Compressed air for cutting:

admin

A guy was at the shop yesterday whom is a "diver". He has a high pressure compressor and services his own tanks for breathing air. We were talking of using his compressor to charge a couple of my O2 tanks to use for cuttting but I wonder how well this would work? Not being pure oxygen I'd not think it would be as aggressive in the cut stream but it doesn't cost anything to try other than time to make up a charging manifold.Haven't done anything yet but wondering if anybody else has done anything like this in the past?SlobPurveyor of intimate unparalleled knowledge of nothing about everything.Oh yeah, also an unabashed internet "Troll" too.....
Reply:I doubt it would work. Look at an air arc. The air doesn't burn the iron just moves the molten iron away from the arc. You could use a fitting like is used to connect the torch hose to the regulator and connect to the air hose to try and see if it works.                                                 MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:O/A cutting works by making the hot steel oxidize (burn) when in contact with pure oxygen - ALOT of things that normally doesn't burn will burn violently in pure oxygen. Compressed air will do nothing, since it contains the ordinary 21% oxygen.http://www.space.com/17338-apollo-1.htmlLast edited by G-son; 02-08-2016 at 01:15 PM.
Reply:Works great with the plasma cutter. I used to use dive air semi regularly to cut with my plasma. HP air is just about as dry as you can get and good quality grade E breathing air is about as clean as you can get. For OA it's not worth it..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Won't work for acetylene cutting. It will work for plasma arc cutting.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Thanks guys. I really wasn't too convinced it would work and have never tried it but wondered as it seems every time I get a O2 tank replaced, I'm paying a service charge anymore.SlobPurveyor of intimate unparalleled knowledge of nothing about everything.Oh yeah, also an unabashed internet "Troll" too.....
Reply:one of the local welding shops fill there own  it just cuts dirtiertrailblazer 302thunderbolt ac dc machine Hobart fluxcoreAHP tig 200x 2015
Reply:If he has a nitrox rig he can separate out the oxygen and give you a pure O2 fill.
Reply:Originally Posted by thordehrIf he has a nitrox rig he can separate out the oxygen and give you a pure O2 fill.
Reply:Originally Posted by thordehrIf he has a nitrox rig he can separate out the oxygen and give you a pure O2 fill.
Reply:Any impurities in the O2 will slow the cutting.  Some people would notice it with 99% O2, probably all would by 97%.  ISTR at 92% O2 you are about 30% the speed of 100% O2.