Just realized I've been wasting time on preheating for months

Overheard a guy at the supply house say he never preheats his burner tips unless it's below freezing. I've been doing it for years every single time, even on a warm summer day in July. Tried skipping it on a job last week, and my cuts were just as clean in half the time. Saved me about 15 minutes of setup on a 3/8 plate job in Cleveland. Makes me wonder what other habits I've picked up that are just wasting time. Anyone else find a trade trick that turned out to be optional?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley4326d ago

Whoa, slow down there buddy. I mean yeah, skipping the preheat on a warm day probably won't ruin your life, but are we really acting like 15 minutes is some huge win? Feels like you're looking for permission to get lazy. The real waste is probably the time you spend standing around waiting for your phone to charge or trying to find a parking spot at the supply house anyway. I'd rather spend the extra minute to be sure my cut is good than have to grind out a cold start on a thick plate because I was in a hurry. But hey, if it works for you, I guess that's your new normal.

lopez.quinn26d ago

Hold up, is it really "getting lazy" to question if preheating matters when the air temp is already 85 degrees? I get the whole "slow down and do it right" thing, I really do, but there's a difference between being careful and just following a rule because someone told you to. On a hot day, that metal is already sitting at a temp that's close to what you'd preheat it to anyway, so you're basically just wasting propane and time for no real gain. Not everything is a thick plate that needs babying, you know? Sometimes you're just running a quick bead on some thin stock and standing there watching the torch heat up nothing is the actual waste. If the weld comes out clean and the world doesn't end, I don't see why that's a problem.

emery_white26d ago

@lopez.quinn I see it the other way. That 15 minutes is cheap insurance against a bad weld.