The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-06-30
A knife OF FLAME
Wonderful Work Done by the
0,syaCetyene Torch.
A MARVEL IN CUTTING STEEL.

| SUS01S-tt ~ NOV OoSd TIT us9t6InAs
One OF the most curious Instruments
used by the structural iron workers
and steel shlpbnilders. the most as.
tonishlng In its performance and the
most spectacular when seen at work
Is the oxyacetylene torch. 1t Is made
10 two forms-a welding torch and a
cutting torch. With the former cast
iron. cast steel. steel. wrought iron,
aluminium, brass. copper platinum
and various alloys can be welded with
ease. while perfect weld can also
be made between any combination
Of cast iron. steel. brass and copper.
Yields are often made In steel and iron
! with this torch up to eight and nine
inches In thickness. the. heaviest weld
fourteen inches.
With the cuttlng torch steel and iron
tother than cast ironl are readily cut.
| With the aid of mechanical devices for
Guiding the torch. up to thickness Of
eight or nine inches This means that
with the oxyacetyleDe torch piece of
steel eight OF nine Inches thick and of
any width can be cnt squarely In two.
| Just as q carpenter saws through
board or beam. The kerf 10 cutting
the steel-that Is the part OF the metal
that is burned away where the cut ia
made-is only about one-eighth OF an
inch wide.
Steel six inches thick can be cut In
this way at the rate OF one foot in
three minutes.
10 the man who knows nothing of
chemistry or what actually takes place
when any object burns this seems In
credible When the process OF combus
ton Is explained the mystery is swept
away Combustion. then. In its sim
plest terms. consists 10 raising the
temperature Of an object to point
where 1t will unite chemically with the
oxygen of the airs When this chemi
cal action takes place it is accompani-
ed by light and heat. and the object is
said to burn"
This temperature varies greatly with
different objects or substances Many
substances that burn at a comparative
ly low temperature can be set on fire
with a match. With these substances
every one is familiar. and other sub.
stances that will not readily burn
when match is applied to them are
popularity regarded as "6reproof."
But this IL wrong view. II may
simply mean that the temperature at
which the object will burn-called the
"kindling temperature"-is too high TO
be reached by the burning match. This
Is the case with iron aud steel, and
when the oxyacetylene fame cuts
through bar OF steel nine inches
thick and three feet wide II simply
burns up a layer of the metal one
eighth of an inch In thickness.
The welding torch. to describe 1t as
simply as possible. consists Of handle
through which extend two tubes OF
brass. These tubes are connected with
two gas tanks, one containing oxygen
and the other acetylene. and these
gases are admitted to The tubes by
valves at the rear. the oxygen entering
the upper tube and the acetylene the
lower. Both tubes open into the head
Of the torch. into which is screwed
nozzle or tip. The gases enter this tip
by separate passages and are there
mixed together and. being under pres
sure. spurted from the jet The acety
lene is first turned on and lighted
This Is the fuel OF the fame. Then the
oxygen is turned on. This supports
the fame.
The quantity Of each gas can be reg.
ulated by the valves, and thus there is
produced what is called neutral
dame"-that is TO say. it contains mel
Their an excess OF oxygen nor OF acety.
lene. but Just enough OF each TO ac-
romplish complete combustion The
temperature produced by this flame.
With an almost pencil point concentra-
ion. is approximately $500 degrees f
In the cutting torch there is a differ
ence In construction. because the OBJ
Iect now is not only to beat the metal.
but also TO burn tito consume II by
Dire The torch is so made. therefore.
that at inst "preheating" dame,
which Is the same as the welding
dame. is directed against the metal, its
purpose being 10 heat the metal to 10
or "white heat" When
this point Is reached a slight move
ment OF the thumb on the hand bold
Ing the torch opens valve that sends
rushing against the hot metal a sepa
rate stream Of oxygen under high pres
sure.
at its great heat OF $500 degrees and
In the presence OF this free oxygen the
metal readily burns The iron or steel
Is the fuel. and the stream OF oxygen
supports the combustion
The cutting torch is now used In the
kpair OF ships In many ways. A new
ventiiator hole. a portfolio. q piece OF
damaged deck or side plating can be
cut out and removed In few minutes
Very often when new boilers are to be
Installed 10 a vessel the old ones are
cut into pieces With the torch and re
moved In a few hours-New York
Tue attitude OF unbappiness Il not
only painful; II is mean and ugly