A process for removing defects and checks which develop in the rolling of steel billets. Scarfing is accomplished with a low-velocity oxygen deseaming torch, a specially designed torch with an unusually large oxygen orifice. The steel is preheated locally to a cherry red, and the oxygen, under low pressure and velocity, is projected against the red-hot surface. The steel around the defect is consumed and the defect is entirely burned away.
Alternatively, the term scafing is used to refer to the process of preparing a scarf groove.