Watching a TV show on Sunday about an artist who makes stuff out of old engine parts. Noticed his brazing outfit used oxygen and propane...the propane tank was the type you would have on your gas grill.

Have always wanted a cutting torch but don't use it enough to justify the $400 tank deposit on the acetylene tank that our local supplier charges. How does this propane setup work?

 

You'll need a propane regulator and different tips. Propane burns a little hotter too.

 

The Regulator Can Be The Same But The Tip Is Different Much Larger Ports, It Will Burn Hotter And You Won't Get A Very Clean Cut As Oppsed To The Acytelene. The Acytelene Cuts A Nice Clean Piece You Can Almost Split Hairs With It LOL But For Just Cutting Steel Many Guy"s Around Here Use Propane On Their Rigs As It Is Cheaper And They Are Just Salvage Guy"s That Sell Stell So Hacking Away At A Tractor It Justify"s Itself!!

 

with a propane tip, it has alot more preheat orfices, because it takes more of the propane to preheat the metal. propane doesnt cut as well, as it basically just blows metal away. thats the reason that most scrap yards use propane cause its cheap. acetylene in my own oppinion it worth it. it cuts much cleaner, lights much easier, and lights easier in the wind.

 

I have used propane (acetylene reg works fine) for years with good results. I have the Smith propane cutting tip. It does take some practice to get a smooth cut, pressure makes a difference, but it can be done. 1/2" metal cuts fairly easily with my set up. Not plasma quality. The thing that is nice is that propane is a lot cheaper than acetylene, and when done can return the tank to the grill.

 

Acetylene burns MUCH hotter than propane. It is the oxygen that actually cuts the steel. The burning gas is just used to bring the steel up to combustion temperature. Acetylene heats the steel much faster so it is much easier to use than propane.

 

propane is a lot cheaper get a victor torch. my local welding shop recomends them highly

 

There's another alternative called Chem-Flame, that's propane with another chemical added to make it more like acetylene, but still cheaper to use.

 

Cuting and heating with propane is good, But you need acetylene if you are going to do any gas welding. Propane and Mepp gas make bad welds that wont hold.

Pat

 

Make sure your hoses are rated for LP gas, many are not. Mine are "Grade T" for all fuel gasses. I think LP gas causes the regular acetylene hoses to get brittle and crack. The diaphrams in some regulators may also be damaged by LP gas. What about it forum members with gas welding experience?
Piffery1

 

I Have Used Both For Many Years, I Have Not Come Across Any Trouble With The Hoses Or The Regulators From Using Propane, I Switch Off Back And Forth Depending On What I Am Doing, The Only Thing I Have To Do Is Change The Tip Due To The Orfice Size And The Tank, And I Go To Work, The Propane Cuts Jagged And Not Clean But For Taking Stuff To The Junk Yard It Is Great And Cheaper But For Fine Tuning I Use Acetelyne And The Tip It Cuts Rather Clean And Works Great, But For The Hoses Or Regualtor No Problems Here. I Run A Harris Rig Set-up
Thanks, Kevin

 

Acetylene burns about 1000 degrees hotter than propane. It will cut just fine and the tanks are easier to get filled and cheaper to buy. The tank can also be set on its side and still used. Propane is harder to light but will light every time if you do it right. It is true that propane is cheaper than acetylene but you will use more oxygen because of the longer preheat time. Because of this, it may not be any cheaper to run a propane setup. I use propane on my torch because for me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

 

If you try to use a propane torch the same way you're used to using an acetylene torch, you won't get as good a results. We use propane on our pantagragh at work with great results in plate up to 6" thick. Supposed to be able to cut 8" with it but have never had the oppertunity. Propane is not as hot as acetylene but the flame puts out more total Btus. The hottest part of the flame is not the "cone" as it is with acetylene, so you need to hold the flame back away a little further when preheating. It does take a little longer with propane though, but it helps alot if you grind the mill scale off where you're starting you're cut. To get a clean cut with propane, you need to pull the "feathers" up about as short as you can and still have sufficient heat to do the job. If done correctly, the cut is every bit as good as acteylene. Their is just a learning curve there. You probably do use slightly more oxygen with a propane set up, but I doubt it would come close to taking up the savings of the cheaper propane.
Kim

 

Fo shizzle. This is why we use a propane torch at my dad's shop instead of acetylene. The temperature difference is enough that when we cut something with acetylene it will actually temper the steel making it very difficult to machine. It eats up carbide bits on the lathe and drill bits as well. With the propane torch this is never an issue because it cuts a lot cooler (comparatively speaking).

 

I wouldn't be laying my acetylene tanks on their sides if I were you. The acetone shifts in the honeycomb of the tanks and instead of being in the bottom 2/3's or so will start blowing out the valve. You may notice that your torch throws little gobs of flame or "pluffs"...That's as close as I can come to an explanation. Acetylene is highly unstable at pressures over 14 or so PSI (different texts give different numbers). To be able to stuff enough acetylene in a tank to make it worthwhile, the tanks are filled with acetone and an internal honeycomb of material to keeping it from moving around and splashing. The acetone then absorbs the acetylene when the tank is filled making it stable at higher pressures. The oxygen bottles are fine to throw on their sides. There's lotsa info in any of the welding texts on exact numbers and such if you need any confirmation.

Don