Thread: gouging tips

having only ever used bent gouging tiips on the oxy, a mate gave me a couple of new streight gouging tips, can't quite figure out the benifit of the streight gouge?

Mainly the the straight ones are used for washing the heads off bolts and rivets.
As with the bent ones if used properly ,no damage to the underlying steel occurs. The tiny air gap between the components is sufficient insulation to avoid oxy thermal cutting action.

As an example I can cut a frozen nut off the underlying thread and not harm it.

Grahame

ive used the bent ones for the last 18 years, no problem with washing away the waste, i just imagining the straight tip would gouge into the work rather then washing it away.
im going to have to try it this week. probably going to end up with sparks down my back and into my jocks.

Given you have the right PPE you should not have troubles with the wandering sparks syndrome.
Oxy acetylene gouging is the virtual opposite to cutting in its characteristics.

Look at the nozzle when its removed out of the torch.
The business end has a flamming big hole for the oxy exit if its marked 32 on the barrel it is 3.2mm bore. (The bent jobbies have 5 acetylene holes ,can't remember how many a straight one has)
Tother end -that screws in the torch,the oxy inlet hole is about a millimetre or thereabouts.
This means the velocity slow down as it passes through the gouge nozzle and that is the basis of how the gouger works.

In contrast the cutting nozzles are made the other way around. The oxy entry hole is large and the exit hole is small. I would post a pic but sorry, my camera is buggered at the moment.

The effect for the user is that the oxy "jet" leaving a gouger nozzle is of a lot less velocity than that of a cutter nozzle the "length " of the gouge which is physically limited to around 20 -25mm in length coming out of the nozzle.

The cutting nozzle throws a jet flame of around several inches -175 mm and blows the slag everywhere with its velocity

The straight gouging nozzle is a bit harder to use - but its a matter of just understanding the process and developing your technique.

By judiciously positioning the torch/ nozzle and triggering the cutting lever one can precision the straight gouge by using the end of the gouge jet- just where it runs out of steam so to speak. That way you can minimise damage to underlyining steel material. By position the nozzle it is not real hard to say heat a bolt head and wash it off and not harm the flat washer below it.

Oxy pressure is set at max 100KPa -15 Psi and flame is set very hot much hotter and with more volume of oxy and acetylene. In this regard they are like a heating torch. High acetylene pressure and volume.

To a degree the former s set by the thickness of what you are attempting to gouge. Lets just say that 6mm plate thickness is probably a good minimum or you will melt the lighter stuff.

The slag should dribble off the work where gravity will pull it away or it is just pushed away by flame pressure.It should NOT blow all over the place as does a cut nozzle .

The technique or action of physically using the straight nozzle is to push the molten oxides away whereas using the bent jobbie was easier to use as one scoops the unwanted metal away.

Clear as Mud then ? Is easier to do than describe!

So lace up ya work boots, pull on yer asbestos undies and get into it then.

Grahame

asbestos undies, now thats serious PPE,

I can give you another "advantage" of the straight tip - price - the bent gouging tips are expensive little beggars, whereas the straight are around the same as a cutting tip.
It is a damn handy process that we seem to hear relatively little of as it is not perceived to be as glamorous as arc air gouging or plasma processes.
Asbestos undies may not be a bad idea! Just remember that when gouging over concrete etc, the large volumes of molten slag can and will cause spalling of the concrete, so a shield of even a piece of thin sheet metal is often a good idea.

Originally Posted by Karl Robbers

I can give you another "advantage" of the straight tip - price - the bent gouging tips are expensive little beggars, whereas the straight are around the same as a cutting tip.
It is a damn handy process that we seem to hear relatively little of as it is not perceived to be as glamorous as arc air gouging or plasma processes.
Asbestos undies may not be a bad idea! Just remember that when gouging over concrete etc, the large volumes of molten slag can and will cause spalling of the concrete, so a shield of even a piece of thin sheet metal is often a good idea.

not as glamorous? perhaps not, never looked at it that way but, no less skill required to do it. you failed to mention the glamour of lance gouging, nothing quite like been enveloped in an orange cloud in a confined space, forget about PPE, lanced wear plates during maintenance of a fragmentiser years ago in a scrap metal yard i worked in (did this for several years), overalls, boots, spats leather jacket, leather apron, safety glass's, leather hood, tinted full face visor, riggers gloves under big red welding gloves and a canister resperator with two guys standing above me with fire hoses constantly pouring water onto me to try to stop me combusting. still received a 3rd degree burn to my left forearm once. i could have used asbesos everything back in them days. oddly enough i always put my hand up to do that job.

Ah yes, Oxygen Lancing.
I well remember one of my old trade teachers would fire up the oxygen lance at any and every opportunity because -
"I think it's important that you are aware of this process".
Of course he didn't enjoy it did he?
NOT MUCH!!!
I can still see the smile in his face .
True story.
The police came to the school one day because they had found "numerous oxygen cylinders, hoses and a pipe" in a building basement next to a bank vault and they wondered what they were for. Mike, (the teacher), motioned them into the workshop, walked off in his bandy legged way and said "I've got something to show you".
When the smoke and sparks had cleared, the look on the policemen's faces was priceless!

Everybody,
And that means everybody should have a go with a thermal lance at least once