That's incredibly dangerous. At my shop, we drill holes in the bottom of the cylinders to get the acetylene out, but at least we didn't turn the tanks upside down.
Couple of things not mentioned. First, when you purchase oxyacetylene hose, make sure you get oxyacetylene hose. There is another grade/type which looks identical but is meant for propane or map gas only. If you use it for oxyacetylene it will degrade from the inside out and start to leak through tiny pin holes on the fuel gas hose. This is because the acetone vapours carried with the acetylene will attack and slowly dissolve the hose itself from the inside where you cannot see the damage. Second, the reason for using a striker to light a torch instead of a match or lighter is in effect gas conservation and safety. The cup that you always have on your striker is actually a small gas reservoir that collects some additional gas and makes your torch light easier and quicker. If you use a match or a lighter it can be difficult to light a torch where there is significant air movement from fans or, if working outside, wind that blows the gas away. In addition, using a striker ensures that you hand is away from the flame ignition point and you are less likely to get burned. Third, the charts that your torch manufacturer provides for pressure settings are only good for about 25 feet of hose and are only guidelines. If you have more hose, the pressures must be increased to compensate for friction within the hose dropping the volume at the torch tip. A better way to set your gas pressures is as follows: 1. With the acetylene regulator adjustment screw fully relaxed crack the main valve on your acetylene bottle and when the regulator is fully pressurized open one full turn. Adjust your acetylene regulator so that you just have a small amount of gas flow. 2. Light your torch and open up the fuel gas valve on it all the way. 3. Slowly increase the pressure from your regulator using the adjusting screw until the flame just blows away from the tip. This is the maximum amount of gas that particular tip will flow. NEVER EVER set your acetylene regulator for more than 15 PSI! Acetylene can become unstable at higher pressures and become self explosive. 4. Close the torch fuel gas valve until the flame returns to the torch tip or shut it off completely. 5. Ensure the adjusting screw on your oxygen regulator is completely relaxed, stand to one side or out of the line of fire and crack the valve on the oxygen cylinder open and allow the high pressure to ease up to full pressure. NEVER OPEN THE VALVE ALL THE WAY UNTIL THE HIGH PRESSURE SIDE OF THE REGULATOR HAS BEEN SLOWLY BROUGHT UP. If you open the valve wide initially you can damage your oxygen regulator's Bourdon tube inside of the pressure gauge and in extreme cases actually blow the glass out of the gauge itself. The surge of high pressure has also been known to blow the regulator body off the bottle when the regulator has been damaged hence the standing to one side out of the line of fire unless you really want to catch a pound of regulator propelled by 2000 PSI with a portion of your body which can be painful if not deadly. 6. After the regulator has been fully pressurized, open the oxygen valve all the way and adjust the regulator pressure screw so that there is a small amount of oxygen flow. 7. With the torch lit and burning at the tip (not blown off the tip), open the oxygen valve on your torch all the way. You will notice that the flame changes when the oxygen reaches the flame. 8. Adjust your oxygen regulator up until the flame becomes neutral. 9. Increase the opening of your fuel gas at the torch slightly and bring the oxygen up again until you have a neutral flame. Continue to open the valves as described and adjust your oxygen until both torch valves are open fully and you have a neutral flame. Your torch is now set for the maximum flow that that particular tip will flow and is at it's highest efficiency. Fourth, when using fittings or hose splices on oxyacetylene systems, the fittings cannot be copper. They must always be brass. Copper and acetylene have an affinity for one another and combine to form a new gas which is unstable and self explosive at virtually any pressure! In England, they used to use acetylene for lighting in homes. The gas was run through copper piping and on occasion entire blocks of homes and their occupants would simply blow up for no reason until this was discovered. Oops........so sorry, my bad. Fifth, never discharge an acetylene bottle at more than 1/8 of its contents per hour. Higher discharge rates can result in the acetone in the bottle being drawn out into your hose and torch. If you must use higher rates consider using two bottles with regulators and manifolding them together. Sixth, when cutting material cant your torch tip slightly so the flame is going in the direction of the travel. This will preheat your material and give you a cleaner cut with less slag adherence on the bottom. Thinner materials will require more angle than thick. If your cut is so poor that the pieces stick together use a hammer to part them and not your torch. Nothing speaks of poor practice more than a torch that has been used to hammer pieces apart! I know that some are going to give me flack over this but consider this: I am a journeyman welder with over forty years experience and I have never blown a gauge up or destroyed a torch. A torch can be a versatile and precise tool in the hands of a good tradesman but, like anything else, it can be so much junk when abused.
A small correction to your note about copper and acetylene: the danger is not from the formation of a new gas but instead from the formation of the extremely sensitive explosive copper acetylide from the reaction of acetylene with copper oxide formed from the surface oxidation of the copper during manufacture (and from any air that might have gotten into the line at any point). Copper acetylide is indeed highly explosive: the analogous silver acetylide is used in certain types of blasting caps as a primary explosive initiator. The reason brass is safe is because the oxide coating on the surface of brass is composed almost entirely of zinc oxide: this is inert to acetylene and prevents the formation of any explosives. This doesn't affect the correctness of anything else you said though.
Thank you for taking the time to add this to an already informative and well produced video. It's been my experience that many of the best teachers of workplace skills are folks like you who have decades of real world experience and the ability to speak or write well enough that others can really understand and absorb the valuable information that you have. Again, I thank you.
A side note, rather than an addendum: Talking to former London Fire Brigade firefighters, one of the worse, and much hated fires, they used to attend was anything to do with bottle gas. Usually the Incident Commander (the highest ranking officer on the fire ground in charge of the operation), would order the maximum exclusion zone around it as possible, for just the firefighters alone, but still within reach of the water jets. A even bigger evacuation zone would be made for the public, and kept in place until the fire was doused out. The scary thing about a gas bottle that has reach the temperature of being 'cooked off', isn't just they might explode when they land, but just the sheer mass of one, at velocity, presents a risk to life and limb. One last thing ... Never do what a friend, in a moment of sheer madness did: fill a large bin liner with oxyacetylene, and set light to it ... Suffice to say the bang, in the large hall he did this in, was strong enough to rattle the windows, and shake the dust down from the tiled roof above ...
Thank you for the added information. Welding instructor at school also said using a butane lighter to light a torch is like holding a small bomb in your hand. There is some potential that the lighter could explode (that's why you never keep one in your pocket).
With all due respect to my high school chemistry teacher, I just learned more chemistry in the first 8 minutes of this video than I did in my entire high school chemistry class. Thanks!
@@Mezuzah87 my school never explained things like this, all the teachers did was throw seemingly random numbers and letters at us and say figure it out. i just couldn't be bothered to give a shit. if they had explained that this was the reaction of oxygen and acetylene burning that i was looking at maybe things would have been different.
@@raiden000 Also worth considering that your brain has likely come quite a ways from back in high school, and something that was complicated or abstract enough to give up on back then isn't so challenging now.
@@raiden000 My design tech teacher never taught us shit about oxy-acetylene safety even though we used them regularly without proper supervision. christ
It helps when the teacher makes it real and interesting, or when they can make it a problem you can relate to. TOT Did do a very nice job explaining it. (and I'm a Ph.D. Chemist)
Two things to add: I've used oxy acetylene for about 35 years. I was taught and still use the practice of aligning the tip and main valve knobs up like gun sights. This keeps them out if the way, keeping a jacket sleeve from "adjusting" the flame. It also puts them in a convenient, consistent location. Try it. You will fall in love with it. Also, I would stress the importance of opening the acetylene tank valve no more than 1/4 turn. I was taught this, and knew it was so the valve could be shut quickly. This was driven home for me one night when a spark caught a small leak in the regulator assembly. I heard a pop, looked over to see a little jet of flame onte regulator, and nearly dropped a stinky twinkie on the spot. I was able to avert big trouble instantly with a quarter-turn. My rig got a very thorough inspection before I fired it up again. Great video, and thanks for promoting safety!!!
@@karlkarlng I read or heard this is true for the high-pressure gases (like O2), but not for acetylene. The reaction time argument wins for me, even though I have very little experience with the torch. It just makes too much sense. ;)
@@toolsarecool I've heard the same, the high pressure gasses must be opened all the way, the valve stem seals against the packing, preventing leaks. Acetylene should only be opened a quarter turn or so for quick shutoff.
@@pierre94H I keep mine next to the workshop wood burner. The one hot and one cold side means that the gas circulates inside the cylinder and doesn't get stagnant.
Glad you brought up the subject of lighting the torch. Since we aren't always going to be standing next to the person lighting their new torch for the first time, or the kid that uses your shop while you are off doing something else, we can't slap them upside the head before they burn down the shop. 1. My reason for using the striker to light the torch is, I was taught to plan for the worst. A stoichiometric flame oxy-acetylene flame has a huge amount of available energy. Mr. Stankey demonstrated it by filling a small balloon with acetylene, setting it on the welding table, and igniting it. It popped. No big deal. He then filled the same size balloon with oxygen and ignited it. It just deflated. Then he llt a flame on the torch and turned off the acetylene at the tank. If you are crazy enough to do this leaving the oxygen on lets the flame go out without flashing back into the torch. When the flame went out he turned the acetylene tank back on and filled another balloon the same size with the stoichiometric mix. When he ignited it the explosion blew two firebricks out of the top of the table. Most of us old guys quit smoking after the first heart attack, but for you young guys who still think carrying a lighter is cool, think about where your hand is when you are lighting the torch. That extra distance the striker gives you is handy for when you are learning and keep having to relight the torch. Yup you won't always turn off both valves and let the torch empty before restriking it. That's when you figure out it makes a nice big bang even without the balloon. I know at least one idiot will spend a few hours making big bangs after reading this. That's okay. Just do it out in the middle of a cornfield some where. You will only blow down a few rows of corn and the coyotes will clean up the mess. 2. The striker has a nice loop in the handle. When you are an iron cutter you can hang the striker on a short chain and clip it to your belt. That way you don't need to take off your glove, dig into your pocket, light the torch, stuff the lighter back into your pocket, put your glove back on, and go to work. That's especially nice when you are working off a ladder or on a catwalk 30 feet up. Climbing down to get your glove, lighter, or the stuff in your pocket that came out with the lighter gives your firewatcher a great story to tell about you for the next 40 years. Note: Yes you do need a firewatcher. Those sparks will set off pretty much any flammable materials they come in contact with including your pant leg. Side note: Don't wear pants with cuffs, or roll up your pant leg. I know that Johnny Dep does it. Look him up. I don't have time to explain everything. With the goggles on you won't see the flame. You will find out when the fire is up past your sock. Again, not cool when you are on a ladder. The firewatcher should let you know in time to keep your short and curlies intact. Thanks for reminding me of old times Tony.
Good tip about cuffed pants. A buddy always wore jeans with cuffs, and they got thin at the fold. Got a hottie in there while cutting. Picture a guy dancing around with a burning ring of denim on his boot. Wear gloves. Slag welded to a wedding ring SUCKS.
I remember being taught all those reasons. Another was was that they're plastic, so they easily crack and/or leak...and a Bic lighter supposedly has roughly the same explosive power as about a 1/2 stick of gelignite if it all goes off at once. Not sure how accurate those numbers really are, and I'd guess it would take a combination of getting everything just right (or everything just _wrong,_ depending on your perspective) to accidentally have the right mix of air and gas. But if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. So I never used a lighter, and I still have all my fingers to show for it. :-)
The absurdity of the gelignite claim aside (lol), there is no *real* reason to not use a lighter other than preference. There are long lighters with loops for hanging, etc. Want a lighter that lasts a long time? Get a striker. It will be become more and more in consistent though. Want a cheap option? Get a lighter. It'll only last a short time. etc. etc. etc. The "Old Guard" has just been passing down "advice" for years and it just becomes law "because."
I was having a shitty day until the Sesame St. "Nuh, Oh, Ch... Notch!" part came on. I have tears of joy rolling down my face. Your humorous editing bits are so great. Thank you for brightening my day!!
This is probably the best instructional video about any subject I've ever seen. In less than 20 minutes, you've covered the basic chemistry in a simple way, and a huge load of important but basic things, and many good tips, all in an easy-going and entertaining style. I'm not usually the person that throws praise left and right, even when it's deserved, but this video... is a PERFECT example of an excellent educational video. Many thanks!
Given that the way rusting was explained to me in high school chemistry - as "very very very slow burning" - you've brought us full-circle here. Well done!
To those who hang their acetylene bottles upside down, who cut or drill holes into the bottle, who mix the acetylene and oxygen in one tank, and who abuse or don't use the regulator or valves, you have missed the most effective way of using an acetylene bottle. That way involves turning the filled bottle inside out. It's a lot of work, but the results are impressive.
"Just like my boy, it's chained nice and securely to the wall" You're too much this old tony. Nobody ever really taught me oxy-acetaline, so I appreciate the tips. How long should the flame be? Should I use more oxygen, or less acetylene? I wouldn't mind a part 2.
The Metal Butcher My university textbooks say that the whole flame should be around 30 centimeters, which always felt like a typo to me. Anyway, what makes the flame shorter is the adding of oxygen. You always look forward to get a small triangle blue flame at the tip (it depends on what kind of weld you want to get though). Always remember to turn off the oxygen first and if you blow it through the pipe, always direct it away from you - it's a clean oxygen, so it combust when it meets fat (for example the one on human's skin). Hope there's something helpful in my comment
@@LovelyAngel. it's been beaten to death in all the forums... But always follow the manufacturers procedures. Victor is oxy off first, Smith is ace off first. I'm sure there's some legal clause (should anything happen) that would put the user at fault for improper usage.
@@jamesharrell4360 forums of what website? Theres a forum on almost any website about almost anything. I do not like misinformation any more than anyone else, and i just got a set of handmedown tanks so id appreciate feedback.
@@imagineaworld best solution to everything. Just like your car, truck, boat, furnace... Read the manual provided by the manufacture. And if you read the majority of one brand.. it's gas first. My preferred Victor says Oxy first. So I do that. There is no misinformation from a manufacturer manual unless it comes from harbor freight or Boeing. There are a few PDFs of tank regulations, and how to read the codes. How to check for back flow preventer problems, etc. Subscribe to AvE, This old Tony. Weld.com, abomb, Cody's lab and you can basically find a video on the topic that uses professional information and provided by a experienced user. Or come to my house and we gonna make stuff go boom boom.
It's amazing. I'm researching what it takes to weld with oxyacetylene, and after sifting through all kinds of videos I find your video and all just makes sense now. Thank you!
Hi Tony, This is Old Bob. The time I started to weld we had no acetylene bottles. We used carbid, the white rock-like pieces and let water onto them. The gas which generated collected in a water filled tank which had a rising dome for the gas which came through the water. if we wanted higher pressure we put more weight on top of the dome. To change the "carbid" (English?)it was a horrible job. There were 2 drawers with air-tight locks, they had to be opened and pull the tray of used carbid? pulp out, clean it and re-loaded. The smell was beyond bearable. If you know more about that, please let us know, I do not remember more, it was over 75 years ago.
Tony I am a young 90, still ride motorbikes, grew up in steel fabrication, I am a retired structural engineer in steel structures only if you see #10 of "that old bob" you'll find it usefull
I have a book about OxyFuel welding and the making of a home carbide still to make acetylene to run with Oxy. I think that's from the 1940-1950's but I can't check it right now. Almost written in Gothic, though Danish..
the lighter could explode in your hand from lighting the acetelene and then you have no hand. thats the answer from the automotive basic welding course.
I'm just getting into welding, been reading and watching everything I can find. Loved that shot from the camera behind welding glass. Being able to see the puddle while you add metal was very cool
Dear Tony, your work is exceptional, the combination of relaxed laconic humor, excellent presentation and production values makes your work stand out of the "rest" As always Tony, your work is a genuine bright spot in the UA-cam pantheon. Cheers David
This old Tony, I miss your videos so much I’ve been rewatching your old ones. Hopefully life lets you get back into it someday. I hope things are going well for you.
I have watched a bunch of MIG, TIG, and now Oxy acetylene UA-cam videos and you taught me more in this video about how and why it works than all other videos combined!
TV "production values" would destroy Tony's product. The focus grouped, generically homogenized, dumbed down to non-sentient comprehension content would kill it. Tony appeals to thinking persons who actually know how the physical world works. Too small a market for mass media today.
But AvE said to learn with a Stick! What do I do? Never mind. Problem solved: Living in an apartment means I just watch all the videos about welding so I already know everything. I'll just comment on videos telling people how I once did it better with a frayed extension cord, a pencil lead and cutoffs from a sheet metal shear.
I understand that advice in theory, but in practice it makes no sense to me. When I wanted to learn to weld MIG, I learned to weld MIG. Same thing with TIG. Why would I waste time and money learning a method of welding that I'll never use beyond some nostalgic appreciation for capital W welding? You know "Wellllldinnnnggggg (hushed reverence)" Frayed extension cord? Amateur. Everyone knows you're not a real Welder (again, hushed reverent tones) unless you can barehand metal coat hangers with 220V at 60amps coursing directly through your body while you lay fat dime stacks on pop cans. Become one with the weld.
9:50 My metal working teacher gave good reason for that "lighter is a no go" thing. He said that there's been accidents when people have had faulty tip in their sets, banged nozzle accidentally and didn't notice. Then when igniting they've found out the hard way that faulty nozzle can direct flame on very odd angles and well with oxyace, the heat is so great that you'd get really nasty burns even with small gas flow amounts.
Those odd flame angles can also burst a hole in the lighter and cause the lighter to explode in your hand. And if that happens say goodbye to your fingers.
@@kelvinelrick807 That could happen too, but around 3000C flame is way worse. It'll burn hand severly in fraction of a second. Buthane burning temp is less than half of the oxyace
I was 16 in 1967 and I had a job on a building site in the UK. I was in a small team whose job was to bolt heavy hot-dip galvanised plates to threaded studs set in concrete. None of the threaded bolts were set with any accuracy, so we had the job of re-cutting the bolt holes. We used oxygen-acetylene to make the holes bigger, but the hot dip galv really got in the way and made our job that more tricky. I was only 16, health and safety was non-existent, but the team leader let me cut the holes. It was so much fun handling a very dangerous but very powerful tool at 16.
Great video!! In Argentina, the tank that we use for acetylene has a small deposit in the bottom to put Calcium Carbide. Then you have to add water to that deposit and close safely. This mix deposit generates acetylene. You have to renew this mix periodically to generate more acetylene.
Mariano No puedo creer que todavia existan los gasogenos en argentina, yo recuerdo los mas antiguos que subian o bajaban la parte superior de su estructura de acuerdo a la presion interna, luego los mas modernos ya heran hermeticos, pero pense que ya pasaron a ser piezas de museo, saludos
My dad worked as an engineer at a large valve works. One day a worker was changing a MIG gas cylinder and the full bottle tipped over sheared the valve off took off like a rocket across the shop and went through 3 brick walls before running into a concrete pillar and dumping out the rest of the gas! Chain your bottles!
@@MmeHyraelle Definitely the most important safety precaution - but people get lazy, and frequently only turn the caps on for 2 or 3 threads. They don't need to be tight, but exposed bottle threads are a "danger" sign. While in high school, I briefly worked for a bottled gas distributor. We refilled propane cylinders from a 6k gallon tank; and we also refilled acetylene bottles (with the gas generated on site). Our delivery truck had just dropped off about 70 mixed bottles: Empty acetylene refills, propane refills, and a dozen full Oxygen; plus a couple of doors for an office remodel project. As we were racking the empties for forklift transport, we heard a scraping noise, and turned to see the O2 bottles in full "domino mode" with 4 of them falling off the loading dock. The driver had propped the doors against the bottles . . . One bottle cap was installed less than 2 full turns, so the cap stripped off, the valve sheared off, and the bottle launched itself completely through one bank of the 6k Propane tank safety revetment, passed below the tank by less than a foot, and almost made it through the opposite bank. I found another job the next day . . .
A long time ago I was a firefighter. One night we got a callout to fire at a winery. It was an insurance arson job and everything was well involved. Anyhoo, a fellow firefighter and I were tasked with extinguishing whatever we could in a burning out-building, so he and I hauled in a line and proceeded to splash water about. He was on the front end and I was hanging on to him. As we moved further in, I heard a dull clang, and then my buddy said, "Watch out, there's a bit of pipe on the floor." He stepped over it and kept moving, but soon stopped and turned to see why I was pounding him on the back. It's because the "piece of pipe" was an acetylene bottle, and it was glowing. We dropped the hose and ran. I was fast back then but somehow the other guy beat me out of the place. The DO (fireground OC) began yelling at us for running away while screaming like girls as our hose thrashed around unattended in the building but, before we could explain, there was an almighty whoosh, and an incandescent rocket vanished into the adjacent woodlands where it exploded. Good times....
Sulfur is a solid. They don't add sulfur. I think they don't add anything at all. Compounds with a triple bond between the carbons or a double bond have a certain smell. Acetylene, aka ethyne, has a triple bond between 2 carbon atoms (C2H2). You are thinking of mercaptan. They add ethanethiol to propane.
@@igormorningstar : That would mean that sulfur dissolves in acetylene (ethyne is the proper chemical name). That might be possible. I do know that sulfur dissolves in toluene.
Tony, so glad to hear you say it. I have always thought brazing was the best way to learn welding. You can see and understand what is happening and it happens slowly.
One of the reasons you shouldn't use a lighter to start a torch is distance from the flame. The first reason is your hands proximity to the flame with a lighter while the second of most lighters are plastic and nothing says fun like a butane fireball to get rid of all that annoying hair on your head, arms, and the eyeball dust collectors.
not to mention the fact that the flame out of the torch burns hotter than the lighters flame. so you could have the lighter explode from a backfire. (this is how my teacher explained it)
I'd say: firstly, yes - the hand is much further away from the torch (= safety), secondly the spark is much hotter, thus ignition is just surer (beter assured - ?), which means "one strike and off you go". Thirdly, one can operate the striker with the gloves on, and it can be taken from the pocket, should the need arise, much easier than a lighter - be it Zippo or modern brands - with the gloves still on. Or you can just put it on the bench, close to your work area, without risking it to catch fire or blowing out, should you accidently touch it with the flame. And, oh, BTW: no one is going to take it when going out for a cigarette break. Do we need any more reasons to use striker? I think not... ;-)
Barry The Chopper yeah if you break one open you will find its standard on most all tanks, they also use peach rings sometimes but its rare because its hard to get them to fill as much space due to their shape.
