Acetylene torches are one type of welding torch that his used to weld some metals. The process for these torches is that they contain inside them two things that burn - acetylene and oxygen. The acetylene and oxygen mix can reach hot flames of about 6300 degree Fahrenheit.
Most of the time these acetylene torches are used to weld iron and it can cut steel. They are mostly used in production and manufacturing companies, aerospace, civil engineering and other industries. Some are used for small work that can be done as a hobby at home.
Acetylene torches can also be found in kits and sold separately. They are designed so that they will mix the right amount of fuel gas with oxygen from the atmosphere. Acetylene torches contain two types of flames: one for cutting the other for welding.
The one for welding is called Oxy-fuel welding and the process works to take two pieces of metal and weld them together using the torch. These welds will hold strong because the metals are heat to a point that they create a weld pool that contains both metals.
Acetylene torches are also used in Oxy-fuel cutting where the torch heats the metal until the oxygen makes a steam that combines with creates an oxide slag that is produced by the seam and the metal that it hits.
Some of the ways that acetylene torches have been used include:
- Stone work -- can be used for "flaming". The torch heats the stone to a point where the layer on top breaks and cracks. Then, a round, steel brush is used that is attached to an angle grind. This removes this first layer of the stone to get a "hammered bronze" look.
- Glass -- this industry will use an acetylene torch to produce an effect called "Fire polishing" which is a way that heats glass in order to give it a smooth appearance that looks like it has been polished.
- Jewelry -- many people produce jewelry using a technique called "water welding" that actually gives the effect to the jewelry of annealing.
In order to use an acetylene torch there needs to be a cylinder that contains fuel gas, an oxygen source, two hoses that are flexible so that each cylinder has one, two regulators that regulate the pressure in the two cylinders and a torch.
The torch itself is the tool that the welder uses to actually do the welding. There are several different types of acetylene torches. The welding torch has no oxygen trigger but it has a nozzle with one or two pies.
The cutting torch has both oxygen and acetylene and has a nozzle that produces three pipes that go into the torch at a 90 degree and has a trigger for the oxygen blast.
When a welder wants to bend or straighten metal or they need to weld a large area, they will most often use a rose-bud torch because it is the best one for this type of job. They call it this because the flame actually looks like the bud of a rose.
