# Thermal Lance / Oxygen Lance

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thermal-lance-oxygen-lance/456067>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 11, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thermal-lance-oxygen-lance/456067 "2008-07-11T00:53:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thermal-lance-oxygen-lance/456067/21 "2008-07-11T18:57:03Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> The difference between steel in a building and in a burning bar is that one is in air and the other in pure oxygen. In a normal in-air building fire steel wouldn’t burn, it would just weaken, sag, or melt depending on the fuel, insulation, and time in the fire

During an Arson Investigation class for the Fire Service I had a Fire Marshal teaching the class state that steel doesn’t burn. We had a little steel wool demonstration the next day. But he still didn’t accept it as there was wool left. He stated it was probably dust or other substances that burned. :smack:

I have used O2 lances many times in the past. Fuel iron, aluminum, magnesium,etc is only an enhancement in the burn, as plain empty 1/2 inch black pipe with lot of O2 flowing. Its dose burn up very fast, as the fuel inside a pipe works much better.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thermal-lance-oxygen-lance/456067/22 "2008-07-11T22:07:43Z")

</div>

I was going to say that perhaps he had an out if steel wool wasn’t really steel, just iron. But according to wiki, it does have barely enough carbon to qualify.

> **[Steel wool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_wool)**
>
> Steel wool, also known as iron wool, wire wool or wire sponge, is a bundle of very fine and flexible sharp-edged steel filaments. It was described as a new product in 1896. It is used as an abrasive in finishing and repair work for polishing wood or metal objects, cleaning household cookware, cleaning windows, and sanding surfaces.
> Steel wool is made from low-carbon steel in a process similar to broaching, where a heavy steel wire is pulled through a toothed die that removes thin, sharp, wire s...

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thermal-lance-oxygen-lance/456067/23 "2008-07-12T01:37:43Z")

</div>

To up-date, the subject didn’t come up to day (Friday) at all and I wasn’t moved to raise it my self.  
Again, thanks to all who posted

Zuer-coli[

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thermal-lance-oxygen-lance/456067.md?page=1)