I always suspected candy corn was really just waste material from some random industrial process. I wonder what industry throwns away the goo they make tootsie rolls from. /s
You have provided more insight in this video about the matter than all the info I could gather around during years of asking in shops and welding stores. I re-watch it every time i have to use my oxy-acetylene equipment. Internet is awesome because of people like you!
Thanks Tony, I really appreciate your videos. For me it was a good refresher after not touching a torch for decades. But you did not mention the safety point I was taught. When done, flush the lines and turn off the bottles. Sequence: you turn off both taps on the handle then close the O bottle then open the O on the handle and blow out the O line. Then you close the O at the handle. The close A, at bottle, open the A on the handle and flush out any remaining O in the torch, then close A at handle. This ensures no explosive mixture in the handle and it takes the pressure of them regulators and hoses.
Oxy-acetylene yep reminds me of the time I was in agricultural mechanics back in high school they kick the guy out of class permanently cuz I caught him trying to weld to the acetylene tank yes that's right he was trying to weld a strip of metal for practice to the acetylene tank
My buddy had A Diesel Mechanics class in high school with a mentally challenged boy that tried to cut an Oxy or Acetylene tank with a torch whichever one it was it would have been a disaster had he done it.
You sir are a natural, thank you for such an awesome video. Like most "diy" sorts I just bought home a complete set up with no idea what I was doing, and thanks to you my house is still standing, the burns are minimal but I may never see the cat again.
i'm a glassworker, and in school we were taught to light the torch with something that didn't put your hand close to the torch, in case you've somehow bumped the O2, or had a large outer fire on by accident.. it's possible you could splash your hand with a whole lot of flame if it's right there. lots of people use zippos, because the flame is so long. i use a regular bic, because i'm stupid.
I agree. I think it's mostly about keeping your hand away from the flame. I use my Zippo often to light the torch but using a lighter filled with pressurized butane (which I've done) makes me really nervous. I got in trouble in school as the shop teacher was telling us never to light a torch with an open flame. "Mr. H, isn't that striker creating a small open flame?" LOL
yeah i don't see why striking a flame with a flame is necessarily bad... i guess it could be an issue if you've got a leaky torch and you might blow your shit up with an open flame but it seems like sparky stuff would do the same thing, hah..
A piezo stove lighter is tops, even after it runs out of gas, just the spark will ignite the gas. AND, it's got a long nossle to keep your hand away from the light up.
nice educational video ! I Just like your stile... But you missed out on a lot of stuff: 1.: To clean the nozzle you shouldnt use the needles as they wear out the nozzles. Its better to rub the tip of the lighted burner on a piece of scrapwood. This extinguishes the torch while the glowing charcoal relights it causing it to pop. These mini explosions will blow out the dirt without hurting the nozzle. I Learned it that way (Professional mechanic in Germany), works fine. 2.: Your oxygen pressure is waaay too low. Use at least 30PSI to get safe operation and full capacity. This is due to torch design, in the bottom part of your nozzle (The part that sticks into the handle) is a jet pump powered with oxygen to suck in the acetylene. This is necessary for good mixing and to allow keeping the acetylene pressure low while using lots of it. 3.: Never increase the acetylene pressure above 7 PSI as acetylene is not stable under pressure. The high bottle pressure is only possible due to the "solving in acetone trick", if attemptet outside the bottle the acetylene could decompose generating massive heat. This decomposition can also be caused by local overheating of the bottle. The bottle will then start to heat up itself wich makes an explosion nearly unavoidable. Its kind of a fire without the need of a second component... If you ever notice an acetylene cylinder getting hot by itself- just run as far as you can and call the fire department! 4.: Never use pure copper with acetylene (only the tip of the torch is excluded...) as the copper will react with the acetylene, forming a highly unstable compound wich will explode on shock and contact. 5.: the proper way to light a torch is to turn on the oxygen a little bit, then turning on the acytelene and then lighting the torch. That was you get no sooty mess and the jetpump- design prvents any backfire during startup. 6.: Lighting the torch with a gas flame is perfectly fine, we had welding stations that had a small acetylene flame attacht to a dual valve device. To start welding you just pick up the torch an hold it close to that flame an the torch ignites perfectly set. to stop you hung it back wich closed both oxy and acetylene. I would not recommend to use a lighter because sometime you get a nice fireball during ignition. Especially if you are not well enough trained at thas and you miss the perfect gas mix for a while. But if you are wearing gloves and do it a lot it works fine. Sorry, got a lot of text... ;-)
8 років тому+1
Nice info. I didn't know that acetylene was unstable under pressure. But one thing I did know is that you should always turn on the oxygen first (pt. 5), but no one on youtube does that.
Forgot some important ones: All torch sets i know operate at 3PSI Acytelene and 36 PSI Oxygen nominal, regardless of the nozzle size. Has never failed me, only ridiculous big cutting heads need more oxygen pressure. (for 10inch+ thickness) Nominal Power is achieved when the Acytelene valve is fully open and the Flame is adjustet with the oxygen valve. Cutting can be started when the steel is glowing between cherry-red and bright orange, it does not need to melt. You can only cut low carbon, low alloy steel as thankfully nearly all construction steel is. Stainless, cast iron etc. doesnt work as it does not burn.
Hmm I am no expert but by research and experience I have learned that the best way is to ignore numbers and set the regulators by flame visually. That way the flow is perfect for that tip. Also I braze pure copper, did you mean actually welding it, like getting a melt pool?
You have to stand up your acetylene bottle for double the time it was on its side is the general rule we learned in Sno Isle Skills Center in Washington State. It’s important if you don’t know how long it was on its side then you leave it upright for 24 hours. Good luck! God Bless! Safety is NOT an accident! 🖖🏼❤️🇺🇸
Flash arresters do not require heat for operation. The blast wave of flash back provides pressure to unseat a pin shaped valve held open by a spring or gas flow from tank.
Funny, as soon as I saw the "^^" in your comment I knew you were from Germany. Your name confirmed that. This is really becoming a fool proof method of identifying Germans online.
TV Guy here: Seven years late, I compliment you, on your writing, production and editing. Just tight and glib and with just enough fluff. Really good. Thank you. Also, in passing, a personal anecdote on the topic: I was traumatized in Junior High metal shop by a warning sign that said "A before O or up you will go." I am still phobic regarding Oxy/A and though I know it's a mental block, I just can't get past it. Maybe this video will help.
Loved the formula, very educational and answers the question "WHY" when it comes to pressure. Would like seeing more in future vids of flames/pressures while looking through glasses/shields and when to use oxygen rich vs carbon flames.
Well done! Very clear information, not to scientific, but not just the nitty-gritty. Good tutorial on setting the flame properly. Thanks for making another great video!
You remind me of my grandfather. He recently passed away and was the single most intelligent man to ever walk this Earth. So, saying you remind me of him shouldn't be taken lightly. These video are awesome and people like me appreciate minds like yours.
Stoichiometry, LMAO!! Seriously Tony, one of the absolutely best gas welding introductions I have ever seen. I totally agree with learning with gas gives you a huge jump on MIG and TIG. Love the special effects, especially the candy corn and the terminator bit. Keep up the good work. Thanks again- Fred
Man I miss oxy welding from high school. Nothing more fun then watching your class mates pop the bubble from too much heat and light themselves on fire. 😊
At first I believed I would hate oxy weldeing, after learning stick. but I really enjoyed it after a while. If the thing goes boom on you, you have turn it just a little notch up
Oxy Acetylene welding is what I learned in my high school welding class, it’s really nice that you can weld even when electricity isn’t available, and there’s no slag to clean up when you’re done.
Man this brought back memories. That plop sound when acetylene start burning and it wonderfull full flame. The rainy muddy raw days when I was shivering with cold, this thing always helped.
"there's a ton of videos on welding. I know that because I've weighed them!”. Not only are you incredibly knowledgeable, but you're funny as hell! I love your videos.
That and weight and balance, fire protection, NDI, rigging a control surface. Ahh the memories. Welding ,sheet metal work and bucking rivets was my favorite part.
you made balancing chemical reactions WAY easier to understand than my eighth grade science teacher. Just for reference, that teacher is one of the best teachers at THE best private grade school in the US
Tony, just want you to know how much I appreciate your educational and informative videos. Haven't had any Ox-Ac instruction since first yr of engineering school - over 50 yrs ago!! "Flame Arrestors" - something new within the last 50 yrs? Never heard anything about 'em. Thanks for hitting "the high points" which has removed fear from me lighting up my system. Will check out my hoses first :)
I've always been told not to lay any pressurized tank on its side concerning gasses. But the explanation and diagram of the acetylene tank was an eye opener.
I'm in an agricultural mechanics class at my high school,last Thursday a guy was cutting with the oxy act and knocked it over and the tanks safety cap want on so the top broke and it flew across the shop and cracked about 2 feet of sand filled brick.
That was probably the best, informative video I have seen. That cutting torch was fierce! Trying to see how I can get into aluminium welding. Have only 120 in the house, and no breakers left. I hear tig/argon is the way to go.
Mate, I would just like to give you a massive thank-you. Me and my partner have given up watching crap on Netflix and now sit down and watch your videos instead. It's getting her much more excited about learning to TIG, and using my lathe and old mill to make things so we're spending a heap more quality time together. Your videos are really well thought out, entertaining and exceptionally well edited. If you're ever in Australia, hit me up for a visit to the workshop and free accommodation and beers in Bathurst or Bangalow.
NICELY done video Tony; Some info for nerdy shop rats like me (with several grad degrees), not boasting but I often wonder how the hell I ended up as a machinist. Any who, acetylene is a very interesting molecule, discovered in 1836 by Sir Edmund Davy, does not hold the title of Sir, but I though sounded much better. During one of his experiments with potassium carbide (who knows what he was after) but he produced carbonized H AKA acetylene. In 1859 Marcel Morren (crikey must have a hard time in school, Oh look its Marcel Moron.) With my limited intelligence, dyslexia, OCD, depression, let us stop there; I do not know why but he was doing an experiment in which god knows why he was striking an arc between 2 carbon electrodes in a H atmosphere. Well he lived to produce acetylene after the ensuing violent Rx the carbon atoms torn loose bonded with H and produced a gas we all now call acetylene. Late in the 18th century H2N2 was being produced by reacting calcium chloride with water (Miners Light same Rx.) Now something north of 50% is produced from natural gas, ~13% from cracking of dinosaur squeezings and the remainder Ca chloride method. 350,000,000 pound annually (160,000,000 Kg for the metric crowd) As Tony mentioned storage is very interesting. A wee bit of diatomaceous earth, a nip of acetone into the tank at 300 PSI makes it much more stable. Two safety items I was taught never to set the H2N2 reg above 10 PSI, at risk of having the H2N2 change phase (liquefy and become very reactive. Number B never apply any grease to tank fittings especially O2, for thee obvious reasons. hydrocarbon + O2 (oxidizer)= boom. Oh BTW a pure carbonizing flame is used to place a coat soot on the inner portion of the "mold" when pouring a babbitt bearing just FYI. WAKE UP I am finished, just wanted add a little history for us nerds. Nice and informative vid Tony Thanks man, Doug
I guess some refreshment course is neede... ;-) It was calcium CARBIDE (CaC2), not chloride (CaCl2), that creates the acetylene. (CaCl2 is pretty much inert, a tons upon tons of it are present in sea water, where it does nothing.) H2N2, or rather N2H2 is a hydrazine - the acetylene is C2H2.Pretty close, though ;-) And, oh, "never apply any grase to tanks fittings" - to OXYGEN tanks fittings, the rest doesn't care. Somehow...
