Torch cutting help

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Any help on what I am doing wrong?  It's my first time with a torch and not having good luck...Here are the settings:Victor Super Range IIMetal:  1/4" plate3-101 size 0 tipACET set at 7 psiOXY set at 30 psiI preheat the end until it is glowing and then pull the handle, and start working across.. However, the problem I am having is the molten steel fills in behind as I cut -vs- making a nice cut...  I am sure I have a neutral flame, and have slowed down where I don't think I am moving across too fast.. Do my settings above sound right?  All help is appreciated..
Reply:I don't know the cutting range for the tip you're using.  I own a Harris torch.The gas settings seem ok(again, the 02 can vary with the tip)But mostly......  Traveling too slow lets the metal reweld itself.  You can see the puddle following right behind you.  Traveling too fast doesn't allow the steel to be cut all the way thru.  There's a happy middle ground.I don't tilt the head unless I'm trying to cut really thin stuff, then I blow the steel ahead of the cut.I don't know about Victor torches, but Harris has a short preheat flame, and it's critical to keep the head near enough to the steel so that the flame touches the metal."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Mainly you need to work on steadyness, and probably move faster.  angle the torch in the direction of travel  slightly and move as a steady constant speed.  If it's welding backtogether behind the tip then usually you are moving to slow.  alot of time when cutting if you are doing it right the noise will sound like cloth ripping.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Also suggest you clean the center hole in the tip w/ a good tip cleaner. When the center hole is clean and you press the cutting lever slightly, it will pull the lighter blue part of the flame out to 3-4 times it's normal length. All it takes is one little bead of slag on the edge of the hole to make it cut the way your's is cutting.          Hope this helps,                  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:The numbers you are using seem too high for my liking. With a '0' size tip, 5 pounds of Acetylene and 30 pounds Oxygen is quite a lot. 1/4" steel doesn't need but 3 or 4 Acet. and 15 or 20 Oxyg. Angle the tip to point the flame into the direction of the cut and move quickly on thinner metal. Once the steel gets beyond a half an inch thick, then really slow down and keep straight up and down, with 5 and 30 pounds respectively.Adjusted correctly for the task, a torch should give very clean results.Mostly it just takes a lot of practice to get it clean!! Disclaimer; jmho!! Attached ImagesCity of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:deere2210,The cut pictures seem to show a melt rather than a burning of the steel. Since there aren't any places where the steel was "burned" through, I suspect low oxygen flow.Looks like the cutting jet lacks enough oxygen flow and pressure to fuel the steel's burn. If torch height is correct, then I suspect that O2 flow is being restricted, either at the torch handle, or somewhere in the supply system.Some things to check:If this is a torch handle with a separate cutting head attachment, be sure that the oxygen valve at the handle's hose inlet is completely open for cutting operations; the preheat flame O2 should be adjusted only with the oxygen valve at the cutting head.Be sure that when the cut lever is pulled, the O2 valve is opened 100%.To test for adequate O2 flow, depress the cut lever to hold the un-lit torch's cutting valve wide open for several seconds; check that a strong steady flow of O2 is being maintained at the cutting jet. Watch the O2 regulator's pressure gauge to be sure that adequate pressure will be maintained during cutting.Also looks like way too much preheat. Once a proper burn is started, move the torch along with a steady brisk speed. Don't wait on preheat. Once a proper cut starts there is little need for more preheat, the steel will be burned as fuel, not melted. By moving the torch ahead at a steady speed you are "fueling" the burn or cut.Try it again, being sure that there's a high flow of cutting oxygen..Good Luck