Fix It With Fire

Some of the Roadkill-ready Uses of the Oxy-Acetylene Torch.

- Steve Dulcich

Viewers of the Roadkill Garage show have probably noticed our fondness for the oxy-acetylene torch. We consider it a problem solver, always ready with the quick solution for all kinds of potentially time-consuming mechanical quagmires. The torch can cut, weld, heat, melt, and loosen— all handy actions when working on derelict cars. Whether burning something off or burning something on, the steel-melting, 6,300-degree heat of the oxy-acetylene flame is our friend.

The torch mechanism includes a tank full of oxygen, another loaded with acetone, pressure regulators, and hoses leading to a handheld torch that has one regulating knob for the fuel (acetylene) and another for the oxygen. Like all good things, the arrangement has the potential for a garage-leveling explosion when mishandled, which is why you need to buy a kit and thoroughly understand the detailed instructions for pressure regulation, fire up, flame adjustment, and shut down before you can start melting metal with abandon. So consider this story only a dangling carrot to summon you into the powerful world of torching.

WELD IT

Oxy-acetylene welding was how it was done long before TIG and MIG electric welding processes became the norm. The process involves using the torch in one hand to melt a pool of metal while feeding filler rod into the puddle with another hand and carefully laying down a bead that fuses together two pieces of metal. Only a few decades ago gas welding dominated virtually every automotive welding process, from bodywork to exhaust pipes, from chassis building to space frames, and was even the mainstay of building airframes and aluminum sports car bodies. A gas weld can be really nice and precise with great penetration and strength. Expert gas welding produces a perfect seal, good enough for leak proof joints in high-pressure air-conditioning lines or even hydraulic equipment.