acetylene vs. propane

[ford35lh]

My oxygen tank is down to 500 and the acetylene will be out of date
in December so I am trying to empty it.

The acetylene gauge leaks from high to low when shutting off the flame,
it was rebuilt about ten years ago and I should replace the hoses.

The whole outfit is about 50 yrs old .
I have been thinking about changing over to propane.

Do any of you guys use propane instead of acetylene ???

[12cliff23]

use the propane outfit my dad used, I'm 70! if you change one way or the other the cutting tips are different. I used acetylene where I worked, if I were going to start over and needed new regs. gauges etc. it would be a toss up, propane is much cheaper, can't remember the last time I filled my 40 lb tank,
cliff

[skidmarks]

Dont expect to weld or braze with propane. Cutting and heating its fine just slower then acetylene. You need type T hose with propane.

[rotorwrench]

Acetylene has much more volatility than propane and therefore will produce much more heat for the amount of gas consumed. It's about the hottest gas you can use. Leaks are no good and can kill you with acetylene so I don't mess around with equipment. If it goes bad get rid of it.

It sounds like the 50-year old set has squeezed quite a bargain out of its use over such a long period. In the last 35 years or so, I've used up one regulator (two stage types) out of a set. I use them till they crap out the chuck them and buy new. I tried to rebuild the one but it was too far gone on the hard parts and no replacements are available. I don't care what brand they are as long as they work. I use real small torches so the two stage regulators are a must with them. I've used Harris, Smiths, and Victor torches & cutters and they all work about the same with about the same longevity. Each has their own quirks so they are all apples and oranges to me. Hoses last about 10-years or so and I replace them at any sign of problems. They are still reasonably priced so far.

[RalphG]

I've never owned or even used an acetylene torch. But my brother has a used torch that burns oxygen and propane. He finds it works pretty well for heating and cutting.

[19Fordy]

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Stay with acetylene. Many more options. More versatile.

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Stay with acetylene. Many more options. More versatile.

Propane isnt as hot.......stay with acetylene

[flatford8]

It depends how much you use it. I use mine for occasional heating and cutting and I switched to propane about five years ago. It’s much cheaper and when your gas grill runs out with the family over for a cookout......just go grab the tank off the torch cart.....you’ll be the hero of all those hungry people.......Mark

[Fordestes]

I use a Victor 315 c , it is supposed to be compatible with both propane and acet. must use correct tips and regulator for each gas, any questions check out Bills welding repair in Okla. city , bills Daughter has all the answers. they are listed on line. Good luck , Fordestes

[ABento]

If your working in a salvage yard and cutting a lot of junk steel or frames for size propane would be the way to go, a long scrap torch and your in business, for home use in the shop its not worth it as for the above answers.

[RalphM]

I BBQ a lot, what’s propane got to do with cooking on a grill Mark?


But back on the subject at hand, oxy/acetylene is the better choice. I hate waiting for something to heat up with a torch.

[rotorwrench]

I don't think it's has anything to do with how much you use it. It's what you need it to do. If all you want to do is heat some parts or perhaps some light duty welding/cutting with the right equipment the propane is fine but it takes a lot more gas to do the same job as O/A. If you want to do some heavy duty cutting or welding then O/A is the way to go.

Equipment has gotten more expensive over the years and some stuff is no longer manufactured in the region so I can see why folks are apprehensive. If you really want to fabricate stuff then a person has to get an affordable alternative for welding & cutting needs. I can't afford a water jet set up so that's out. I use a plasma cutter but it's only good for up to about 1/8" to 3/16" thickness on steel. The old O/A torch can still cut a 1-inch thickness if the tip is right. I can weld body steel much quicker and cheaper with an O/A torch than I can with TIG and my results are much better than MIG. I own my own bottles so that I can take them where ever I want to fill them. The gas really isn't too bad on price. San Antonio has quite a few suppliers so they don't jack me on the prices. I'll just go somewhere else.

