Cutting through 9″ steel is not your everyday assignment. Though, with more than 1,000 years of expertise on staff, someone at Central Welding Supply or Pacific Welding Supplies will know how!

Thanks to Tom McGowan, Director of Key Accounts from our Tacoma, WA location for sharing photos from a thick metal cutting project. Tom is a resident expert on Oxy-fuel, and is often called upon for safety training presentations.

Our customer came to us for help on a project to disassemble an old crane being scrapped. The counterbalance was so heavy (9″ thick, 7′ across, 40′ long) it needed to be cut into manageable 10′ pieces.

Chemtane Fuel Gas was the oxy-fuel for this application with a BUG-O “Lightning BUG” tractor and a Smith Machine Cutting Torch with SC50 series cutting tips. The travel speed was over 7” per minute.

A special setup was needed to prevent damage in the work area. The slag stream coming off the steel plate was so hot the floor under the cutting area was covered with 6” of sand to keep the concrete from exploding.

BELOW: Our end results vs the black/yellow striped end cut in the early 1960’s.