How To Set Regulators On Cutting Torch

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• Piece of work Area
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• Setup
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• Cutting

An oxy-acetylene torch, also known equally a blow torch, is a dangerous cutting organization, simply it'south also a powerful and useful tool if yous need to cutting steel. By creating a safety work environment and carefully monitoring the pressure of the oxygen and acetylene, you can use an oxy-acetylene torch for whatsoever number of projects!

1. 1

   Wear fire-retardant clothing and heavy leather-soled boots. Do non clothing loose-fitting clothes, wearing apparel made from flammable synthetic materials, or clothing with frayed or torn edges that may ignite more easily than tightly-woven, clean-hemmed garments.^[ane]

   • Burn-retardant article of clothing is recommended but, if that isn't available, wear close-fitting cotton clothes. Nylon and nearly other common synthetic wearing apparel will apace burn if defenseless on fire!
   • Sturdy, leather-soled piece of work boots are recommended. Hot pieces of metal, called slag, tin easily burn through rubber-soled shoes. Laced boots are preferable since slag tin can drop into the top of pull-on boots, like engineer's boots and cowboy boots.
   • You lot should also accept a set of cut goggles and heavy leather gloves.

2. ii

   Have a fire extinguisher on hand. For well-nigh projects, a compressed air and water extinguisher will work, but if oil, plastics, or other combustible materials are around, an "ABC" extinguisher is recommended. It's also a skillful idea to accept another person continuing nearby who can alarm you if something catches fire.^[ii]

   • Flying slag can easily cause a burn down in your workspace, so test your fire extinguisher to ensure information technology'south in good working club earlier y'all starting time cutting.

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3. iii

   Ensure your workspace is free of combustible materials. Working on bare earth or a concrete slab is highly recommended since sparks are going to fly many anxiety from the cut location. Dry material like paper, sawdust, cardboard, and dried establish leafage or grass can be ignited from fifteen feet (4.vi m) or further.^[iii]

   • Practise not allow the flame to contact concrete, especially fresh concrete, every bit it may crusade it to expand and scissure violently, sending pocket-sized bits of concrete flight.

4. iv

   Set up the projection on steel supports at a comfortable working pinnacle. A steel table is ideal since you can brace yourself to steady the torch. Never use a surface that is combustible, like a wooden table, or one that has had combustible materials spilled on it.^[iv]

   • Also, beware of material that has metallic oxide coatings, such as lead paint, chromate primers, and zinc plating, since inhaling the fumes from these can be toxic.

5. 5

   Mark your cuts with a soapstone marker. If you lot need a more precise cutting, measure a little extra space so you lot can grind your cutting. You may apply a permanent mark if a soapstone is non available, simply the marker will tend to disappear just ahead of the torch flame.

   • For very precise cuts, you may get better results by using a specialized jig to etch the line into your work surface.

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1. ane

   Hook upwards the gauges to the advisable tanks. The hoses from your torch should attach to the nozzles on the oxygen and acetylene tanks. Typically, oxygen tanks and hoses are green, and acetylene hoses are red. The hoses are usually paired together, and the ends are separated so they can adhere to their respective tanks. The acetylene hose will accept reversed threads and a male fitting to make information technology easier to tell them apart.^[5]

   • Since the fittings are made of brass and can hands be damaged, tighten them with an appropriately-sized wrench.

2. 2

   Make sure the acetylene regulator is turned off. To check that the regulator is completely off, dorsum the tee handle out a few turns. This handle will be on top of the tank right side by side to the regulator valve. This volition assist ensure that you lot take complete command over the acetylene gas pressure.^[6]

   • At higher than 15 psi (100 kPa), acetylene becomes unstable and may spontaneously ignite or explode.

3. 3

   Open the gas valve on top of the acetylene tank with one turn of the wrist. Again, it'due south extremely important to maintain control over the menses of the acetylene, so y'all want to open up the gas valve just enough to allow a abiding, steady period of the gas.^[vii]

   • Opening the tank more than a unmarried turn could atomic number 82 the gas to become unstable, and information technology will be harder to turn off in the case of an emergency.

4. 4

   Open the regulator valve past turning the tee handle clockwise. This is the same handle that you airtight before opening the gas valve. You should open this very slowly, and yous should constantly monitor the low-pressure gauge while you're opening the valve. Open up it only until the pressure level indicated is between v–eight psi (34–55 kPa).^[8]

5. 5

   Open up the gas valve on the torch handle to vent it. To vent the atmosphere from the acetylene hose, open up the gas valve on the cut torch handle until you lot hear gas escaping, and so detect the depression-pressure level judge to see if the force per unit area remains steady during flow and ensure that you lot have this regulator set correctly.