5:46 i literally went "NO!!! THATS NOT RIGHT!!!" then started to balance the equation.... and then you did it for me... and THANK GOD for that i was about to spend 20 mins remembering high school chemistry.....
He didn't properly balance the equation. If you want to see the mistake, rewatch that part of the video and pay extra attention to the H2O at the end of the equation.
I really like your channel. Perfect balance of learning and information, and just enough schtick to be funny without being juvenile and annoying. Really great stuff man. Bravo 🙂
Thanks Tony I didn't take this stuff in high school nor have I had any college courses on welding and cutting. I've been wanting an Oxy/Acetaline rig for years. Been using a borrowed rig for a couple of jobs in my shop and I have used the set up in a couple other shops years ago but my knowledge base is very minimal. I'll be watching this again... a few more times before I actually get my own rig. Thanks again. Love your method of teaching too. Keep up the great work.
the biggest difference is TOT is like the coolest shop teacher you never had!! Where Ave is like the weird uncle that still thinks he's cool, but in reality he burnt off his "dingus" like 15 yrs ago, and you have to hear bout it every god dam Thanks Giving =(
Yea I'd completely agree w/ old school methods, except I'm w/ Tony on gas > SMAW for learning. Nothing about SMAW translates to TIG or MIG or gas IMO. SMAW is its own process and while incredibly valuable, doesn't make beautiful welds, it's for structural. I have all of these processes and never use stick. If you can gas, you can TIG and gas can cut until you can afford a plasma.
SMAW is more than capable of making beautiful welds in the right hands. While oxyfuel translates to TIG very well, I think SMAW translates to MIG in a lot of ways. Different tools for different tasks. While I mostly TIG, I do use other processes for certain tasks. However, like Tony, my oxyfuel has now become mostly a heating tool. Hmmm, I should probably check my hoses...;)
There was a acronym I learned when I first learned how to blow glass it's for starting and stopping a torch it is called p.o.o.p. it stands for propane oxygen oxygen propane the proper step when lighting a torch (po) and turning it off (op)
Old Tony , I'm thinking old as , "OLD" ! My start at Welding , was High School Shop Class , 1956-1960 , Detroit Public Schools , Cody High ! The " START " was Oxy-Acetylene , welding " period " ! You learned to TORCH Weld , or DIDN'T go on from there !! Still today , I feel , to become a " Real Welder " Oxy-Acetylene , MASTERY , is a MUST !!!
Something not mentioned about the Oxygen Bottle.. Those are Cryogenic Cylinders. They have a Cylinder inside the tank where they fill with Liquid Oxygen then the liquid goes into the outer tank and turns into a Gas then goes to the Valve outlet. Thats why on the Large Oxygen Cylinders you have Gas and Liquid outlets. You typically only use the Liquid Side on the large tanks to run into a Condenser System that does the same thing but will produce even more PSI. With two of the large tanks on the liquid side run into one of those condenser systems you can get up to 240PSI at the torch for the first 20-30 mins or so then reduces as the tanks empty. Which is capable of not only cutting Cast Iron (Never could get ours to do so.. Clean cuts anyway.) but also up to 5-6 FOOT thick Steel. (I actually did cut a couple blocks about 4-5 foot thick with ours) I worked at a scrap yard for a time and they installed one of those systems for us to be able to cut Cast as well as huge blocks of steel we had saved up with nothing to do with. And they give us this information upon installing the system. And the one we had wasn't even that big either. Some of the bigger ones run off even bigger tanks or even off the big silo tanks which can give those high PSI for even longer periods of time before losing pressure. But that's what those smaller tanks do on their own thus why they typically only have a Gas outlet and do not require the condenser system but you will never get those kinda PSI out of them either. This is also why if you pull from the Gas side on those large tanks and cut for a while the values can freeze up with ice or snow. Those condensers do the same thing when pulling off the liquid side as well. Ive always found it odd how many fabricators ive met doing this work for many years and have no idea how either Oxygen or Acetylene Tanks actually work.
From what I have looked standard welding cylinders just have gaseous o2, since if it had liquid it would eventually evaporate and over pressure the tank
Shop cylinders do not have liquid oxygen in them. The valves freeze up because anytime you allow a gas to expand it gets colder. It's the same reason your air compressor gets really hot (but in reverse).
@@Demonlord468 not what these people say. weldguru.com/bottle-oxygen/ And I feel a lot of people would talk about it if tanks actually had a time limit to use before venting off. But the don't because what you are saying is bullshit
@@Demonlord468 I think the kind of tanks you are taking about are only used to store oxygen from a oxygen concentration system. And for that the temporary storage limit isn't a problem
I have been using my avetylene bottle completely upside down hanging from a plane for 300 years and nothing bad ever happened. Heck, it even worcked better then the way you told us.
For the most part - I like this video. I'm giving high praise here, as it is usually very easy to dismantle videos on brazing, O/F and working with cooper.
Brilliant video. This took me back 30 odd years to my apprenticeship. Everything I was taught about gas cutting and welding is in this vid. And more. Turning the gas off and still cutting I'd never seen or heard of! So when he asks "did you learn something?" I'm nodding away.
Tips never wear out, they only grow up to be the next larger size tip.
Good point!
Lol they grow up
Just like my hang down! 8=✊=💥
This is a great tip!
Nice one. Gotta learn to keep them symmetrical, though - I remember it being a pain if the stream shoots everywhere.
I have been using my avetylene bottle completely upside down hanging from the ceiling for 30 years and nothing bad ever happened.
That's incredibly dangerous. At my shop, we drill holes in the bottom of the cylinders to get the acetylene out, but at least we didn't turn the tanks upside down.
we use a grinder to cut the valve off when we're done with them so we know which are empty, but theres no chance we would ever turn them upside down!
Why???
Uwe J. I hang mine upside down from a chain and swing on it like Miley Cyrus while I weld. Nothing bad has ever happened.
that_G_EvanP im laughing so hard im weak. I cant
Couple of things not mentioned.
First, when you purchase oxyacetylene hose, make sure you get oxyacetylene hose. There is another grade/type which looks identical but is meant for propane or map gas only. If you use it for oxyacetylene it will degrade from the inside out and start to leak through tiny pin holes on the fuel gas hose. This is because the acetone vapours carried with the acetylene will attack and slowly dissolve the hose itself from the inside where you cannot see the damage.
Second, the reason for using a striker to light a torch instead of a match or lighter is in effect gas conservation and safety. The cup that you always have on your striker is actually a small gas reservoir that collects some additional gas and makes your torch light easier and quicker. If you use a match or a lighter it can be difficult to light a torch where there is significant air movement from fans or, if working outside, wind that blows the gas away. In addition, using a striker ensures that you hand is away from the flame ignition point and you are less likely to get burned.
Third, the charts that your torch manufacturer provides for pressure settings are only good for about 25 feet of hose and are only guidelines. If you have more hose, the pressures must be increased to compensate for friction within the hose dropping the volume at the torch tip. A better way to set your gas pressures is as follows:
1. With the acetylene regulator adjustment screw fully relaxed crack the main valve on your acetylene bottle and when the regulator is fully pressurized open one full turn. Adjust your acetylene regulator so that you just have a small amount of gas flow.
2. Light your torch and open up the fuel gas valve on it all the way.
3. Slowly increase the pressure from your regulator using the adjusting screw until the flame just blows away from the tip. This is the maximum amount of gas that particular tip will flow. NEVER EVER set your acetylene regulator for more than 15 PSI! Acetylene can become unstable at higher pressures and become self explosive.
4. Close the torch fuel gas valve until the flame returns to the torch tip or shut it off completely.
5. Ensure the adjusting screw on your oxygen regulator is completely relaxed, stand to one side or out of the line of fire and crack the valve on the oxygen cylinder open and allow the high pressure to ease up to full pressure. NEVER OPEN THE VALVE ALL THE WAY UNTIL THE HIGH PRESSURE SIDE OF THE REGULATOR HAS BEEN SLOWLY BROUGHT UP. If you open the valve wide initially you can damage your oxygen regulator's Bourdon tube inside of the pressure gauge and in extreme cases actually blow the glass out of the gauge itself. The surge of high pressure has also been known to blow the regulator body off the bottle when the regulator has been damaged hence the standing to one side out of the line of fire unless you really want to catch a pound of regulator propelled by 2000 PSI with a portion of your body which can be painful if not deadly.
6. After the regulator has been fully pressurized, open the oxygen valve all the way and adjust the regulator pressure screw so that there is a small amount of oxygen flow.
7. With the torch lit and burning at the tip (not blown off the tip), open the oxygen valve on your torch all the way. You will notice that the flame changes when the oxygen reaches the flame.
8. Adjust your oxygen regulator up until the flame becomes neutral.
9. Increase the opening of your fuel gas at the torch slightly and bring the oxygen up again until you have a neutral flame. Continue to open the valves as described and adjust your oxygen until both torch valves are open fully and you have a neutral flame. Your torch is now set for the maximum flow that that particular tip will flow and is at it's highest efficiency.
Fourth, when using fittings or hose splices on oxyacetylene systems, the fittings cannot be copper. They must always be brass. Copper and acetylene have an affinity for one another and combine to form a new gas which is unstable and self explosive at virtually any pressure! In England, they used to use acetylene for lighting in homes. The gas was run through copper piping and on occasion entire blocks of homes and their occupants would simply blow up for no reason until this was discovered. Oops........so sorry, my bad.
Fifth, never discharge an acetylene bottle at more than 1/8 of its contents per hour. Higher discharge rates can result in the acetone in the bottle being drawn out into your hose and torch. If you must use higher rates consider using two bottles with regulators and manifolding them together.
Sixth, when cutting material cant your torch tip slightly so the flame is going in the direction of the travel. This will preheat your material and give you a cleaner cut with less slag adherence on the bottom. Thinner materials will require more angle than thick. If your cut is so poor that the pieces stick together use a hammer to part them and not your torch. Nothing speaks of poor practice more than a torch that has been used to hammer pieces apart!
I know that some are going to give me flack over this but consider this: I am a journeyman welder with over forty years experience and I have never blown a gauge up or destroyed a torch. A torch can be a versatile and precise tool in the hands of a good tradesman but, like anything else, it can be so much junk when abused.
A small correction to your note about copper and acetylene: the danger is not from the formation of a new gas but instead from the formation of the extremely sensitive explosive copper acetylide from the reaction of acetylene with copper oxide formed from the surface oxidation of the copper during manufacture (and from any air that might have gotten into the line at any point). Copper acetylide is indeed highly explosive: the analogous silver acetylide is used in certain types of blasting caps as a primary explosive initiator. The reason brass is safe is because the oxide coating on the surface of brass is composed almost entirely of zinc oxide: this is inert to acetylene and prevents the formation of any explosives.
