propane or acetylene ?

[junkfxr]

I have been doing mobile welding and repair on heavy equipment since the late 80's and all I have ever used is propane. The biggest reasons are cost, I own the tanks, I can get them filled on the weekend. when the gas grill runs out we just grab the tank off of the truck, and many more, mostly for convience. All of the scrappers around here use propane and liquid O2. The regulators and torch handles are the same, just different tips. The propane tips are two piece and much easier to clean. You should also use T grade hose (all fuel rated). Cut, heat, braze and solder with it, just not weld. Propane doesn't create a shielding gas. I've cut 4" plate with the right tips and uven use propane for a big rosebud for preheating.

 

[Baby Grand]

I hope you're not all really using liquid O2

 

[GE222]

I want to thank everyone for their contributions to the original topic. It was was probably the most informative of any posts so far in this forum.

I have always used acetylene for the past 27 years, any I can't remember anyone that I know of using propane instead. I will certainly consider this option.

 

[Renze]

I have ordered the propane setup at my local tool dealer this afternoon. He was 25 euro more expensive than what i could buy online, but transport would cost me as much. Next to that, i need to put some trade in return for the times i come to him at late saturday evenings when i need a spool of welding wire or a bottle of gas.
Cheapest is not allways best, a good relationship with a reliable adress will save you more than the last few euros at purchase.

I will post photos of the gas bottle cart i'm going to make: My father stopped keeping pigs 2 years ago, and there are plenty of old feed carts with solid caster wheels to use under my torch trolley.

 

[Wis Bang]

I hope you're not all really using liquid O2

I watched scrappers dismantiling a chemical plant. They had a 100# propane bottle and a Dewars bottle of Oxygen. They allow one to withdrawl either gas or liquid in the lab but I think they were using it for the capacity as the expansion of liquid to gas is around 800 to 1 giving them alot of O2 per bottle. These guys were burning 8 - 10 hours a day and I don't remember seeing them changing bottles alot.

I used to dispatch tankers of liquid O2 and one 48,000# load of liquid was enough to refill the tanks at 5 hospitals in New York's 5 boroughs. We had one specialized trailer that had an expansion unit under the belly and he would go to a naval base and recharge all the O2 storage on a nuke submarine. Only had one driver w/ the clearance to do this and it was a long time b/4 9/11

 

[RPW]

If you want to weld but not use acetayline then you could use MAPP. Slightly less temperature than acetalyline and only has a narrow explosive range compared to acetayine. And just to reiterate don't use acetalyine tips for propane and visa-versa. Won't work or will work very poorly.

 

[toy]

I have decided to bite the bullet and buy a torch set:

I could get a plasma from 350 euro onwards, but the dealer i regularly buy stuff from, offered me a small professional quality one for 1750 euro, he said he wont sell the cheap ones because he has to attach his good name to anything he sells.
With O/A or O/propane i can also heat, and weld if required.

Propane is cheaper, but cuts rougher ? Is the price difference that big between propane and acetylene consumables ? Can you cut both with one torch ?

Could you change that 350 euro into USA dollars? I have seen euro used in quite a few posts but am clueless to the exchange value of a euro.

 

[MJPetersen]

At today's rates that 350 Euro represents about 520 USD.

Mike

 

[Renze]

Ok i have been cutting yesterday, and have a headache today: Next time i'll continue scrapping galvanised pig cages, i'll use the gas mask my brother kept from his military time.

Within 3 hours i used 2/3 of the 100 liter oxygen bottle, and the bottle froze on the outside even though it was 10 degrees C outside. Is this normal, or am i using way too much oxygen ?

How about this neutral, carburetting, oxidizing flame ? 10 years ago, at school, i learned how to adjust an O/A welding flame, but do i adjust the cutting flame with, or without cutting oxygen ?
I used 3 bar of pressure on the oxy as well as propane. The torch knobs adjust the gas flow for the heating flame , but the cutting oxygen is controlled only by the pressure regulator. How much should i use ?
I think i have Messer Griesheim tips on this torch.

 

[MJPetersen]

Renze,

Careful cutting galvanized the fumes are toxic! Only in well ventilated and don't breathe it.

I would say too much Oxy. 2 bar should be plenty for the ox. I use about 1.4 bar with acetyl. I sincerely doubt that propane should be that high either. How good are you are converting from pounds to atmos? try this chart of pressures.

I know that it is for Victor torches, but it will give you an idea. Maybe you can find something equivalent in metric pressures. if you do post it for my benefit--I am coming the other way. look on page 7-19 at the victor 1-101 torches ----Oh later on in the French section they list the pressures in metric pages 7-22. maybe there are other languages too.

how is your French? Also Spanish is a choice.

Mike