Re: Cutting with a arc welder?
Grant Erwin
> I am curious if it is possible to cut steel using an arc welder and,
> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
>
> I would not try it in my garage for obvious safety reasons, but I am
> curious if something along these lines was done.
>
> i
>
>
You're talking about arc gouging. Aka "scarfing".
Ernie says you can soak 6010 rod and use it to cut plate steel with. This one
I'm going to have to see sometime.
GWE
RoyJ
large quanities of metal) or cutting (really crude) with a standard 6010
or 6011 rod run at high amperage.
Don
> I am curious if it is possible to cut steel using an arc welder and,
> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
>
> I would not try it in my garage for obvious safety reasons, but I am
> curious if something along these lines was done.
>
> i
>
>
ArcAir holder. Compressed air goes through the electrode holder and
blows the kerf away from the cutting area. Find yourself a supplier of
the carbon electrodes and a good used ArcAir and you're cutting. Not as
pretty as plasma or oxy/acetyl but serves the purpose quite well.
Don
>
> i
Yes. I use DC (electrode positive) for steel and stainless steel. AC is
supposed to be better for cast iron, copper and nickel but I only use DC
on steel. My power source is constant current; I've not tried it
anything else.
We're talking lots of amps....I use over 250 on 1/4" electrode. You can
use the 200 amp but I would look for 1/4" or smaller electrodes.
Be safe! That compressed air will be blowing molten metal everywhere.
Definitely not an operation in an enclosed area or in any place that has
flammable material. Observe all the normal safety procedures for
welding. Site below offers some info:
Keith Marshall
> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
Best Regards,
Keith Marshall
toola...@progressivelogic.com
"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"
Rick
"RoyJ" <spam...@microsoft.net> wrote in message
news:mJE1f.4706$4h2...@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> What Grant said: arc gouging with a carbon and compressed air
(removes
> large quanities of metal) or cutting (really crude) with a standard
6010
> or 6011 rod run at high amperage.
Works great for scrapping stuff, and kind of fun, too : )
Vernon
other but referred to notching steel or cutting out defective welds.
But, as to cutting steel with an electrode, just get some small
diameter, 6010 or 6011 rod, say 3/32", and crank the amperage up so
high that it blows a hole through the weld puddle. Burn a series of
holes and you have a cut. I've severed light gauge angle iron this way
and it's easy enough. Never tried it on heavier stuff.
V
Ignoramus30105 wrote:
> I am curious if it is possible to cut steel using an arc welder and,
> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
>
R. Zimmerman
over twenty dollars worth of electrode there.
One can gouge anything that conducts electricity. They are ideal for
cutting off alloy cutting edges that will not cut with a torch. There is
nothing that will match it when you have to gouge out a weld defect.
The bad part about it is the noise. If you screw up a weld and have to
take it out everyone in the shop knows about it. You are sure to get some
good natured ribbing at coffee time. :'))
Randy
"Keith Marshall" <toola...@progressivelogic.com> wrote in message
news:bdI1f.33504$ua.13...@twister.southeast.rr.com...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Arcair-4000-Mamual-Gouging-Torch_W0QQitemZ5622522124QQca
Keith Marshall
> operator supposed to hold an air blow gun near the arc, os ir air
> supply integrated with the torch? Does it blow through electrode?
> Thanks
I've never used one but I believe it blows air along the outside of the rod
through ports in the rod holder/torch.
http://www.twi.co.uk/professional/protected/band_3/jk12.html
http://www.chsymington.com/gougingtorches.htm
Grant Erwin
they routinely scarfed using 500A. A cut made this way looks very rough, like a
series of 1/2" craters randomly overlapping in a line. I've never seen anyone
who can really control an arc that strong and get a clean cut. It's mostly for
severing metal or for scooping out metal. The sparks that come off these guns
can fly 50 feet and be giant globules of molten steel, they are *much* more
dangerous than torch sparks or welding sparks. These would easily set an asphalt
street on fire, for example. Not very safe for a home shop.
GWE
Grant Erwin
> I wonder just what these people are wearing when they gouge metal with
> 500A of current. That is about 15 kW of power, all concentrated in one
> spot. Scary stuff.
No, it doesn't matter much what you're wearing, except a welding hood and gloves
and standard protective gear, of course. You do it so the air blows the sparks
away from you. They really fly when air propelled. It's very spectacular when
you see them scarfing on a structure up high at night, quite a bit like fireworks.
The *really* scary thing is an oxygen lance. One guy heats up a spot on
something with a regular torch, then another guy has high pressure oxygen and
the output is basically about a 4 foot steel pipe, and he just turns on the
oxygen and aims it at the hot spot, and oh my how the metal burns out of there.
The steel pipe burns too, of course, but more slowly, being cooled by the gas.
They say that can cut dang near anything. Those sparks are much less controlled.
I've never even experienced thermit welding. That must be pretty exciting too.
Then there's explosion forming, jeez all these fun things.
GWE
Ecnerwal
Ignoramus30105 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.30105.invalid> wrote:
> I am curious if it is possible to cut steel using an arc welder and,
> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
The more easily achieved and home-shop friendly (and cheap, and a pretty
clean cut) method as discussed on this group a while ago is to dunk some
6010 in water briefly and crank it up to about double weld amps for
whatever size rod it is. With a bit of practice, results similar to
oxy-acteylene cutting can be managed.