This doesn't affect the correctness of anything else you said though.
Thank you for taking the time to add this to an already informative and well produced video. It's been my experience that many of the best teachers of workplace skills are folks like you who have decades of real world experience and the ability to speak or write well enough that others can really understand and absorb the valuable information that you have. Again, I thank you.
Small correction t grade hose is for all fuel gas types, r grade hose is for acetylene only and if used with alternative fuel will degrade fast.
A side note, rather than an addendum:
Talking to former London Fire Brigade firefighters, one of the worse, and much hated fires, they used to attend was anything to do with bottle gas. Usually the Incident Commander (the highest ranking officer on the fire ground in charge of the operation), would order the maximum exclusion zone around it as possible, for just the firefighters alone, but still within reach of the water jets. A even bigger evacuation zone would be made for the public, and kept in place until the fire was doused out.
The scary thing about a gas bottle that has reach the temperature of being 'cooked off', isn't just they might explode when they land, but just the sheer mass of one, at velocity, presents a risk to life and limb.
One last thing ... Never do what a friend, in a moment of sheer madness did: fill a large bin liner with oxyacetylene, and set light to it ...
Suffice to say the bang, in the large hall he did this in, was strong enough to rattle the windows, and shake the dust down from the tiled roof above ...
Thank you for the added information. Welding instructor at school also said using a butane lighter to light a torch is like holding a small bomb in your hand. There is some potential that the lighter could explode (that's why you never keep one in your pocket).
I found this to learn about oxy acetylene torches, stayed for the dark humor and learned a whole bunch of things. Well done!
im not even a metal worker, i found him by looking into wood lathes and ive watched every video for the humor
He does that too all of us.
With all due respect to my high school chemistry teacher, I just learned more chemistry in the first 8 minutes of this video than I did in my entire high school chemistry class. Thanks!
*Literally* this is basic 1st term (first month even) chem... So you were just not paying attention.
@@Mezuzah87 my school never explained things like this, all the teachers did was throw seemingly random numbers and letters at us and say figure it out. i just couldn't be bothered to give a shit. if they had explained that this was the reaction of oxygen and acetylene burning that i was looking at maybe things would have been different.
@@raiden000 Also worth considering that your brain has likely come quite a ways from back in high school, and something that was complicated or abstract enough to give up on back then isn't so challenging now.
@@raiden000 My design tech teacher never taught us shit about oxy-acetylene safety even though we used them regularly without proper supervision. christ
It helps when the teacher makes it real and interesting, or when they can make it a problem you can relate to. TOT Did do a very nice job explaining it. (and I'm a Ph.D. Chemist)
Two things to add: I've used oxy acetylene for about 35 years. I was taught and still use the practice of aligning the tip and main valve knobs up like gun sights. This keeps them out if the way, keeping a jacket sleeve from "adjusting" the flame. It also puts them in a convenient, consistent location. Try it. You will fall in love with it. Also, I would stress the importance of opening the acetylene tank valve no more than 1/4 turn. I was taught this, and knew it was so the valve could be shut quickly. This was driven home for me one night when a spark caught a small leak in the regulator assembly. I heard a pop, looked over to see a little jet of flame onte regulator, and nearly dropped a stinky twinkie on the spot. I was able to avert big trouble instantly with a quarter-turn. My rig got a very thorough inspection before I fired it up again. Great video, and thanks for promoting safety!!!
the counter argument for the acetylene cylinder valve is that i should be open all the way and rear seated. that way it wont leak any from the stem.
Holy shit I just stressed the fuck out reading your comment
@@karlkarlng I read or heard this is true for the high-pressure gases (like O2), but not for acetylene. The reaction time argument wins for me, even though I have very little experience with the torch. It just makes too much sense. ;)
@@toolsarecool I've heard the same, the high pressure gasses must be opened all the way, the valve stem seals against the packing, preventing leaks. Acetylene should only be opened a quarter turn or so for quick shutoff.
@@karlkarlng If you have a leaky stem, your nose will tell you.
That's incredibly dangerous. In my shop we store the tanks in the oven to keep them out of the way...
That makes sense, just like welding rods.
In my shop we just drag them away with us. Ofc they are hooked up in a carrier of sorts but yeah.
Then just turn on the oven an hour or so before use so they're nice and warmed up for work.
@@pierre94H I keep mine next to the workshop wood burner. The one hot and one cold side means that the gas circulates inside the cylinder and doesn't get stagnant.
we lay ours on the BBQ , no one trips over them there .....
Glad you brought up the subject of lighting the torch. Since we aren't always going to be standing next to the person lighting their new torch for the first time, or the kid that uses your shop while you are off doing something else, we can't slap them upside the head before they burn down the shop.
1. My reason for using the striker to light the torch is, I was taught to plan for the worst. A stoichiometric flame oxy-acetylene flame has a huge amount of available energy. Mr. Stankey demonstrated it by filling a small balloon with acetylene, setting it on the welding table, and igniting it. It popped. No big deal. He then filled the same size balloon with oxygen and ignited it. It just deflated.
Then he llt a flame on the torch and turned off the acetylene at the tank. If you are crazy enough to do this leaving the oxygen on lets the flame go out without flashing back into the torch. When the flame went out he turned the acetylene tank back on and filled another balloon the same size with the stoichiometric mix. When he ignited it the explosion blew two firebricks out of the top of the table.
Most of us old guys quit smoking after the first heart attack, but for you young guys who still think carrying a lighter is cool, think about where your hand is when you are lighting the torch. That extra distance the striker gives you is handy for when you are learning and keep having to relight the torch.
Yup you won't always turn off both valves and let the torch empty before restriking it. That's when you figure out it makes a nice big bang even without the balloon. I know at least one idiot will spend a few hours making big bangs after reading this. That's okay. Just do it out in the middle of a cornfield some where. You will only blow down a few rows of corn and the coyotes will clean up the mess.
2. The striker has a nice loop in the handle. When you are an iron cutter you can hang the striker on a short chain and clip it to your belt. That way you don't need to take off your glove, dig into your pocket, light the torch, stuff the lighter back into your pocket, put your glove back on, and go to work. That's especially nice when you are working off a ladder or on a catwalk 30 feet up. Climbing down to get your glove, lighter, or the stuff in your pocket that came out with the lighter gives your firewatcher a great story to tell about you for the next 40 years.
Note: Yes you do need a firewatcher. Those sparks will set off pretty much any flammable materials they come in contact with including your pant leg.
Side note: Don't wear pants with cuffs, or roll up your pant leg. I know that Johnny Dep does it. Look him up. I don't have time to explain everything. With the goggles on you won't see the flame. You will find out when the fire is up past your sock. Again, not cool when you are on a ladder. The firewatcher should let you know in time to keep your short and curlies intact.
Thanks for reminding me of old times Tony.
Good tip about cuffed pants. A buddy always wore jeans with cuffs, and they got thin at the fold. Got a hottie in there while cutting. Picture a guy dancing around with a burning ring of denim on his boot.
Wear gloves. Slag welded to a wedding ring SUCKS.
I remember being taught all those reasons. Another was was that they're plastic, so they easily crack and/or leak...and a Bic lighter supposedly has roughly the same explosive power as about a 1/2 stick of gelignite if it all goes off at once. Not sure how accurate those numbers really are, and I'd guess it would take a combination of getting everything just right (or everything just _wrong,_ depending on your perspective) to accidentally have the right mix of air and gas. But if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. So I never used a lighter, and I still have all my fingers to show for it. :-)
The absurdity of the gelignite claim aside (lol), there is no *real* reason to not use a lighter other than preference. There are long lighters with loops for hanging, etc. Want a lighter that lasts a long time? Get a striker. It will be become more and more in consistent though. Want a cheap option? Get a lighter. It'll only last a short time. etc. etc. etc.
The "Old Guard" has just been passing down "advice" for years and it just becomes law "because."
I was having a shitty day until the Sesame St. "Nuh, Oh, Ch... Notch!" part came on. I have tears of joy rolling down my face. Your humorous editing bits are so great. Thank you for brightening my day!!
It was Electric Company, not Sesame Street
@@pinchweasel HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!
This is probably the best instructional video about any subject I've ever seen. In less than 20 minutes, you've covered the basic chemistry in a simple way, and a huge load of important but basic things, and many good tips, all in an easy-going and entertaining style. I'm not usually the person that throws praise left and right, even when it's deserved, but this video... is a PERFECT example of an excellent educational video. Many thanks!
Given that the way rusting was explained to me in high school chemistry - as "very very very slow burning" - you've brought us full-circle here. Well done!
exactly!
To those who hang their acetylene bottles upside down, who cut or drill holes into the bottle, who mix the acetylene and oxygen in one tank, and who abuse or don't use the regulator or valves, you have missed the most effective way of using an acetylene bottle.
That way involves turning the filled bottle inside out.
It's a lot of work, but the results are impressive.
who you talking too??? there all dead.
im confused pls explain
@@theaniahlator7954 He means it involves rapid expansion and possibly pink mist from the user. lol
Funny, I don't remember writing this.
@@davidgreen5099 you didnt but its pretty cool that there's two of ya
"Just like my boy, it's chained nice and securely to the wall"
You're too much this old tony.
Nobody ever really taught me oxy-acetaline, so I appreciate the tips. How long should the flame be? Should I use more oxygen, or less acetylene? I wouldn't mind a part 2.
The Metal Butcher My university textbooks say that the whole flame should be around 30 centimeters, which always felt like a typo to me. Anyway, what makes the flame shorter is the adding of oxygen. You always look forward to get a small triangle blue flame at the tip (it depends on what kind of weld you want to get though). Always remember to turn off the oxygen first and if you blow it through the pipe, always direct it away from you - it's a clean oxygen, so it combust when it meets fat (for example the one on human's skin). Hope there's something helpful in my comment
@@LovelyAngel. it's been beaten to death in all the forums... But always follow the manufacturers procedures. Victor is oxy off first, Smith is ace off first. I'm sure there's some legal clause (should anything happen) that would put the user at fault for improper usage.
@@jamesharrell4360 forums of what website? Theres a forum on almost any website about almost anything. I do not like misinformation any more than anyone else, and i just got a set of handmedown tanks so id appreciate feedback.
I've been told that If you turn oxygen off first the flame can follow it down into the torch body and burn it up
@@imagineaworld best solution to everything. Just like your car, truck, boat, furnace... Read the manual provided by the manufacture. And if you read the majority of one brand.. it's gas first. My preferred Victor says Oxy first. So I do that. There is no misinformation from a manufacturer manual unless it comes from harbor freight or Boeing. There are a few PDFs of tank regulations, and how to read the codes. How to check for back flow preventer problems, etc. Subscribe to AvE, This old Tony. Weld.com, abomb, Cody's lab and you can basically find a video on the topic that uses professional information and provided by a experienced user. Or come to my house and we gonna make stuff go boom boom.
It's amazing. I'm researching what it takes to weld with oxyacetylene, and after sifting through all kinds of videos I find your video and all just makes sense now. Thank you!
Honestly, one of the more useful welding videos I’ve seen. Very useful info and explained in a father-to-son sort of way. Thanks again...dad.
