On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:07:09 -0600, "SteveB"
wrote:


"RLM" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:34:50 -0700, Calif Bill wrote:

Just the imagination to come up with the process is super.
http://presidentschoice.imeche.org.u...454/0/pr03.pdf


Some idea of the size.
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides...turing_Process


My favorite pic is the flame cutting of the 12" plate. Wonder what the
torch settings were on that. I'd say 5 acet. and 120 O2.

Those look like pretty clean cuts. Machine looks a bit like the Linde
Camographs I ran for a couple years at IH. But that was an 8-torch
machine and used an electric eye following a heavy black line on
plastic templates rolled out on the template table.
Looks like his uses a hard pattern to follow.
Thickest I cut was maybe 4-5" inches. Dozer bucket arms.
The cuts always looked like crap, ridgy as hell, no matter what I did
with tips or height. Machines used NG/Oxy and had no pressure
adjustments. Those bucket arms had to be ground extensively to
get a fit/finish out of them.
Hated doing them. They always looked bad, no matter how diligent I
was.
Luckily most everything else was much thinner and could be cut well.
I've got other stories about IH not doing capital investment on
machines to get efficiency and a good product.
Easier to blame the autoworkers than to pony up some money for modern
machines, or even properly maintaining old ones.
F**k them. They joined the dodo where they belong.
I'd really like to see the volcano when he hits the oxy for those
penetrating cuts. Wonder how many tip changes he needs for that.
I sometimes needed a tip change and reheat to get through steel less
than half that thick. But maybe the acet does the job.
A better process might be to drill a hole first to get an edge to
heat.
I imagine they use lasers for such cuts now, but don't know.

--Vic

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:07:09 -0600, "SteveB"
wrote:


"RLM" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:34:50 -0700, Calif Bill wrote:

Just the imagination to come up with the process is super.
http://presidentschoice.imeche.org.u...454/0/pr03.pdf


Some idea of the size.
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides...turing_Process


My favorite pic is the flame cutting of the 12" plate. Wonder what the
torch settings were on that. I'd say 5 acet. and 120 O2.

Those look like pretty clean cuts. Machine looks a bit like the Linde
Camographs I ran for a couple years at IH. But that was an 8-torch
machine and used an electric eye following a heavy black line on
plastic templates rolled out on the template table.
Looks like his uses a hard pattern to follow.
Thickest I cut was maybe 4-5" inches. Dozer bucket arms.
The cuts always looked like crap, ridgy as hell, no matter what I did
with tips or height. Machines used NG/Oxy and had no pressure
adjustments. Those bucket arms had to be ground extensively to
get a fit/finish out of them.
Hated doing them. They always looked bad, no matter how diligent I
was.
Luckily most everything else was much thinner and could be cut well.
I've got other stories about IH not doing capital investment on
machines to get efficiency and a good product.
Easier to blame the autoworkers than to pony up some money for modern
machines, or even properly maintaining old ones.
F**k them. They joined the dodo where they belong.
I'd really like to see the volcano when he hits the oxy for those
penetrating cuts. Wonder how many tip changes he needs for that.
I sometimes needed a tip change and reheat to get through steel less
than half that thick. But maybe the acet does the job.
A better process might be to drill a hole first to get an edge to
heat.
I imagine they use lasers for such cuts now, but don't know.

--Vic

Probably Propane, O2 cutting. that will cut 18" metal. I would imagine a
lot of those cuts are now Water Jet cuts.

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:29:59 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"Vic Smith" wrote in message

I imagine they use lasers for such cuts now, but don't know.

--Vic

Probably Propane, O2 cutting. that will cut 18" metal. I would imagine a
lot of those cuts are now Water Jet cuts.

Saw this about water jet cutting. Forgot about that.
http://waterjets.org/index.php?optio...06&Item id=31
Looks like it's slow for thick metal, but maybe the precision makes up
for it.
Didn't look into laser much, but from what I read the old gas torches
still have their advantages.
The usual balancing acts take place.
At IH there was no special ventilation for the torch floor.
After being on vacation for 2 weeks I'd still be coughing up black
metal.
Luckily I had a heavy cigarette tar coating in my lungs to protect
them.

--Vic

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:29:59 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

A better process might be to drill a hole first to get an edge to
heat.

Back about 1976 I broke a carb mounting stud. Then I broke off the
screw extractor. I put a little ball of fine wire on top of it, for
ignition, with a borrowed cutting torch. I have heard you can burn a
broken tap out of a rifle receiver when a scope mounting job goes
sour.

Casady