kimr33•1mo ago

Had an old foreman tell me to use oxygen lance on a thick boiler plate

I was working on a 2-inch thick plate in a plant near Houston and he swore it would save time over the air arc. I tried it and ended up with a sloppy cut that took hours to grind clean. Has anyone else found the oxygen lance more trouble than it is worth on heavy plate?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_wilson1mo ago

Yeah oxygen lance is just a mess on boiler plate, way too hot and uncontrolled. Air arc every time for that thickness.

mary_wells1mo ago

Wait, you're saying the oxygen lance is actually less controlled than an air arc on boiler plate? I've always heard the opposite from the old-timers, that a lance gives you more precision if you know what you're doing, but maybe I've been misinformed all these years. I swear I've seen guys cut through inch-thick stuff with a lance and barely any slag, so this is really making me question everything.

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