[EricP]

Hello all. I have to remove approximately 80" of 3/8" fillet welds as part of a factory overhaul on a machine I'm rebuilding. This is sort of an out of the ordinary job for us. As such we are not really equipped to efficiently remove that much weld. My options are either grinder or plasma cutter. I need to avoid damaging the machine base. This is the joint in question:


I have done a little carbon arc gouging, but no plasma gouging. The one thread I found on the subject (which was from 2012, policy on necro posting?) mentioned it was difficult to control.

Anybody have any tips? In the 2012 thread, using worn consumables was suggested. Are these specific gouging shields and nozzles or just worn cutting parts?

[Superiorwelding]

I have done it with the plasma gouging tips and regular tips. It's really not that bad but it can be difficult without practice. Run a bead on a similar joint using same size weld and practice. You are going to new a lot of angle to push it away. I think the hardest part is the restarts as it can be easy to go to deep/blow through. The last run I did using a plasma was approx 220' of weld, not fun at all.

Have you considered a gouging tip for the torch? Just another option.
-Jonathan

[Otto Nobedder]

I plasma-gouge regularly. It's extremely difficult to do "no" damage to the base... You have to cut high, and then wash the remaining metal off, which creates an incredible amount of heat.

Steve S

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

If its steel, oxy acet gouging is a great good process because you can "see" the metal coming away in a lot more controllable way than air arc, with limited skill.

Mick

[Tater]

I like carbon arc but having a comfort level is key.
Consider building a quick mock-up with scrap so you can try several processes and do your adjustments before going to the real thing.
Big believer here in mock-ups for difficult or first-time work.