Now with the work piece / material in position and your torch supply hose out of line of hot sparks and slag you can get comfortable. You must be in a comfortable and strategic position to have the ability to make a good clean cut. Tune the torch in and set properly for the thickness of material being cut. You now need to get a good preheat on the leading edge of the work piece, (16) this will happen faster with thinner gauge material. Now start to make your cut with a consistent travel speed and a stand off distance of about 1/16" to a 1/8" from the work piece. Advance as fast as a good cutting action will permit. (17) Evaluate the face of the cut after every pass, try to figure out what needs to change in your technique to make a higher quality cut! Here is what a clean cut should look like. (18)

Here are a few things you must remember when cutting thinner material with an oxy torch. You should have the torch tuned down; it is not necessary to have a super high heat, high-pressure flame. With the thinner gauge material you should be parallel with the work piece, but have a little lead in angle. (19) This keeps the molten material ahead of the Oxygen cutting stream. This is to prevent the pieces from welding themselves back together. Here is a cut on thinner material. (20) The thinner the material the more of a lead in angle you are going to need. With heavier material this is not necessary. You should be more square to the work piece to make a nice clean cut. (21)

When finished cutting, shut down in reverse order. It is recommended to close the Oxygen valve first whenever turning off an oxy-fuel system. This will keep the system free from carbon deposits that can accumulate and eventually cause the torch to become inoperable and/or unsafe.

A good clean cut only comes with good practice, notice I said good practice. You don't want bad habits. With all this said, for safety, you should always work with or around a seasoned professional. A professional can also tell you what you might be doing wrong to help you progress to be good with an oxyacetylene torch. I hope this answers some questions and helps you become better with the tools you love to use!

The material on SR’s web-site including, but not limited to, “Getting Started With An Oxy Acetylene Torch Set Up” is the property of said author and SR. Written by Hot Silver who is a professional certified welder & educational instructor. The material is intended as a guide for general information purposes only. SR and its agents strongly urge you to always have a seasoned welder with you before working with any and all explosive materials for your safety and of those around you. Please Remember safety first!