   • Close the acetylene valve on the torch once you are sure the force per unit area is regulated..

6. half-dozen

   Turn the oxygen regulator off, then open the main oxygen tank all the way. In the same way that you closed the acetylene regulator, back the oxygen regulator guess out a few turns. Once you've washed that, turn the handle on the main oxygen tank and so it'due south all the way open.^[9]

   • The setup on top of the oxygen tank will be similar to that on the acetylene tank.
   • The oxygen valve is a double-seated valve. When yous open it, exist certain to turn the handle so the valve is all the manner open. Otherwise, the oxygen volition leak out around the valve-stem O-ring.

7. 7

   Open up the oxygen regulator valve slowly. Just like with the acetylene regulator, you'll plow the tee handle very slowly, watching the low-pressure gauge as you exercise and then until the pressure reads between 25–forty psi (170–280 kPa).^[10]

8. eight

   Open and close the oxygen valve on the torch to vent the atmosphere. There are 2 valves on the oxygen side of the cutting torch assembly. To brainstorm with, open up the valve closest to the hose several turns to ensure sufficient oxygen is available for both functions. Next, open the forward valve slightly until the hose is purged (about three-5 seconds for a 25 anxiety (7.6 yard) hose), then close the forward valve.^[11]

   • The valve well-nigh the hose connections volition control the flow of oxygen to the mixing chamber for the combustion, and so no oxygen should vent from the torch tip until either the cut lever is depressed or the valve further upwardly the torch is opened.

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1. 1

   Put your gloves, frock and goggles on before lighting the torch. When it comes to working with an acetylene-oxygen torch, y'all tin can never be also conscientious. Put on all of your safety equipment and check your work expanse one more than time for combustible materials.^[12]

2. 2

   Calorie-free the torch with a striker. Open up the acetylene valve again, allowing the oxygen remaining in the mixing chamber to purge for a few seconds, and then shut the valve until you can barely hear gas escaping. Hold your striker in forepart of the torch tip and squeeze the handle.

   • A small yellow flame should appear at the tip when the sparks from the striker ignite the acetylene.
   • Using matches or a cigarette lighter is very dangerous. A striker is a tool made specially for igniting torches, and using one reduces the risk of serious injuries.

3. three

   Adjust the acetylene valve until the flame is well-nigh x in (25 cm) long. Brand sure the flame begins at the torch tip. If the flow of acetylene is as well strong, the flame will "jump", or be blown away from the tip. This tin can lead to an unpredictable cutting border, which may increase your take chances of fire or injury.^[13]

4. iv

   Turn the forward oxygen valve on slowly. The flame color volition plow from yellow to light blue with a white center every bit sufficient oxygen is supplied to completely combust the acetylene. Increase the oxygen slowly until the inner blueish flame begins to compress back toward the tip.^[14]

5. 5

   Open the oxygen valve more to increment the flame size. The length of the inner flame should be just over the thickness of the steel you are intending to cut. For example, a ¹⁄_two  in (ane.3 cm) inner flame is about right for a ⁱⁱⁱ⁄₈  in (0.95 cm) cold-rolled plate or mild steel.

   • If you hear a bravado racket, or the blue flame seems erratic and feathery, in that location is probably likewise much oxygen at the flame. Reduce it until the flame is stable and the inner flame is a clean cone shape.

6. half-dozen

   Bring the tip of the inner flame virtually the surface you are going to cut. The flame doesn't have to sit directly on the surface to cut information technology. Y'all will need to oestrus the steel with this flame until a molten pool of metal forms and luminesces at this location. Go along the tip of the flame steady and about ³⁄₈  in (0.95 cm) from the metal'due south surface to concentrate the estrus in 1 location.^[fifteen]

   • For room-temperature ^ane⁄₄  in (0.64 cm) plate steel, this should take about 45 seconds. Nonetheless, it will take longer for heavier material or textile at depression temperatures.

7. 7

   Push the cut valve handle down slowly to release the oxygen jet. This will ignite the molten steel. If a violent reaction instantly starts, the steel has ignited, and you can gradually increment pressure until the jet is cutting completely through the metallic.^[xvi]

   • If no reaction occurs, the metal is not hot enough to ignite. In this case, release the oxygen handle release and continue to allow the flame to heat the metallic more.

8. 8

   Begin moving the torch tip slowly along the line of your cut. Once the jet is cutting through the steel, start moving the torch along the line you lot drew. Yous should observe that nigh all of the sparks and molten slag are being blown out the back or bottom of your cut. If this flow of superheated material slows or backs upwardly, slow your forrard speed or cease and let the metallic heat more.^[17]

   • It's amend to cut too slowly than to try to cut too quickly.