[bo8109b]

I use MAP gas to free up rusty parts or solder copper pipes. Burns hotter than propane. Carl

[blucar]

When I was a teenager I took welding class's. My main interest was body and fender, light sheet metal welding. With practice I became very good at brazing cast iron and heavy steel
Electric welders were not very common, mainly because most farmers did not have a good electric supply, where-as a gas welder was very portable, load it up into the bed of a truck and take it out to the field to do a repair on piece of machinery.
From time to time I find it necessary to weld up some body metal on one of my old car projects. I bought a wire feed welder about ten years ago. It is very handy to tack-weld pieces of sheet metal together, however, the actual welding is best to do with an acetylene welder. And why is that.. An acetylene welder puts carbon into the welded joint, and thereby retains a degree of flexibility. An electric welder makes a brittle weld, which is not good for body metal.

Propane is good for cutting and heating, but not good for welding.
I know several excellent body and fender-men that will not use an electric welder on any auto body metal. Of course when I say auto body metal, I mean vintage car stuff which is very different from the paper thin metal in modern cars.

[cmbrucew]

In the ship yards, building liberty, and victory ships acetylene and oxygen welding was used on steel up to and including 1/4". When it is necessary to weld R/R track Acetylene and oxygen are used.
Bruce

[skidmarks]

Last time i saw railroad track welded it was with thermite

[rotorwrench]

If the MIG wire were as soft as RG45, the MIG weld would be just as soft as the gas weld. The softest I could ever find was 60 but it's not common and it can break due to the wire feed. 70 is the most common for Mig and it makes a pretty hard weld. It is difficult to hammer a weld like that. It work hardens too fast. The 45 is as soft as baling wire which would work OK but it is usually oiled to prevent corrosion. The copper plate is a bit more expensive on the RG45 but it last good as long as you keep it in the closed container that it comes in. If the sheet metal fits tight enough, there should be no need for filler rod at all.

O/A welding actually shields itself so the welds stay fairly clean while the gas is flowing on there. Welds can get crusty on O/A if there are too many contaminants on the weld surfaces. It should be as clean as when welding with any other TIG or MIG process.

Electric arc welding was developed at the turn of the last century but was generally only used for specialized purposes due to the expense. Rather than shield gas, they would just pour on a powdered flux material while the weld was being made. Large thickness steel welding is still done this way in ship building. The shield gas required to do those really big jobs would be cost prohibitive and the powdered flux works just as well. A lot of these set ups run on a track to keep the welds accurate and on center.

The Ford Model A gas tanks had a very special welding set up to join the pieces together and be fuel tight to a large percentage of production. This is why no one reproduces the model A fuel tanks today. If you see a bare one, take a look at the seams. It had to have been a hell of a set up for the late 20s & early 30s.

[RKS.PA]

I learned to gas weld when I was 16 (1959) because I was obsessed with putting dual exhaust on my old cars and used trashed exhaust pipes from our local gas station. On rusty pipe, you learn to be creative!! I bought a Victor set in the 70's and it came with MAP instead of acetylene. I wasn't happy, so traded the MAP for an A tank. Eventually those gauges wore out and I went with a set of Harris two stages. The welding supply place thought I was over doing it, but I've loved them ever since. Now I do more O/A brazing than welding on my old car projects....seat spring fixes etc. A good brazing job is supposed to be good for 1500 psi. A few years ago I got a Miller stick welder that now does the heavy frame and fabrication work....much better penetration than the O/A. Very happy I have both.

[RalphM]

I just repaired the fuel tank on a John Deere tractor by brazing it. I had people tell me it’ll never work, but it’s running OK.

[Tinker]

This is a weird thread.


For cutting fast...

Map gas, never...
acetylene / oxy
Plasma cutters


Need to get a good setup for acetylene. Brazing is so useful. Along with gas welding and shrinking. Gas welds still stay some what pliable, (mig welds are brittle, tigs are better). Gas welding is in art.