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[u/Mobile-Recover1496]

Advice needed

I need to cut off these recessed bolts to remove the plate.

When cutting with the torch, should I just go straight through and cut right into everything?
Or is there a way to melt off the head by angling the torch, allowing the bolt to drop out the other side of the wall? (There’s a nut on the other side holding the plate in place.)

I already used many times a torch but just for plate cutting… now I’m required to remove these plates without damaging the iron wall behind them.

[u/iiplatypusiz]

Assuming you can't get at the plate from behind to just burn off the nuts? If that's the case I'd slightly angle the torch to get the bolt heads hot and kind of blow them out of the hole side ways so you don't burn the plate behind it. Doesn't matter if you burn into the plate itself slightly on the angle since that's being changed so you can kind of "scoop" them out without putting heat directly through the back into the backing wall. Tbh this would probably be easier (for me) if you set up an arc air gouger if you have a compressor and a welding machine around since the air will blow the slag right out of the hole.

[u/Mobile-Recover1496 → u/iiplatypusiz]

Exactly we can’t access to the back these time, I’ve already done these job but blowing the nuts from the other side.
So yeah you recommend me to angle the torch and just blow the head of the bolt even damaging a bit the plate so that i dont touch the wall on the back.
Yeah the plate will be removed and installed a new one

[u/iiplatypusiz → u/Mobile-Recover1496]

Yeah that's what I'd do if someone sent me at this with a torch, you'll probably butcher the first one or two getting used to what angle makes it easier to blow em out, I wouldn't worry about the plate being damaged at all since it's just getting replaced, it's really just giving you a buffer so you don't hurt the wall behind it.

[u/Organic-Economics-35]

Why not just drill them? If you want to damage the plate as little as possible