Cutting Torch

Our new sign has been working good, but not the mailbox. It is too close to the driveway. I didn't want to put it on the other side because you'd have to walk through the snow to get to it. After awhile, though, it really looked like the other side was the place to be. So with the help of a cutting torch, we got it changed.

It's not worth waiting until the mailbox slides down the side of someone's pickup before we move it. 

A cutting torch was my tool of choice. The oxygen/acetylene combination is a primitive form of metal fabrication that can't be replaced.  

Grandpa drilled into us kids' head, only turn the acetylene valve on one turn! I've heard this elsewhere and the idea is because if you ever have a fire, the acetylene valve is the one that needs turned off quickly. This is also because you don't need a lot of volume of this gas when cutting like you do the oxygen. Open wide the oxygen tank. The norm is to run the oxygen pressure around 40 psi and the acetylene at about 15 psi. I've got to be careful working around Dad because I'll barely get a cut done and he'll have my bottles shut back off. No sense in leaving them on if you're not using them, though. Most torch set ups have a leak somewhere and there's no need wasting gas. 

Give the acetylene valve on the torch body a crack and strike the flame. Run it open until the flame parts from the tip about a 1/4 inch. 

Then slowly open the oxygen valve until the blue flame cones settle nicely on the tip. Pull your cutting lever to ensure that they don't change when it is triggered. 

When cutting, you have to keep the heat localized before you are able to cut. When cutting off something like this, and you are wanting to preserve the integrity of both pieces of metal, you have to focus the flame on the weld only. This takes a little finesse and it also takes longer to heat up a weld than the edge of a piece of strap iron. 

If you take your time you can make a clean cut that doesn't need a lot of clean up. 

Looks good on the other end too. 

Like my cousin always said, Bryce is a good grinder. 

Not bad. A little nick in the pipe from the torch. 

When cleaning up this angel iron, I just make sure all the cutting slag is gone. If there is some old weld left, that is fine. You're gonna reweld it anyway. 

Getting the welder out to the sign was my hold up. Thankfully, Dick Bradshaw came through once again. This time with a heavy 220 extension cord. 

I just held it in place, with the box still attached, and gave it a tack. 

Then pulled the box and welded it up. 

Shot it with a little paint, turned the box around, and we're back in business. 

I like cutting torches. Grandpa said that they were the first breakthrough in allowing metal works to be done on the farm rather than at the blacksmith. Change the tip, and you can use them to weld as well. Gas welding was the first way I learned to weld. A oxy acetylene set up is about the most versital tool in the shop. As long as you're not out of gas, you can be ready for about any project that comes your way.