Hi Tony, This is Old Bob. The time I started to weld we had no acetylene bottles. We used carbid, the white rock-like pieces and let water onto them. The gas which generated collected in a water filled tank which had a rising dome for the gas which came through the water. if we wanted higher pressure we put more weight on top of the dome. To change the "carbid" (English?)it was a horrible job. There were 2 drawers with air-tight locks, they had to be opened and pull the tray of used carbid? pulp out, clean it and re-loaded. The smell was beyond bearable. If you know more about that, please let us know,
I do not remember more, it was over 75 years ago.
holy smokes Bob, how old are you? That's a bit of stretch for me.. but I do remember the canaries in their cages. ;)
This Old Tony
Tony I am a young 90, still ride motorbikes, grew up in steel fabrication, I am a retired structural engineer in steel structures only
if you see #10 of "that old bob" you'll find it usefull
I'll definitely check that out!
I have a book about OxyFuel welding and the making of a home carbide still to make acetylene to run with Oxy. I think that's from the 1940-1950's but I can't check it right now. Almost written in Gothic, though Danish..
The reason for not using a lighter? a striker doesn't blow up in your face when molten metal hits it
point taken.
Neil Carpenter what would you do with your bic lighter after you light your torch? Put in in your pocket maybe?
the lighter could explode in your hand from lighting the acetelene and then you have no hand. thats the answer from the automotive basic welding course.
You stand a chance of lighting the lighter while your hand is in the path of the fuel. "You can not move fast enough to prevent pain". (
Albert Tremblay well a lighter hasn't got enough power to blow up your hand. My friend tried it actually...
thank you for saying burninating. you're doing a fine jorb tony.
haha.. touché.
Lol! Yusssssss!! Just when I thought everyone had forgotten about Homestar runner! MEET ME AT THE STICK IN 0 15 MINUTES!
Trogdor cries a tear of joy.
I've seen that ep like 100 times, and I just noticed the Tom Servo cameo.
TROGDOOOOOOORE!!
I just watched a video on something I already knew. . . But what I did learn is where candy corn comes from. Thanks uncle Tony.
So you're saying those big oxygen cylinders are just steel pinatas? Let me grab my sledgehammer!
I always wanted to set them up as bowling pins at work using spare tire for the ball
I'm just getting into welding, been reading and watching everything I can find. Loved that shot from the camera behind welding glass. Being able to see the puddle while you add metal was very cool
Dear Tony, your work is exceptional, the combination of relaxed laconic humor, excellent presentation and production values makes your work stand out of the "rest"
As always Tony, your work is a genuine bright spot in the UA-cam pantheon.
Cheers
David
Thanks David!
I came for the dad jokes. I stayed for the dad jokes.
If your walls arent filled to the brim with candy corn youll never be able to potluck and chill properly
Just like boy it's chained nice and solid to the wall..... Lololol
Yank with the hose*😂
Edit- 😉 dirty mind
"Just like my boy, its chained nice and solid to the wall"
Totally caught me off guard! LOL!
1:45
😂
I heard it, but don’t understand it!
@@JakeTheBeast4Prez 18:40
ik ye
@@JakeTheBeast4Prez His son is a monster.
This old Tony, I miss your videos so much I’ve been rewatching your old ones. Hopefully life lets you get back into it someday.
I hope things are going well for you.
I have watched a bunch of MIG, TIG, and now Oxy acetylene UA-cam videos and you taught me more in this video about how and why it works than all other videos combined!
God I love this channel. Hilarious commentary, crisp videos with nice editing and great projects. Keep up the good work.
Thanks XXV!
I really like your videos. I've only welded with my powertig welder but I think it is time for me to learn oxy actylene too.
This man should have a TV show.
I agree completely.
haha
TV "production values" would destroy Tony's product. The focus grouped, generically homogenized, dumbed down to non-sentient comprehension content would kill it. Tony appeals to thinking persons who actually know how the physical world works. Too small a market for mass media today.
Tony are you related to Tim The Toolman Taylor by any chance?
This old Tony should;d also do voice overs
But AvE said to learn with a Stick! What do I do?
Never mind. Problem solved: Living in an apartment means I just watch all the videos about welding so I already know everything. I'll just comment on videos telling people how I once did it better with a frayed extension cord, a pencil lead and cutoffs from a sheet metal shear.
keep your stick on the tig and mig
I understand that advice in theory, but in practice it makes no sense to me. When I wanted to learn to weld MIG, I learned to weld MIG. Same thing with TIG. Why would I waste time and money learning a method of welding that I'll never use beyond some nostalgic appreciation for capital W welding? You know "Wellllldinnnnggggg (hushed reverence)"
Frayed extension cord? Amateur. Everyone knows you're not a real Welder (again, hushed reverent tones) unless you can barehand metal coat hangers with 220V at 60amps coursing directly through your body while you lay fat dime stacks on pop cans. Become one with the weld.
Keep your stick in a vise.
Now you're getting the hang of it!
Stick is the best way to weld outside of the shop. Not everyone has the luxury of an indoor work area.
9:50 My metal working teacher gave good reason for that "lighter is a no go" thing. He said that there's been accidents when people have had faulty tip in their sets, banged nozzle accidentally and didn't notice. Then when igniting they've found out the hard way that faulty nozzle can direct flame on very odd angles and well with oxyace, the heat is so great that you'd get really nasty burns even with small gas flow amounts.
Those odd flame angles can also burst a hole in the lighter and cause the lighter to explode in your hand. And if that happens say goodbye to your fingers.
@@kelvinelrick807 That could happen too, but around 3000C flame is way worse. It'll burn hand severly in fraction of a second. Buthane burning temp is less than half of the oxyace
I was 16 in 1967 and I had a job on a building site in the UK. I was in a small team whose job was to bolt heavy hot-dip galvanised plates to threaded studs set in concrete.
None of the threaded bolts were set with any accuracy, so we had the job of re-cutting the bolt holes. We used oxygen-acetylene to make the holes bigger, but the hot dip galv really got in the way and made our job that more tricky.
I was only 16, health and safety was non-existent, but the team leader let me cut the holes. It was so much fun handling a very dangerous but very powerful tool at 16.
Good one!
I remember brazing course during apprenticeship..we quickly realized that the torch could set pretty much anything on fire :D :D :D
Those were the days. ;)
Stefan Gotteswinter we did it during our plumbing apprenticeship as well.
Oh man, good memorys. I was scared shitless the first time, many heart attacks when the torch popped and molten metal in your shoes haha!
Great video!! In Argentina, the tank that we use for acetylene has a small deposit in the bottom to put Calcium Carbide. Then you have to add water to that deposit and close safely. This mix deposit generates acetylene. You have to renew this mix periodically to generate more acetylene.
Mariano No puedo creer que todavia existan los gasogenos en argentina, yo recuerdo los mas antiguos que subian o bajaban la parte superior de su estructura de acuerdo a la presion interna, luego los mas modernos ya heran hermeticos, pero pense que ya pasaron a ser piezas de museo, saludos
My dad worked as an engineer at a large valve works. One day a worker was changing a MIG gas cylinder and the full bottle tipped over sheared the valve off took off like a rocket across the shop and went through 3 brick walls before running into a concrete pillar and dumping out the rest of the gas! Chain your bottles!
Well when changing i presume putting the screw valve guard back on before removing the chains is the most viable step to do.
@@MmeHyraelle Definitely the most important safety precaution - but people get lazy, and frequently only turn the caps on for 2 or 3 threads. They don't need to be tight, but exposed bottle threads are a "danger" sign.
While in high school, I briefly worked for a bottled gas distributor. We refilled propane cylinders from a 6k gallon tank; and we also refilled acetylene bottles (with the gas generated on site).
Our delivery truck had just dropped off about 70 mixed bottles: Empty acetylene refills, propane refills, and a dozen full Oxygen; plus a couple of doors for an office remodel project. As we were racking the empties for forklift transport, we heard a scraping noise, and turned to see the O2 bottles in full "domino mode" with 4 of them falling off the loading dock. The driver had propped the doors against the bottles . . .
One bottle cap was installed less than 2 full turns, so the cap stripped off, the valve sheared off, and the bottle launched itself completely through one bank of the 6k Propane tank safety revetment, passed below the tank by less than a foot, and almost made it through the opposite bank.
I found another job the next day . . .
I have seen an oxy bottle do that.
SCUBA tanks are smaller so I'm not sure how well they would do against brick walls but they go through divers without much issue.
A long time ago I was a firefighter. One night we got a callout to fire at a winery. It was an insurance arson job and everything was well involved.
Anyhoo, a fellow firefighter and I were tasked with extinguishing whatever we could in a burning out-building, so he and I hauled in a line and proceeded to splash water about.
He was on the front end and I was hanging on to him.
As we moved further in, I heard a dull clang, and then my buddy said, "Watch out, there's a bit of pipe on the floor." He stepped over it and kept moving, but soon stopped and turned to see why I was pounding him on the back. It's because the "piece of pipe" was an acetylene bottle, and it was glowing.
We dropped the hose and ran.
I was fast back then but somehow the other guy beat me out of the place.
The DO (fireground OC) began yelling at us for running away while screaming like girls as our hose thrashed around unattended in the building but, before we could explain, there was an almighty whoosh, and an incandescent rocket vanished into the adjacent woodlands where it exploded.
Good times....
The acetylene doesn’t have a smell, so they add sulfur so u can smell if there is a leak somewhere, it’s a safety precaution
Sulfur is a solid. They don't add sulfur. I think they don't add anything at all. Compounds with a triple bond between the carbons or a double bond have a certain smell. Acetylene, aka ethyne, has a triple bond between 2 carbon atoms (C2H2).
You are thinking of mercaptan. They add ethanethiol to propane.
Same with propane
@@vmelkon also, it was sulfur at one point but it was changed later on
@@igormorningstar :
That would mean that sulfur dissolves in acetylene (ethyne is the proper chemical name).
That might be possible. I do know that sulfur dissolves in toluene.
@@vmelkon I think the sulfur was only put in there for the smell and I'm 99% sure that the sulfur wasn't being dissolved in the propane/acetylene
Tony, so glad to hear you say it. I have always thought brazing was the best way to learn welding. You can see and understand what is happening and it happens slowly.
One of the reasons you shouldn't use a lighter to start a torch is distance from the flame. The first reason is your hands proximity to the flame with a lighter while the second of most lighters are plastic and nothing says fun like a butane fireball to get rid of all that annoying hair on your head, arms, and the eyeball dust collectors.
not to mention the fact that the flame out of the torch burns hotter than the lighters flame. so you could have the lighter explode from a backfire. (this is how my teacher explained it)
Do you suppose a lighter like a zippo would be a bit safer?
Jered Hersh jep, a zippo doesnt use a gas to light the flame, but oil
i use mt empties so nyah
I'd say: firstly, yes - the hand is much further away from the torch (= safety), secondly the spark is much hotter, thus ignition is just surer (beter assured - ?), which means "one strike and off you go". Thirdly, one can operate the striker with the gloves on, and it can be taken from the pocket, should the need arise, much easier than a lighter - be it Zippo or modern brands - with the gloves still on. Or you can just put it on the bench, close to your work area, without risking it to catch fire or blowing out, should you accidently touch it with the flame. And, oh, BTW: no one is going to take it when going out for a cigarette break.
