Portable oxy-acetylene tote outfits? Worth having?

[deereman75]

OK, now im way confused. Ive cut LOTs of steel and brackets, rebar over the tears with my little setup. I use a rosebud tip also for over 10 years without any issues.

except for length the bottles will last, whats the big issue??

The problem is the acct is disolved in acetone. And it can only un-disolve so fast. If you draw more acct then the tank can supply, it will start sucking acetone. That will destroy the reg, and if enough of it gets out, the tank can blow up.

 

[grsthegreat]

The problem is the acct is disolved in acetone. And it can only un-disolve so fast. If you draw more acct then the tank can supply, it will start sucking acetone. That will destroy the reg, and if enough of it gets out, the tank can blow up.

hmmm, well i have 2 blow back devices on the hoses... weird. Ive never had any issues in its use since the 1980's.I guess its a good thing im so ignorant.....as long as i didnt know of the problems...it never surfaced:laughing: :laughing:

But nowadays i use my CNC plasma cutter for most everything i cut. Hypertherm 1000

 

[yomax4]

OK, now im way confused. Ive cut LOTs of steel and brackets, rebar over the tears with my little setup. I use a rosebud tip also for over 10 years without any issues.

except for length the bottles will last, whats the big issue??

The issue is that the MC tank and all acetylene cylls. Require that you draw less than 1/7th of the content per hr. I always use a 00 tip when cutting and set the Acet. at 4# O2 at 15#. Like said in a previous post, I cut up a boat dock with my set up and went through 2 = 02 and 1 Acet. Yes, If you overdraw any acetylene tank you will pull Acetone into your regulator. Gums it up...I do like the idea of switching to a 5# propane and cut that way. I am very schooled in Alternate Fuels, I just like the smallness of the Porta-Torch.

 

[jake98]

I have the poor man's version, it all fits in a spackle pail.

 

[yomax4]

Not to hi-jack the OP's thread but I have been shopping for a cutting torch for my shop and I have been looking at the propane kit's. Here is my thought, I have propane plumbed into my shop for a forced air furnace and I am temepted to get a propane torch kit, lease an o2 cylinder, and tap into my propane line coming in off my bulk tank to run the torch. Is this doable or is there not enough pressure to run a cutting torch?

How much pressure does your bulk tank put out? I don't think it's enough unless you Tee it before your heater and install a 15# or larger regulator on the Tee'd line. I'm unsure because I have my Gas Grill hooked into my propane " After " the low pressure regulator and it is barely adequate to run a Grill. Tap in before and you may be in buainess..

 

[Yooper75]

How much pressure does your bulk tank put out? I don't think it's enough unless you Tee it before your heater and install a 15# or larger regulator on the Tee'd line. I'm unsure because I have my Gas Grill hooked into my propane " After " the low pressure regulator and it is barely adequate to run a Grill. Tap in before and you may be in buainess..

That's kind of what I thinking my self, I may move the regulator inside and tee into the line that way.

 

[IslandTractor]

As for the safety aspect, I think it is being blown a little out of proportion here. In theory, you can have trouble if you draw too much acetylene out too quickly. In practice, however, if you have some common sense you can cut a lot with those little setups. The main thing to keep in mind is use a reasonable size tip and keep the acetylene pressure below 5psi. I would never use a rosebud on one of these, but welding tips and reasonably sized cutting tips are just fine.

The problem is that not everyone who buys one of these portatorch kits really knows that there even is a potential safety problem. I'd hazard a guess that at least half of the purchasers are self taught and may never have even heard about the potential dangers associated with drawing too much acetylene too quickly. Or they assume that it is not possible to do so with the kit. The kits are marketed to cut up to 2 inches or so which is rather absurd. So while I don't disagree with your point, the problem is that many purchasers don't understand the need to keep acetylene pressure reasonable and not to use bigger tips etc. Hard to rely on common sense to stay out of trouble in scenarios like that. Granted we don't see as many people joining the Darwin Award Club with acetylene as with gasoline but the hazards should not be brushed aside.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The problem is that not everyone who buys one of these portatorch kits really knows that there even is a potential safety problem. I'd hazard a guess that at least half of the purchasers are self taught and may never have even heard about the potential dangers associated with drawing too much acetylene too quickly. Or they assume that it is not possible to do so with the kit. The kits are marketed to cut up to 2 inches or so which is rather absurd. So while I don't disagree with your point, the problem is that many purchasers don't understand the need to keep acetylene pressure reasonable and not to use bigger tips etc. Hard to rely on common sense to stay out of trouble in scenarios like that. Granted we don't see as many people joining the Darwin Award Club with acetylene as with gasoline but the hazards should not be brushed aside.

If one is truly self taught they will know about acetylene tank size usage rate issues.

I agree there are those who get the equipment and never study the subject and start by trial and error. To be self taught there is a lot of reading to do on the subject of torch use. :thumbsup:

 

[HCJtractor]

anybody have a fairly portable oxy/propane system??? By portable, I mean small enough for one guy to put in a truck without dis-assembling hoses and regulators.

 

[IslandTractor]

anybody have a fairly portable oxy/propane system??? By portable, I mean small enough for one guy to put in a truck without dis-assembling hoses and regulators.

Check out some of the jeweler's torch set ups with propane. I saw a Youtube of one that looked like a 20cuft Oxygen tank and a 5 or 10lb propane tank on a little cart. Of course you would switch out the mini torch for a medium torch and hoses but I think you'll see it would be feasible.

On the other hand, the 20cuft of O2 will not last long if you are doing serious cutting.