Propane - Cutting & Welding - Tombstone ???

[Gary Fowler]

Another thing I didnt like about using MAPP was that the preheat flame spread the heat over a much larger area so much so that it would scorch your gloves so you had to hold the torch further back on the barrel which gave you less control over the cut. A welder went thru a lot more gloves using MAPP than acetylene and working for B&R, now KBR, they didnt furnish gloves for the welders so that was extra expense for us but less money for them to buy it.

 

[monckywrench]

For major contractors whose cutting range falls into acetylene territory, the cost doesn't matter and their users are used to acetylene so no reason exists to switch.

The biggest torches are LP/other fuels, not acetylene, but also not usually jobsite items.

The "small user" convenience factor for LP is considerable, especially when you can grab a BBQ jug and slosh it around in the back of a truck.

I learned on both and will grab whatever is closer. Since tip cost is trivial, there's no reason not to sample both gases.

Don't like LP? Stick the tank back on the grill, but it may come in handy.

 

[rjmack]

i build quite a few little projects related to my property, so i am using fuel gas probably as much as most diy'ers. i bought oxygen and acetylene bottles to avoid demurrage costs. my acetylene bottle costs about $100.00 dollars to fill, and i need to fill it now after about 3 years. the costs/savings, as a backyard guy, are insignificant compared to the pita associated with using propane as a cutting fuel.

i just checked into this and the $100.00 is the original purchase price of the bottle... the price to refill the acetylene is about $40.00.

i guess i was wrong about the btu of acetylene being higher than propane, but the torque analogy still holds true, imho acetylene is a much nicer fuel to use.

so that amounts to $40.00 for three years worth of acetylene, and an oxygen savings of about $100.00 - $150.00 over what i would have used with propane, also, you don't get the propane for free.

btw, one factor that may even outweigh basic gas cost in the shops is the fuel gas volume required to run gang torches. using mapp/butane/propane etc, you don't have to install an acetylene manifold for the gang torches. another thing i forgot is that, while i have worked mainly in the field, i have worked in a few fab shops. those same shops that are using mapp/etc for the gang torches, use acetylene for the bottle carts in the shop.

edit: btw, my acetylene bottle is 40 cu.ft. oxygen is 110 cu.ft.
acetylene is $36.99 to fill, oxygen is $57.00.

i use roughly 2 oxygen bottles to 1 acetylene bottle. propane would use anywhere from 4-8 oxygen bottles to do the same work. assuming that oxygen is not a relevant cost factor is simply not appropriate, it costs a lot more than the fuel gas.

even if somebody gave you all the propane stuff, reg, bottle, tip, gas etc for free, you would still be behind the game after a relatively short time.

 

[IslandTractor]

i just checked into this and the $100.00 is the original purchase price of the bottle... the price to refill the acetylene is about $40.00.

i guess i was wrong about the btu of acetylene being higher than propane, but the torque analogy still holds true, imho acetylene is a much nicer fuel to use.

so that amounts to $40.00 for three years worth of acetylene, and an oxygen savings of about $100.00 - $150.00 over what i would have used with propane, also, you don't get the propane for free.

btw, one factor that may even outweigh basic gas cost in the shops is the fuel gas volume required to run gang torches. using mapp/butane/propane etc, you don't have to install an acetylene manifold for the gang torches. another thing i forgot is that, while i have worked mainly in the field, i have worked in a few fab shops. those same shops that are using mapp/etc for the gang torches, use acetylene for the bottle carts in the shop.

edit: btw, my acetylene bottle is 40 cu.ft. oxygen is 110 cu.ft.
acetylene is $36.99 to fill, oxygen is $57.00.

i use roughly 2 oxygen bottles to 1 acetylene bottle. propane would use anywhere from 4-8 oxygen bottles to do the same work. assuming that oxygen is not a relevant cost factor is simply not appropriate, it costs a lot more than the fuel gas.

even if somebody gave you all the propane stuff, reg, bottle, tip, gas etc for free, you would still be behind the game after a relatively short time.

I am surprised at how much you pay for oxygen. Propane heating/cutting does use more than acetylene but not quite as much as you are calculating. The bottom line however is that people who cut with oxyfuel for a liviing are tending to choose propane for economic reasons so it cannot be more expensive than using acetylene. We are in agreement that for someone who hauls acetylene around for welding anyway is likely to just stick with it for cutting.

 

[monckywrench]

My last oxygen fill a few weeks ago was under twenty bucks. Ouch. At 57 for full size cylinders that's an impressive markup....

At those oxygen prices it'd be Plasma Cutter Time mighty quick.

Thanks be to Craiglist and trade papers I don't buy new cylinders to exchange.