Do we need any more reasons to use striker? I think not... ;-)
I had no idea there was candy corn inside O2 cylinders! The more you know.
Barry The Chopper yeah if you break one open you will find its standard on most all tanks, they also use peach rings sometimes but its rare because its hard to get them to fill as much space due to their shape.
It acts as a desiccant to remove moisture.
I always suspected candy corn was really just waste material from some random industrial process. I wonder what industry throwns away the goo they make tootsie rolls from. /s
@@nicktorr7888 Tootsie rolls aren't industrial waste so much as agricultural.
*You get the mix of education/entertainment just right!.....80/20*
More 80/80 xD
5:08 the word "Sharpie" on the pen turns into the word "Subscribe" love it man, I do the same thing in my videos. Easter eggs are the best eggs.
I knew there was something funny about the pen, so I looked closer and found an easter egg.
lmao, noticed it and CTRL Fd "subscribe" to see if there's any comments about it :-)
ye no one cares about ur youtube channel
Can't believe I missed that. Must have been so focused on the Chemistry! :-)
I have to wonder if he is a Monty python fan with all the subtle jokes that he doesn't even emphasize them. Everytime you watch, u find more jokes
You have provided more insight in this video about the matter than all the info I could gather around during years of asking in shops and welding stores. I re-watch it every time i have to use my oxy-acetylene equipment. Internet is awesome because of people like you!
Tony, your channel is becoming one of my favourite on UA-cam, your humour is amazing!
thanks Katie!
Props on crediting Jody, who hasn't learnt something from Jody at some point. The man has changed welding on a global scale, honestly.
Thanks Tony, I really appreciate your videos. For me it was a good refresher after not touching a torch for decades. But you did not mention the safety point I was taught. When done, flush the lines and turn off the bottles. Sequence: you turn off both taps on the handle then close the O bottle then open the O on the handle and blow out the O line. Then you close the O at the handle. The close A, at bottle, open the A on the handle and flush out any remaining O in the torch, then close A at handle. This ensures no explosive mixture in the handle and it takes the pressure of them regulators and hoses.
Oxy-acetylene yep reminds me of the time I was in agricultural mechanics back in high school they kick the guy out of class permanently cuz I caught him trying to weld to the acetylene tank yes that's right he was trying to weld a strip of metal for practice to the acetylene tank
scary, if the tank gets warm the acy will degrade and build lots of pressure
JFC
@Ronald 240Bravo for all guys present there as well...
One great way to blow up the entire class
My buddy had A Diesel Mechanics class in high school with a mentally challenged boy that tried to cut an Oxy or Acetylene tank with a torch whichever one it was it would have been a disaster had he done it.
You sir are a natural, thank you for such an awesome video. Like most "diy" sorts I just bought home a complete set up with no idea what I was doing, and thanks to you my house is still standing, the burns are minimal but I may never see the cat again.
:0
If your day job isn't involved in teaching it's a shame.
That definitely resonated
i'm a glassworker, and in school we were taught to light the torch with something that didn't put your hand close to the torch, in case you've somehow bumped the O2, or had a large outer fire on by accident.. it's possible you could splash your hand with a whole lot of flame if it's right there. lots of people use zippos, because the flame is so long. i use a regular bic, because i'm stupid.
I agree. I think it's mostly about keeping your hand away from the flame. I use my Zippo often to light the torch but using a lighter filled with pressurized butane (which I've done) makes me really nervous. I got in trouble in school as the shop teacher was telling us never to light a torch with an open flame. "Mr. H, isn't that striker creating a small open flame?" LOL
i regularly light cigarettes off the glass i'm cooking. hehe.
yeah i don't see why striking a flame with a flame is necessarily bad... i guess it could be an issue if you've got a leaky torch and you might blow your shit up with an open flame but it seems like sparky stuff would do the same thing, hah..
A piezo stove lighter is tops, even after it runs out of gas, just the spark will ignite the gas. AND, it's got a long nossle to keep your hand away from the light up.
I always thought it said that so you would buy a special torch lighter from them
nice educational video ! I Just like your stile...
But you missed out on a lot of stuff:
1.: To clean the nozzle you shouldnt use the needles as they wear out the nozzles. Its better to rub the tip of the lighted burner on a piece of scrapwood. This extinguishes the torch while the glowing charcoal relights it causing it to pop. These mini explosions will blow out the dirt without hurting the nozzle. I Learned it that way (Professional mechanic in Germany), works fine.
2.: Your oxygen pressure is waaay too low. Use at least 30PSI to get safe operation and full capacity. This is due to torch design, in the bottom part of your nozzle (The part that sticks into the handle) is a jet pump powered with oxygen to suck in the acetylene. This is necessary for good mixing and to allow keeping the acetylene pressure low while using lots of it.
3.: Never increase the acetylene pressure above 7 PSI as acetylene is not stable under pressure. The high bottle pressure is only possible due to the "solving in acetone trick", if attemptet outside the bottle the acetylene could decompose generating massive heat. This decomposition can also be caused by local overheating of the bottle. The bottle will then start to heat up itself wich makes an explosion nearly unavoidable. Its kind of a fire without the need of a second component...
If you ever notice an acetylene cylinder getting hot by itself- just run as far as you can and call the fire department!
4.: Never use pure copper with acetylene (only the tip of the torch is excluded...) as the copper will react with the acetylene, forming a highly unstable compound wich will explode on shock and contact.
5.: the proper way to light a torch is to turn on the oxygen a little bit, then turning on the acytelene and then lighting the torch. That was you get no sooty mess and the jetpump- design prvents any backfire during startup.
6.: Lighting the torch with a gas flame is perfectly fine, we had welding stations that had a small acetylene flame attacht to a dual valve device. To start welding you just pick up the torch an hold it close to that flame an the torch ignites perfectly set. to stop you hung it back wich closed both oxy and acetylene.
I would not recommend to use a lighter because sometime you get a nice fireball during ignition. Especially if you are not well enough trained at thas and you miss the perfect gas mix for a while. But if you are wearing gloves and do it a lot it works fine.
Sorry, got a lot of text... ;-)
Nice info. I didn't know that acetylene was unstable under pressure.
But one thing I did know is that you should always turn on the oxygen first (pt. 5), but no one on youtube does that.
Forgot some important ones:
All torch sets i know operate at 3PSI Acytelene and 36 PSI Oxygen nominal, regardless of the nozzle size. Has never failed me, only ridiculous big cutting heads need more oxygen pressure. (for 10inch+ thickness)
Nominal Power is achieved when the Acytelene valve is fully open and the Flame is adjustet with the oxygen valve.
Cutting can be started when the steel is glowing between cherry-red and bright orange, it does not need to melt.
You can only cut low carbon, low alloy steel as thankfully nearly all construction steel is. Stainless, cast iron etc. doesnt work as it does not burn.
Thomas Krämer yeah always been told to crack the oxy first before starting.
And shutting down shut off the acetylene first.
3 psi on what planet?
Hmm I am no expert but by research and experience I have learned that the best way is to ignore numbers and set the regulators by flame visually. That way the flow is perfect for that tip. Also I braze pure copper, did you mean actually welding it, like getting a melt pool?
You have to stand up your acetylene bottle for double the time it was on its side is the general rule we learned in Sno Isle Skills Center in Washington State. It’s important if you don’t know how long it was on its side then you leave it upright for 24 hours. Good luck! God Bless! Safety is NOT an accident! 🖖🏼❤️🇺🇸
Oxygen and Acetylene is actually what my school uses in our welding class. My favorite type of welding!
Cool man 😎
Are you in nz cause i we the same
Flash arresters do not require heat for operation. The blast wave of flash back provides pressure to unseat a pin shaped valve held open by a spring or gas flow from tank.
You know, when I see you post a new video, I always look first at how long it is, and my joy is directly proportional to it's lenght. ^^
Watch time!
"my joy is directly proportional to it's length"
-- That's what _she_ sa...
Never mind.
KarlBunker 9/10 good
same here!
Funny, as soon as I saw the "^^" in your comment I knew you were from Germany. Your name confirmed that. This is really becoming a fool proof method of identifying Germans online.
Carry On! Welding
“Chained to the wall just like my son” that got dark quickly
TV Guy here: Seven years late, I compliment you, on your writing, production and editing. Just tight and glib and with just enough fluff.
Really good. Thank you.
Also, in passing, a personal anecdote on the topic: I was traumatized in Junior High metal shop by a warning sign that said "A before O or up you will go." I am still phobic regarding Oxy/A and though I know it's a mental block, I just can't get past it. Maybe this video will help.
Loved the formula, very educational and answers the question "WHY" when it comes to pressure. Would like seeing more in future vids of flames/pressures while looking through glasses/shields and when to use oxygen rich vs carbon flames.
Why is your oxygen bottle filled with candy corn? 4:00
I think that was his wall insulation. Not many people know this, but Candy Corn has a really great R value.
Harlequin314159 i wondering the same thing
Why wouldn't it be?
Why isn't yours?
Harlequin314159 Damn, nice catch!!
Well done! Very clear information, not to scientific, but not just the nitty-gritty. Good tutorial on setting the flame properly. Thanks for making another great video!
Thanks Jim!
I have learned much from watching your videos, and at this point you are my second favorite Tony on youtube.
You remind me of my grandfather. He recently passed away and was the single most intelligent man to ever walk this Earth. So, saying you remind me of him shouldn't be taken lightly. These video are awesome and people like me appreciate minds like yours.
I wonder how many people realize how skilled Tony is. He's super humble about it but dude is brilliant and very skilled
"I know because i've weighed them"
I nearly spat coffee all over my laptop
Stoichiometry, LMAO!! Seriously Tony, one of the absolutely best gas welding introductions I have ever seen. I totally agree with learning with gas gives you a huge jump on MIG and TIG. Love the special effects, especially the candy corn and the terminator bit. Keep up the good work. Thanks again- Fred
Thanks Fred!
Man I miss oxy welding from high school. Nothing more fun then watching your class mates pop the bubble from too much heat and light themselves on fire. 😊
I'm in a class with 30 other kids and one female teacher... She likes her job😂
At first I believed I would hate oxy weldeing, after learning stick. but I really enjoyed it after a while. If the thing goes boom on you, you have turn it just a little notch up
Oxy Acetylene welding is what I learned in my high school welding class, it’s really nice that you can weld even when electricity isn’t available, and there’s no slag to clean up when you’re done.
7 years ago?! I remember watching this in the past.... but I didn't think it had been that long ago.
Love your content, TOT! Thanks again!
Man this brought back memories. That plop sound when acetylene start burning and it wonderfull full flame. The rainy muddy raw days when I was shivering with cold, this thing always helped.
Tony, these videos just get better and better!
Thanks!
"there's a ton of videos on welding. I know that because I've weighed them!”. Not only are you incredibly knowledgeable, but you're funny as hell! I love your videos.
What an incredibly informative and entertaining video! I learnt so much! Thankyou!! 😊
I don’t know how many times I’ve watch this video, it’s been a lot, entertaining every time.
Watched this a while back, probably years ago, and came back to it. Still great. That's the mark of excellence.
O2 tank full of candy corn? I approve. Excellent hiding spot.
Aw, man. I wish I had seen this back when I was working on my A&P license. It would have helped my welding project go a bit smoother.
