Pro tip: stop using a rosebud tip to preheat thick plate

I spent 15 years heating up 3 inch plate with a rosebud before an old timer told me to switch to a straight cutting tip with the oxygen valve barely cracked, and the difference in heat concentration saved me about 20 minutes per joint on a big tank job down in Baton Rouge last spring, has anyone else tried this trick?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciareed10d ago

Man, I tried this exact trick after watching a guy on a pipeline job down in Texas and felt like an absolute idiot for all those years of aimlessly waving a rosebud around like I was trying to paint the plate with heat. Switched to a straight cutting tip barely cracked open and the puddle on my 7018 rod popped right in, penetration looked way cleaner than my usual mess. Probably would've kept doing it wrong forever if that old timer hadn't caught me.

mila_flores819d ago

Did you actually check the puddle penetration with a straight tip though, or are you just guessing it worked better?

kelly_west7419d ago

My buddy Jason tried a 7018 with a straight tip last week and said the penetration was way more consistent.