Overheated a 12 inch flange joint for 20 years before a pipefitter set me straight

I always thought you needed to go big on the rosebud to get the flange hot enough to pull bolts, but after I warped a 6 inch blind on a job at the refinery last Tuesday, this old timer showed me his trick with two smaller torches and a temp stick. He had me running a 200 degree difference between the inside and outside diameter which cracked my whole approach open. Anyone else have a go-to method for heating flanges evenly that doesn't risk warping them?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_thomas1mo ago

I mean is warping that big a deal for most jobs? I get it on like a critical blind or something but half the time people act like a little distortion is the end of the world when really you can just dress it with a file or run a few extra passes with the gasket. Maybe it's just me but I've seen guys spend an hour finessing heat on a flange that's gonna get beat to hell anyway.

paigem452mo ago

Yeah, that temp stick trick is gold. I started using two smaller torches to keep the heat zone tight and it cut my warping issues way down.

-1

caleb_thomas932mo ago

Buddy tried that after watching a YouTube video and said it helped a ton with his thin stock.