Dettweiler I had to do this for my A&P too ahaha.
That and weight and balance, fire protection, NDI, rigging a control surface. Ahh the memories. Welding ,sheet metal work and bucking rivets was my favorite part.
you made balancing chemical reactions WAY easier to understand than my eighth grade science teacher. Just for reference, that teacher is one of the best teachers at THE best private grade school in the US
Tony, just want you to know how much I appreciate your educational and informative videos. Haven't had any Ox-Ac instruction since first yr of engineering school - over 50 yrs ago!! "Flame Arrestors" - something new within the last 50 yrs? Never heard anything about 'em. Thanks for hitting "the high points" which has removed fear from me lighting up my system. Will check out my hoses first :)
I've always been told not to lay any pressurized tank on its side concerning gasses. But the explanation and diagram of the acetylene tank was an eye opener.
I'm in an agricultural mechanics class at my high school,last Thursday a guy was cutting with the oxy act and knocked it over and the tanks safety cap want on so the top broke and it flew across the shop and cracked about 2 feet of sand filled brick.
That was probably the best, informative video I have seen.
That cutting torch was fierce!
Trying to see how I can get into aluminium welding. Have only 120 in the house, and no breakers left.
I hear tig/argon is the way to go.
Another excellent video Tony and congratulations on your meteoric subscription rate!
ATB, Robin
Thanks Robin!
meteors fall...
Two years on and still going strong....
I’m a glassblower and you just explained to me flame chemistry!!! Thank you
Mate, I would just like to give you a massive thank-you. Me and my partner have given up watching crap on Netflix and now sit down and watch your videos instead. It's getting her much more excited about learning to TIG, and using my lathe and old mill to make things so we're spending a heap more quality time together.
Your videos are really well thought out, entertaining and exceptionally well edited.
If you're ever in Australia, hit me up for a visit to the workshop and free accommodation and beers in Bathurst or Bangalow.
1:44 “Just like my boy, it’s chained nice and solid to the wall”
Sure as hell caught me off guard
NICELY done video Tony;
Some info for nerdy shop rats like me (with several grad degrees), not boasting but I often wonder how the hell I ended up as a machinist.
Any who, acetylene is a very interesting molecule, discovered in 1836 by Sir Edmund Davy, does not hold the title of Sir, but I though sounded much better. During one of his experiments with potassium carbide (who knows what he was after) but he produced carbonized H AKA acetylene.
In 1859 Marcel Morren (crikey must have a hard time in school, Oh look its Marcel Moron.)
With my limited intelligence, dyslexia, OCD, depression, let us stop there; I do not know why but he was doing an experiment in which god knows why he was striking an arc between 2 carbon electrodes in a H atmosphere. Well he lived to produce acetylene after the ensuing violent Rx the carbon atoms torn loose bonded with H and produced a gas we all now call acetylene. Late in the 18th century H2N2 was being produced by reacting calcium chloride with water (Miners Light same Rx.)
Now something north of 50% is produced from natural gas, ~13% from cracking of dinosaur squeezings and the remainder Ca chloride method. 350,000,000 pound annually (160,000,000 Kg for the metric crowd)
As Tony mentioned storage is very interesting. A wee bit of diatomaceous earth, a nip of acetone into the tank at 300 PSI makes it much more stable.
Two safety items I was taught never to set the H2N2 reg above 10 PSI, at risk of having the H2N2 change phase (liquefy and become very reactive. Number B never apply any grease to tank fittings especially O2, for thee obvious reasons. hydrocarbon + O2 (oxidizer)= boom. Oh BTW a pure carbonizing flame is used to place a coat soot on the inner portion of the "mold" when pouring a babbitt bearing just FYI.
WAKE UP I am finished, just wanted add a little history for us nerds. Nice and informative vid Tony Thanks man,
Doug
I guess some refreshment course is neede... ;-)
It was calcium CARBIDE (CaC2), not chloride (CaCl2), that creates the acetylene. (CaCl2 is pretty much inert, a tons upon tons of it are present in sea water, where it does nothing.)
H2N2, or rather N2H2 is a hydrazine - the acetylene is C2H2.Pretty close, though ;-) And, oh, "never apply any grase to tanks fittings" - to OXYGEN tanks fittings, the rest doesn't care. Somehow...
5:46 i literally went "NO!!! THATS NOT RIGHT!!!"
then started to balance the equation.... and then you did it for me... and THANK GOD for that
i was about to spend 20 mins remembering high school chemistry.....
He didn't properly balance the equation. If you want to see the mistake, rewatch that part of the video and pay extra attention to the H2O at the end of the equation.
I really like your channel. Perfect balance of learning and information, and just enough schtick to be funny without being juvenile and annoying. Really great stuff man. Bravo 🙂
Thanks Tony
I didn't take this stuff in high school nor have I had any college courses on welding and cutting.
I've been wanting an Oxy/Acetaline rig for years.
Been using a borrowed rig for a couple of jobs in my shop and I have used the set up in a couple other shops years ago but my knowledge base is very minimal.
I'll be watching this again... a few more times before I actually get my own rig.
Thanks again.
Love your method of teaching too.
Keep up the great work.
AvE : welding
This Old Tony : welding
what a coincidence ! :joke:
And both smartly advising to start with old school processes, when learning.
the biggest difference is TOT is like the coolest shop teacher you never had!!
Where Ave is like the weird uncle that still thinks he's cool, but in reality he burnt off his "dingus" like 15 yrs ago, and you have to hear bout it every god dam Thanks Giving =(
Rambozo Clown I started with stick, but now I wanna try oxyacetalyne
Yea I'd completely agree w/ old school methods, except I'm w/ Tony on gas > SMAW for learning. Nothing about SMAW translates to TIG or MIG or gas IMO. SMAW is its own process and while incredibly valuable, doesn't make beautiful welds, it's for structural. I have all of these processes and never use stick. If you can gas, you can TIG and gas can cut until you can afford a plasma.
SMAW is more than capable of making beautiful welds in the right hands. While oxyfuel translates to TIG very well, I think SMAW translates to MIG in a lot of ways. Different tools for different tasks. While I mostly TIG, I do use other processes for certain tasks. However, like Tony, my oxyfuel has now become mostly a heating tool. Hmmm, I should probably check my hoses...;)
There was a acronym I learned when I first learned how to blow glass it's for starting and stopping a torch it is called p.o.o.p. it stands for propane oxygen oxygen propane the proper step when lighting a torch (po) and turning it off (op)
I know that is a safety thing, but that acronym has me chuckling
Dammit. I want to weld so bad, but I don't really need that much shit welded together.
You will after you buy the equipment. Or you'll dream up shot you just have to have and welding must be involved. It's a sickness
I feel u dude 😭😭😁😁😂 definitely
Art then, if you don't need the skill for the practical, do something purely because you like it
@@Impuritan1 I gotta make more cowbells...
if mankind justified all decisions by what we need we would have never developed past the bronze age.
Old Tony , I'm thinking old as , "OLD" ! My start at Welding , was High School Shop Class , 1956-1960 , Detroit Public Schools , Cody High ! The " START " was Oxy-Acetylene , welding " period " ! You learned to TORCH Weld , or DIDN'T go on from there !! Still today , I feel , to become a " Real Welder " Oxy-Acetylene , MASTERY , is a MUST !!!
Heck, your humor alone made me a subscriber. But as a newbie to welding and fabrication, your instruction and information are definite bonuses. 😁
Something not mentioned about the Oxygen Bottle..
Those are Cryogenic Cylinders. They have a Cylinder inside the tank where they fill with Liquid Oxygen then the liquid goes into the outer tank and turns into a Gas then goes to the Valve outlet. Thats why on the Large Oxygen Cylinders you have Gas and Liquid outlets. You typically only use the Liquid Side on the large tanks to run into a Condenser System that does the same thing but will produce even more PSI. With two of the large tanks on the liquid side run into one of those condenser systems you can get up to 240PSI at the torch for the first 20-30 mins or so then reduces as the tanks empty. Which is capable of not only cutting Cast Iron (Never could get ours to do so.. Clean cuts anyway.) but also up to 5-6 FOOT thick Steel. (I actually did cut a couple blocks about 4-5 foot thick with ours)
I worked at a scrap yard for a time and they installed one of those systems for us to be able to cut Cast as well as huge blocks of steel we had saved up with nothing to do with. And they give us this information upon installing the system. And the one we had wasn't even that big either. Some of the bigger ones run off even bigger tanks or even off the big silo tanks which can give those high PSI for even longer periods of time before losing pressure. But that's what those smaller tanks do on their own thus why they typically only have a Gas outlet and do not require the condenser system but you will never get those kinda PSI out of them either. This is also why if you pull from the Gas side on those large tanks and cut for a while the values can freeze up with ice or snow. Those condensers do the same thing when pulling off the liquid side as well.
Ive always found it odd how many fabricators ive met doing this work for many years and have no idea how either Oxygen or Acetylene Tanks actually work.
From what I have looked standard welding cylinders just have gaseous o2, since if it had liquid it would eventually evaporate and over pressure the tank
Shop cylinders do not have liquid oxygen in them. The valves freeze up because anytime you allow a gas to expand it gets colder. It's the same reason your air compressor gets really hot (but in reverse).
@@stargazer7644 Talk to your local Cylinder Distributor... Because thats exactly how Ox cylinders work.
@@Demonlord468 not what these people say.
weldguru.com/bottle-oxygen/
And I feel a lot of people would talk about it if tanks actually had a time limit to use before venting off. But the don't because what you are saying is bullshit
@@Demonlord468 I think the kind of tanks you are taking about are only used to store oxygen from a oxygen concentration system. And for that the temporary storage limit isn't a problem
Wish my old shop teacher had gotten into this detail which would have saved a lot of time and this video burned my lunch..RIP
How dare you mention burninating w/o giving props to TROGDOR!!!!!!!!
I've been cutting/welding on and off (more off) for over 50 years, but it's still handy to brush up with advice from others. Good video, old chum.
I have been using my avetylene bottle completely upside down hanging from a plane for 300 years and nothing bad ever happened. Heck, it even worcked better then the way you told us.
Burninating the countryside?
...and the peasants.
TROGDOR!
*~* Troogtoooooooooor *~*
*stands for strongbadia national anthem*
so happy there are old netziens here.
excellent channel, much like.
and all the thatch roof cottageeeeees!
And the Trogdor comes in the NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!!!!
can you make a video about your editing process "technical estuff:"... is clean and nice.
that hurt my head a little.. make a video about.. making a video?
yea.. is nice to learn the making process. or you never look at the video making video process.. its like forging a hammer with a hammer.
CapApollo I'll have to agree, your editing and post-production skills are quite good!
This Old Tony, your Vid skills are such that a how-to on Vid production would make interesting viewing.
"A before O or up you'll go!" That's how we remembered in our shop class how to light it.
For the most part - I like this video. I'm giving high praise here, as it is usually very easy to dismantle videos on brazing, O/F and working with cooper.
Brilliant video. This took me back 30 odd years to my apprenticeship. Everything I was taught about gas cutting and welding is in this vid.
And more. Turning the gas off and still cutting I'd never seen or heard of! So when he asks "did you learn something?" I'm nodding away.