[TheForge] Re: Burning Metal

[Harland Johnson]

Definitely, I am not as good at getting my torch to cut iron as others 
report theirs will.  I thought that my oxy-acetelene torch  burned a cut 
through  steel, but on iron, it kind of melted its way through. 

I thought the carbon content had something to do with tendency for sparklers 
in overheated forging steel. I admit that I have burned up a piece of steel, 
or maybe it was two.  Again, maybe it is just me, but I don't seem to have 
any problem with "sparklers" if the metal gets a little too hot in the forge 
with iron and low carbon steels

See all the things that I learn here... <g> I have lots of bad habits.  My 
daddy also taught me to burn holes and cut iron with the stick welder, which 
mostly just melts its way through.   An arc welder will "cut" cast iron, but 
not neatly. 

Good point about the carbon content of the cast iron.  Carbon plus iron 
apparently does not equal cast steel. I can't think of an instance where I 
knew some cast part was specifically cast steel rather than cast iron.  
Perhaps someone will  know if cast steel cuts easily with an acetylene 
torch, or simply melts it way through. 

Dann Johnson