How to cut Cast Iron

Thanks BUDD

BUDD

The reason that oxy/acetylene or oxy/propane won"t cut cast iron is that the melting temperature of the oxides of cast iron is lower than the kindling temperature of the iron. This causes the oxides to bubble up before the iron burns to cut through. You can melt your way through cast iron but it's a mess.

The kindling temperature of mild steel is lower than the melting temperature of its oxides so the jet of oxygen burns through the steel and blasts the oxides out the bottom of the cut. When you lose the cut and the molten slag bubbles back at you, you experience what it is like to try to cut cast iron with oxy/fuel.

A plasma cutter uses a stream of super heated ionized gas to melt through the metal and a stream of compressed air to blow the molten metal out of the cut. Since this does not require the metal to ignite, a plasma cutter will cut metals that oxy/fuel will not. But, as previously noted, it's going to take a mighty serious plasma cutter to handle 1" material.

All the best, Stan

Soundguy