Chapter 26 Oxyfuel Gas Cutting 395 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Proper protective clothing must be worn for oxyfuel gas cutting. Coveralls and a shirt or jacket that buttons at the collar must be worn. All clothing must be fl ame resistant. Pant legs should have no cuffs or folds. A cap should be worn to protect hair from sparks and hot metal. Gloves must be worn to protect the hands. Welding goggles with a #5–#6 fi lter lens should be worn. Review Chapter 24 for a thorough overview of oxyacetylene cutting and welding equipment and supplies. Review the procedures in Chapter 25 for turning on and shutting down an oxyacetylene cutting outfi t. Read Chapter 2 to review general safety information. Also, note the difference in the procedure used for turning on and shutting down a cutting torch attachment. (There is one added step related to the cutting oxygen valve on the attachment.) Manual Cutting The edges of metal produced by oxyfuel gas cutting should be smooth and straight. This is essential to prepare the edge of the metal to be welded. A good cut depends on the welder’s skills. See Figure 26-2. Thick metal can be cut effi ciently using oxyfuel gas cutting equipment, so this process is still used in industry today. Cut quality is affected by the cutting tip size and the oxygen pressure used. Very accurate straight cuts can be made manually. An angle iron is sometimes used as a guide to ensure a straight cut. Circle cuts can be cut manually by using a circle cutting attachment, Figure 26-3. QiuJu Song/Shutterstock.com Mrak. hr/Shutterstock.com Figure 26-2. A—Note the straight chalk lines and the skill shown in manually holding the cutting torch steady for a precise cut. B—This welder must precisely cut the thick steel of a railroad track in preparation for welding a new section. A A B B Lenco-NLC, Inc. Victor, a division of Thermadyne Industries, Inc. Figure 26-3. A—A circle cutting torch attachment like this one allows welders to turn a torch accurately for precise circular cuts. B—Many circle-cutting guides can be used with different types of cutting torches.