Guage Settings?

[Bobby Anerton]

What is the best setting toset your guages on your Oxy. and Acetylene torch for cutting? New at this, just want to make sure everything is right. Been told to set them wide open and then control with your knobs on the torch.

Thanks,
Bobby

[Old Sporty]

You need to do some serious research and reading before you even think about lighting your torch. You just might succeed in blowing you and your shop up.

Cheap approach is to pick up Richard Finch's welding book at HD or Lowes, and read the part on oxy/acet. Different size tips take different gas flows. Open the acet. valve wide open and you're looking for trouble. More expensive option, but the best, is to pay either a school or an experienced gas weldor to teach you the fundamentals.

Google oxy/acet. welding and cutting and read, read, read. Also, go to one of your local shops and ask for some advice. Don't just go into this with what you get on the forums. Do some research on your own.

[usmcpop]

Here's a little overview. However, it does not tell you what pressures to set. NEVER EXCEED 15 PSI on the Acetylene. The "wide open" refers to the oxy tank valve only.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/cutting-torch.html

Here's some safety info, which I suggest you read before doing anything.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...ch-safety.html

Excerpt:

"...Safe operation for the use of gas cutting, heating and welding requires a clear understanding of oxy fuel cutting torch equipment and the fundamentals of combustion.

But lets cut through all the Bull**** shall we?

An Oxy fuel cutting torch can kill your A**! plain and simple.

Its probably the most dangerous piece of welding equipment there is.

Once you really learn all about it, you wonder how it is that you dont read about deaths everyday in the paper from oxy fuel cutting torch accidents.

OSHA's own data estimates that the risk of death for users of oxy fuel equipment is 4 in a thousand over a working lifetime. WHAT??

That's a lot if you are one of the 4."

I haven't vetted this, but it does have some information on pressures:

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Cutting-Torch

[hankj]

What equipment do you have? Nearly every manufacturer has a wbsite where you can get copies of the appropriate manuals.

Settings depend on a lot of things, like tip size, hose length, etc., but for welding, both fuel and O² are the same (5 psi is a good place to start); for cutting, 5 psi on the fuel and 40 psi on the oxygen are good starting points.

As previusly stated, be sure you know what you are doing before you introduce fire to the equation.

Hank