9. 9

   Continue cutting until you have parted the metal or finished the cutting. Brand sure the slag and whatever droplets of heated metal do not get underfoot. Even sturdy boot soles will burn through if you find yourself standing on a large piece.^[18]

10. 10

    Turn off the torch in the contrary order of how you lot turned it on. Starting time, plough off the torch valve, then turn off the oxygen. Next, plough off the cylinder valves on the oxygen tanks and back out the regulator pressure screw. Repeat this for the acetylene tank.^[19]

    • Some models may instruct you to plough off the oxygen before turning off the torch valve. In this case, always defer to the manufacturer'due south instructions.

11. 11

    Cool the workpiece with plenty of h2o. However, you should be enlightened that dipping a superheated piece of steel into a saucepan or stream of common cold water volition create an instantaneous cloud of very hot steam.^[20]

    • You could also allow it to cool naturally if you lot aren't in a hurry.
    • If you're using quench- or atmosphere-blazon steels, allow the steel to cool naturally, as h2o could crusade them to warp.

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Add New Question

• Question

  When finished using the cut torches, how practise I shut everything off? When I am finishing using the torches, do I back the regulators off or leave them in at the operating pressure?

  

  If y'all're going to exist using them within the same mean solar day, it's fine to leave them at operating pressure, but it is all-time to shut everything off (tank valves off showtime) and purge your hoses and regulators. Once y'all're washed for the day, just open the valves on the torch one at a time until you can't hear whatever gas catamenia, close them back up, and so close up your regulators to foreclose whatsoever regulator shock when you next open upward the tanks.

• Question

  What is the correct way to close downwards a cutting torch?

  

  Most manufacturers recommend shutting off the the fuel torch valve first, then the oxygen torch valve. Then close both the oxygen and fuel tank valves. Next, open up the acetylene torch valve to drain the fuel until the line and tank pressure gauges read zero, and then close the valve. Repeat this step with the oxygen torch valve.

• Question

  What do you lot practice if you are afraid to cut with a torch?

  

  Have someone else exercise the cut or ask for farther didactics until you comfortable enough to attempt. It is not difficult with the proper preparation.

• Question

  Will an oxygen regulator (that is connected to an opened cylinder simply not with a hose) leak through to atmosphere, assuming the T handle is backed completely out?

  

  They're non supposed to bypass, simply sometimes practice. You lot may demand a new regulator.

• Question

  Why should cutting torch cylinders be kept well ventilated?

  

  This is in instance the cylinder has a leak, acetylene is ane of the most volatile gases know to man.

• Question

  My torch tip fills with carbon. What is the problem?

  

  Yous are holding the tip besides close. Hold it no closer than the width of your blue flame at the tip. Also, if you're blowing a starting hole, concur the torch upwards and abroad from your work but before you striking the oxygen.

• Question

  Why tin can't I cut aluminium or stainless steel with a torch?

  

  It works by oxidizing the work slice extremely fast to cutting through it, if it doesn't rust you tin't cut information technology.

• Question

  Contrary to pictures iii and iv, shouldn't I adapt the O2 and fuel gas ratios for the desired flame with the torch valves, not the cylinder valves?

  

  Yes, this is right.

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• Make sure all hose connections, gauge/regulator fittings, and other attachments are tight. Leaking gas at these fittings can produce an instant fire.

• E'er transport gas cylinders in a vertical (upright) position.

• Keep animals and children away from areas where this type of hot work is being done.

• Keep the torch tip clean.

• Have flashbacks installed on both ends; it'due south much safer than only one fitted.

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• Having a burn down watch is required on OSHA-regulated projects.

• Using a blow back or back catamenia preventer is highly recommended.

• Steel and carbon steel are the simply materials you should attempt to cut. Aluminum, stainless steel, and other metals and alloys cannot exist cut with a cut torch.

• Use a cutting torch only in a well-ventilated surface area, away from flammable materials.

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Things You'll Need

• Cutting torch set up, with fuel and oxidizer tanks.
• Fire extinguisher
• Striker
• Marking and measuring tools
• Cut goggles
• Heavy leather gloves
• Shut-plumbing equipment, non-flammable clothing

About This Article

Commodity Summary X

To use a cutting torch, kickoff put on fire-retardant wearing apparel, gloves, and goggles. Next, low-cal the torch by belongings the torch tip against the striker. Once you've adapted the flame size to the right length, move the flame to the steel you desire to cut and push on the cutting valve handle slowly. This causes the molten steel to ignite. To make your cut, move the torch tip slowly forth the line of your cut until the metallic has fully parted. Keep reading to learn how to prepare your workspace and properly gear up your cutting torch.

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Cutting-Torch

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