Torch cutting stainless--stinky?

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Torch cutting stainless--stinky? B.B. 05-13-2006
Posted by B.B. on May 13, 2006, 2:14 am
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 I didn't do it! But one of my rocket scientist co-workers tried to
flame cut a stainless pipe. Kept at it for a good twenty minutes,
managed to melt enough of it to pull it apart. Then threw it out and
got another that wasn't all warped and blobbed to hell.
Anyhoo, I discovered it because it smelled horrible. Is there some
known reaction between stainless and acetylene that produces a rancid
funk? Toxic? The one guy with the most exposure already has brain
damage, so we aren't too worried if it is.

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net

Posted by on May 13, 2006, 11:23 am
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 B.B.:

The smell may have been caused by residue from previous use of the
pipe. You didn't say the pipe was unused.

The reason you can't PROPERLY cut/burn stainless steel with an oxy-fuel
torch is because of the chromium content of the steel.

At elevated temperatures chromium combines with the free cutting oxygen
very rapidly to form chromium-oxide, a ceramic that is extremely heat
resistant and is used to make high-temperature fire bricks.

This oxide layer thus formed protects the iron against combining with
the cutting oxygen.

You can get special oxy-fuel cutting torches for stainless steel.
These torches have a provision whereby iron powder is injected into the
flame to produce much higher temperatures to break-down the
chromium-oxide formation.

It is still a very crude process producing results that look like rats
had chewed on it.

Industrially stainless steel is cut using plasma torches which produce
temperatures around 25,000 deg. F., as opposed to oxy-acetylene flames
which burn at about 6,000 deg. F.

Wolfgang


Posted by on May 13, 2006, 5:20 pm
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Holding a 6013 rod in front of the flame will ade in cutting
stainless...


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