--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
R. Zimmerman
require a very robust welding machine that can take high loads. Although I
have gouged with 250 amp machines for only inches at a time, one should have
400 amps at 100 percent duty cycle available. Many larger shops restrict
the use of the gouge to machines over 600 amp ratings.
Gouging is much like putting a dead short across the leads of the
machine and is very hard on the transformer. You also need large
quantities of high pressure air.
Randy
"Ignoramus18555" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.18555.invalid> wrote in message
news:ccV1f.42246$xr1....@fe64.usenetserver.com...
Very nice. I think that using such a torch would be real fun for a
short while. I may try to look for a cheap one that I could use to,
say, prepare bevels before welding larger pieces.
i
Andrew H. Wakefield
welder than an air/arc gouge.
As others have said, soak the rod in water. This helps to keep the rod from
burning up as quickly, since you'll be running higher than normal amps for
the size of rod. I have wondered if the moisture also contribute to a more
vigorous arc ... ?
I have found the best results when cutting vertically down, with the arc
pointing *into* the cut -- in other words, tilt the rod in a "push"
direction rather than than the "drag" direction normally used with stick.
The reason is that if you drag, you blow out the metal (that is your goal,
after all :) and lose the arc, so you're constantly re-starting. But if you
point into the cut, you're always facing into new metal. At least that was
my experience as I played around with this. The cut edge is ragged, but much
better than I would have expected.
This method does not produce the kind of far-flying sparks that arc gouging
does, but it does produce a whole lot more sparks than normal welding. Take
appropriate precautions! And of course, you do not want to be cutting
directly on top of your welding table, unless you want to cut it too! :)
Andy
"Ecnerwal" <Lawren...@SOuthernVERmont.NyET> wrote in message
news:LawrenceSMITH-696...@news.verizon.net...
Gunner
<ignoram...@NOSPAM.18555.invalid> wrote:
>On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 20:49:14 -0400, Andrew H. Wakefield <a...@isp.com> wrote:
>> I would say using 6010 is definitely going to be easier on your 200 amp
>> welder than an air/arc gouge.
>>
>> As others have said, soak the rod in water. This helps to keep the rod from
>> burning up as quickly, since you'll be running higher than normal amps for
>> the size of rod. I have wondered if the moisture also contribute to a more
>> vigorous arc ... ?
>>
>> I have found the best results when cutting vertically down, with the arc
>> pointing *into* the cut -- in other words, tilt the rod in a "push"
>> direction rather than than the "drag" direction normally used with stick.
>> The reason is that if you drag, you blow out the metal (that is your goal,
>> after all :) and lose the arc, so you're constantly re-starting. But if you
>> point into the cut, you're always facing into new metal. At least that was
>> my experience as I played around with this. The cut edge is ragged, but much
>> better than I would have expected.
>>
>> This method does not produce the kind of far-flying sparks that arc gouging
>> does, but it does produce a whole lot more sparks than normal welding. Take
>> appropriate precautions! And of course, you do not want to be cutting
>> directly on top of your welding table, unless you want to cut it too! :)
>
>Sounds very interesting. I will buy small quantity of 6010 and
>experiment.
>
>i
For what its worth..I have a air nozzle with a 18" chunk of copper
tubing on the end of it..and Ive cut plate with it by simply running
rod really hot and applying a jet of air with the other hand to the
puddle, but you have to start at the edge. Trying to plunge only
splatters molten metal eveyrwhere.
Gunner
>
>> Andy
>>
>> "Ecnerwal" <Lawren...@SOuthernVERmont.NyET> wrote in message
>> news:LawrenceSMITH-696...@news.verizon.net...
>>> In article <MlE1f.34722$3M2....@fe41.usenetserver.com>,
>>> Ignoramus30105 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.30105.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I am curious if it is possible to cut steel using an arc welder and,
>>>> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
>>>> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
>>>> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
>>>
>>> The more easily achieved and home-shop friendly (and cheap, and a pretty
>>> clean cut) method as discussed on this group a while ago is to dunk some
>>> 6010 in water briefly and crank it up to about double weld amps for
>>> whatever size rod it is. With a bit of practice, results similar to
>>> oxy-acteylene cutting can be managed.
>>>
>>
>>
Confronting Liberals with the facts of reality is very much akin to
clubbing baby seals. It gets boring after a while, but because Liberals are
so stupid it is easy work." Steven M. Barry
Ernie Leimkuhler
Ignoramus30105 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.30105.invalid> wrote:
> I am curious if it is possible to cut steel using an arc welder and,
> possibly, a compressor and air blow gun. I am visualizing an arc
> melting steel, and compressed air removing it as it is being melted,
> instead of allowing it to accumulate in the weld pool.
>
> I would not try it in my garage for obvious safety reasons, but I am
> curious if something along these lines was done.
>
> i
1/8" 6010 running on DCEN at the highest amperage possible on your
machine.
Dunk the rod in water before striking the arc.
The water helps to keep the rod from incinerating instantly.
At school I do this at around 450 amps.
Start on an edge and use a sawing motion.
You can slice through 1" plate this way.
To carbon arc gouge with your stick welder, just get some carbon
electrodes.
Hold an electrode in the stinger with about 2" exposed.
As you tap the metal with the electrode blast an air nozzle between the
electrode and the metal.
--
"I love deadlines, especially the wooshing sound they make as
they fly by" - Douglas Adams