Portable oxy-acetylene tote outfits? Worth having?

[IslandTractor]

i'm not trying to start a war here, but there have been some posts in this thread that have said or implied that these are for light gauge material only, and that they are being misused if you use them on thicker material. i'd contest that is only an opinion, based on the manufacturer's specs. this is the victor page for one of theirs, and it states 1/2" cutting capacity with the included equipment.

Products

i'm not disputing the issue of emptying the tank too fast on thicker material, but like every other dangerous tool, you need to understand how to operate them safely. i'm just not a fan of misinformation for the sake of safety. tell the facts and educate of the dangers.

OK, here is a statement directly copied from Lincoln/Thermadyne's owners manual:

"At no time should the withdrawal rate of an individual acetylene cylinder exceed 1/7 of the cylinder contents per hour. If additional flow capacity is required, use an acetylene manifold system of sufficient size to supply the necessary volume."

Now, here is what that same manual says about acetylene flow rates needed to cut 1/2 inch steel:
Size 0 cutting tip and acetylene consumption rate of 9 to 16 cuft/hr.

With a 10cuft acetylene tank you can safely withdraw at a rate of about 1.5cuft/hr so how can this operation be considered safe? It requires between 5 and 10 times the acceptable consumption rate per hour.

Again, the torch is perfectly capable but not with the mini tanks. The sales material is really very misleading.

 

[yomax4]

The 1/7th rule is per Hr. If you cut 1 = 1/2" bolt off in 20 seconds...I think you can get away with it. The 1/7th rule is also to keep acetone out of your regulator. I have never heard of a tank blowing up because of overdraw. Could happen but then again you could blow up any time you light a torch. I would say that technical info would be better followed by visiting Smith, Victor or ESAB vs lincoln/harris. Harris is a Loss leader for Lincoln. Common Sense will prevail. Don't Scrap Cut with an MC tank. Be careful to do the math and only draw 1/6th per hr. :thumbsup:

 

[grsthegreat]

The 1/7th rule is per Hr. If you cut 1 = 1/2" bolt off in 20 seconds...I think you can get away with it. The 1/7th rule is also to keep acetone out of your regulator. I have never heard of a tank blowing up because of overdraw. Could happen but then again you could blow up any time you light a torch. I would say that technical info would be better followed by visiting Smith, Victor or ESAB vs lincoln/harris. Harris is a Loss leader for Lincoln. Common Sense will prevail. Don't Scrap Cut with an MC tank. Be careful to do the math and only draw 1/6th per hr. :thumbsup:

Ive cut hundreds and probibly 1000's of #4 rebar pieces with mine over 20 years.....never had an issue. Most cuts are in the 20-30 second or so. good point.

 

[IslandTractor]

Ive cut hundreds and probibly 1000's of #4 rebar pieces with mine over 20 years.....never had an issue. Most cuts are in the 20-30 second or so. good point.

I also agree. It is probably something similar to electric codes. You will not likely burn your house down if you run a 50amp welding circuit through 10 or 12 gauge wire because you probably don't have the welder running half an hour at a time without pausing.

That doesn't mean it is a good idea but chances are very good you will get away with it.

Lincoln is pretty careful about specifying appropriate electrical hookups for their welders however, it still seems irresponsible for them to put out sales materials on the portatorch units that directly contradicts their own and AWS safety standards.

 

[grsthegreat]

I also agree. It is probably something similar to electric codes. You will not likely burn your house down if you run a 50amp welding circuit through 10 or 12 gauge wire because you probably don't have the welder running half an hour at a time without pausing.

That doesn't mean it is a good idea but chances are very good you will get away with it.

Lincoln is pretty careful about specifying appropriate electrical hookups for their welders however, it still seems irresponsible for them to put out sales materials on the portatorch units that directly contradicts their own and AWS safety standards.

yup. i agree. Whats really weird is i recently installed a 400 amp circuit on a shop and had parallel 4/0 runs up an overhead mast. I was really surprised when the utility company stretched a #2 or smaller drop and clamped this to my twin 4/0. Thats just how overdone the NEC codes are. burns me up. This building will function for years on that #2

 

[monckywrench]

I solve tote outfit issues by using propane for cutting. Details and pics of setups here:

Very portable propane cutting. - WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum for pros and enthusiasts

A CGA-510 to CGA-200 adapter will connect your BBQ jug to an MC tote regulator, and the Uniweld FV-600 in the above thread will connect a throwaway LP cylinder.

Page 49 of the Stoody catalog is a good reference. (Google for it in case the link changes.)

I really like portable outfits, but I use a mixed setup with a long straight cutting torch (more comfortable/longer reach/gets ya away from the heat). The tanks are the place to cut weight. Torches are light.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks for the interesting link.:thumbsup: