any
flame at all once the cut has been started? As a general rule, would you
keep the same oxy pressure as for a flame cut? should travel speeds be
about the same?

Any hints or book reccomendations would be appreciated!

Yes you can cut without fuel for short periods but you cannot maintain a
cut with oxygen only more than a few seconds.
Generally the less preheat you have the better cut you will get. You
still however do need some preheat.
Randy


"Shaun Van Poecke" <shaunvanpoecke@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:cMgzh.5627$sd2.4032@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
hi all,
i remember some years ago a person i worked with telling me that once the
cut is started you need only oxy to maintain it and can turn off the fuel.
Ive been experimenting with this a bit at work lately as we have a bit of
spare time. I've had mixed results.

The plate im working with varies from about 1/2" to 2". Im using an
electric style plate cutting machine. There are all the usual adjustments
for height, travel speed, etc. I start the cut as usual with a suitable tip
and neutral flame, then once the cut is proceeding well i start to reduce
the acetylene. Ive had some excellent results by reducing the acetylene to
an extreme oxidising flame, to the point where the flame almost goes out. i
reduce the travel speed a little at this point. The cuts im obtaining are
really great - almost laser like. They are dead clean, with no slag at all
and a very neat edge that doesnt need grinding. As a side benefit, there is
less heat distortion on the cut, on full plate length cuts you can notice
that the cut off section moves away from the main section by very little.
It is noticeably cooler, to the point that you can handle it without gloves
within 10 minutes. using less acetylene is only a minor benefit to me.

I cant completely turn off the fuel though, or the cut wont sustain itself
very long, maybe a couple of inches. does anyone have experience with this
type of cutting? Is it common? can anyone give some general rules to
follow or possible hints, is it possible to cut without any flame at all
once the cut has been started? As a general rule, would you keep the same
oxy pressure as for a flame cut? should travel speeds be about the same?

Any hints or book reccomendations would be appreciated!

"Curt Welch" wrote: (clip) The preheat obviously comes from the steel
burning. If it goes out, it seems to me to imply you aren't burning
enough steel to keep it going. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The way I use a cutting torch, I sometimes lose the cut even WITH
preheat. What seems to happen is that the movement of the torch is not
perfectly even. If you go too slow, you slightly overheat the front of
the cut, and probably don't even know it, but when you go a little too
fast, your oxygen stream starts hitting metal that is too cold to ignite,
and the cut stops. Without preheat, this would be even more touchy, and
losing the cut would be almost inevitable.

Shaun,

It's called "oxygen lance" cutting. I've never done it. But I've
read about it with fascination. Here's how it works.
Regards,
Vernon

from what i know about it, typically the tube is loaded with other types
of rods.

Yes you can cut without fuel for short periods but you cannot maintain a
cut with oxygen only more than a few seconds.
Generally the less preheat you have the better cut you will get. You
still however do need some preheat.
Randy

"Curt Welch" wrote: (clip) The preheat obviously comes from the steel
burning. If it goes out, it seems to me to imply you aren't burning
enough steel to keep it going. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The way I use a cutting torch, I sometimes lose the cut even WITH preheat.
What seems to happen is that the movement of the torch is not perfectly
even. If you go too slow, you slightly overheat the front of the cut, and
probably don't even know it, but when you go a little too fast, your
oxygen stream starts hitting metal that is too cold to ignite, and the cut
stops. Without preheat, this would be even more touchy, and losing the cut
would be almost inevitable.