exothermic cutting

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i am considering the purchase of an arcair cutting unit http://www.thermadyne.com/arcair/pro...5Code=&W6Code=Will i be able to cut cement/concrete? besides cutting through everything else. Thanks!Edit: so from the website i only need a 12v battery and an oxygen cylinder? i don't see a lot of info on the setting up and using of these things, they sound pretty destructive.Last edited by tomselleck; 09-28-2011 at 05:58 PM.Reason: more info needed
Reply:Yes they will cut concrete. They are an expensive way to cut however. Exactly what kind of work are you planning?Besides the O2 and the battery, you will also need the exothermic rods themselves. The rods burn fairly quickly and are not cheap. The 1/4" x 22" rods burn about 45 seconds and cost about $3 each.http://www.brweldingsupplies.com/search-action.cfmLooks like the base unit will set you back almost $900 and you would still need rods, and O2 reg and an O2 cylinder as well.http://www.brweldingsupplies.com/sho...63-991-026.cfmThis is a good tool for demo on some items where other cutting systems might not work so well. We used to use the underwater versions of these for cutting steel / concrete etc. when I worked for a commercial dive company.  In one application we did we needed to cut embedded rebar that was part of the foundation of an old dam. Specs called for no exposed steel after completion since the state wanted to be sure no one would get injured swiming or boating on the stream. We cut thru both the crete and the rods with the rods.I know guys who have used them to burn out pins on heavy equipment or make cuts on cast iron.If your needs call for simply cutting concrete, I'd vote for a 12-16" demo saw with a diamond blade, or a hydraulic bar saw. I used to regularly cut 3 1/2" - 16" concrete in construction with both portable and walk behind circular saws as well as cutting thru 12" concrete basement walls with the bar saw. These can usually be rented from rental centers if needed.Last edited by DSW; 09-28-2011 at 06:45 PM..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:There are other options.  much lower o2 comsumption, 30psi, rods cut nice and clean and you just need a brazing shield.  videohttp://pass.partsmaster.com/WEBIMAGE...7/x-cut320.WMVditto what he said tho, if you just want to cut concrete, there are better ways to do it.Last edited by Cryo Gal; 09-28-2011 at 07:56 PM.
Reply:im sure my life will be complete if i never have to use one again.I forgot how to change this.
Reply:Cryo Gal, do you have any other links to that torch? The only ones I can pull up are either for the Broco torches or the Slicepaks. Looks like the same exact system those both use, and I'm a bit curious.It is a decent vid on what some of these torches can do, but under real world conditions it's nowhere as neat and clean a process as they make it out to be..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:neat and clean...yea, not so much.  Sparks fly.  System is much the same their rods can be used in slice system but they are designed completely different so they work different and use less o2.  xcut torch you can switch rod sizes by quickly switching out the collett.https://www.partsmaster.us/SitePages...px?Code=021019
Reply:Originally Posted by LawsonWeldingLLCim sure my life will be complete if i never have to use one again.
Reply:Originally Posted by LawsonWeldingLLCim sure my life will be complete if i never have to use one again.
Reply:That xcut rods look like mini oxygen lances that we use.Is it a hollow tube with many manganese rods in the middle creating a thermite like fire on the end?The lances we used were 6 foot long and would burn a 6pk oxygen bank up in no time.I don't remember them wanting to cut concrete very well and I know they wont cut through most rocks.If it's the same type of cutting method.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!