Thermal Lancing (yikes!!)

[Norm W]

Is the pin hardened? If it isn't you could use a mag drill to get a hole through the middle. A half inch hole is enough. You might have to tack weld a plate to the beam to hold the mag base. With the hole you can use a standard Oxy/fuel cutting torch to split the pin. I had to do the same thing with the angle pins on a Cat D4 blade. They were about 2.250" in diameter. The previous owner had driven in pins and they had rusted in place. A 20 ton jack wouldn't move them.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I have never heard it called "thermal lancing" before, as we always called it "Carbon Arc Gouging." Either way, it works really well, and is quick and easy, as long as a person can get away from the sparks. Gouging overhead, or into a corner can sometimes suck.

It is such a versatile skill however, that we teach the process to our students. Most have never welded before they came into the program, so it is not a difficult skill to master.

 

[pycoed]

Aaahh! There's the trouble with language: if you persist in calling a "split pin" a cotter pin, when you come across a REAL cotter pin, you don't have a name for it!

Bloody colonials!:laughing:
( Happy Independence Day tomorrow BTW:thumbsup

 

[Richard]

Is the pin hardened? If it isn't you could use a mag drill to get a hole through the middle.

I presume it's hardened. We had a mag drill on it and the pin just laughed at us. He had used same drill on the steel of one of the stabilizers (call it 1/2" thick) and I was amazed at how it went through "like butter" and it barely scratched this pin. Actually, that's about all it did was scratch it. You could see the circular scratch and that's all.

 

[Richard]

Aaahh! There's the trouble with language: if you persist in calling a "split pin" a cotter pin, when you come across a REAL cotter pin, you don't have a name for it!

Bloody colonials!:laughing:
( Happy Independence Day tomorrow BTW:thumbsup

Since this is a Brit machine (JCB), would that have been correct to you for me to call it a cotter pin?

 

[Richard]

I have never heard it called "thermal lancing" before, as we always called it "Carbon Arc Gouging." Either way, it works really well, and is quick and easy, as long as a person can get away from the sparks. Gouging overhead, or into a corner can sometimes suck.

It is such a versatile skill however, that we teach the process to our students. Most have never welded before they came into the program, so it is not a difficult skill to master.

Makes me wonder how easy it might be to find someone that's done it.

I'm not against buying the torch. My engineer guy has the oxygen tank (that I'd be happy to pay to refill).... have a welders helmet/gloves but not really the nuclear fire suit that this might call for.

So, would perhaps be more efficient to pay someone to bring their stuff out, burn it, pay them and they're done.

How do I find that person in the yellow pages?

 

[Oldpath05]

If file wont scratch it then it probably got harden from all the heating, if cobalt drill bit wont drill it then the only other drill bit to use is expensive carbide drill bit. I think lancing is still a good option.

 

[mrmikey]

I have never heard it called "thermal lancing" before, as we always called it "Carbon Arc Gouging.

Actually it's two totally different processes.

Carbon arc gouging, air arcing, gouging uses a ....surprise LOL...carbon rod 1/4" + or so in diameter. You need a welder with lots of amps and a compressor with lots of air. You hold an arc between the item you're gouging and the carbon rod which turns the metal molten. The air is directed in the area of the arc and blows the molten metal away. Big shower of sparks which travel a significant distance. More commonly used for backgouging welds or removing broken/cracked welds to get to good material.

A thermal lance, slice torch, is an exothermic process, once you get metal rod hot enough, you feed pure oxygen to it and it will be self sustaining i.e. burning. That's why people using torches in a shipyard for example and called burners not cutters. You can do the same thing with an acetylene torch if you have a piece of clean plate. Start the cut and turn off the acetylene and oxygen, just using the cutting oxygen and you can keep the cut going......Mike

 

[Richard]

If file wont scratch it then it probably got harden from all the heating, if cobalt drill bit wont drill it then the only other drill bit to use is expensive carbide drill bit. I think lancing is still a good option.

It's not my drill but it was an annular bit (??) and I think it was carbide. Now, it might have also been dull!!

Still, it didn't work.

 

[hosspuller]

Caterpillar service has their own branded lance they use on service truck. They deal with seized pins often. Call your local CAT dealer about sending their mobile service tech to lance out the pin.