Oxy/Acetylene options

[da.bees]

Funny how much easier it is to make decisions after watching others chase their tails a bit.

 

[psimmer]

Funny how much easier it is to make decisions after watching others chase their tails a bit.

I bought an old set recently from a woman whose husband had recently died. Small bottles, I don’t even know the size? No idea what will happen when I need to fill them. She said her husband had inherited them years ago, and had never used them. Maybe I will be SOL…

 

[Fawteen]

Funny how much easier it is to make decisions after watching others chase their tails a bit.

"Learn from the mistakes of others, you can't make them all yourself."

 

[Hobo,NC]

For propane all you need it a torch tip and a bottle... Its not that hard to set up : )... I have been on propane for 35 years are more. During that time I don't remember getting my acetylene bottle refiled, if I have its been 20 plus year's ago.

I own my bottles and have one rental o2 a big'n tall and fat that was gave to me. We have a supplier in my hood that takes all bottles so I have not problem getting the rental filled. All they want is the refill and test money anyways.

 

[JOCCO]

"Learn from the mistakes of others, you can't make them all yourself."

Apparently you have not been around me!

 

[wh]

Apparently you have not been around me!

 

[Bill in Colo]

60 years ago. Dad leased a set of bottles a few years into the lease co turned it into a sale I've been thru several suppliers over the years swapping bottles. also have a set I've only had 23 years. I only trade 2 or 3 tanks a year.

 

[da.bees]

Majority of gas in this part of N. Texas (never looked at other parts) is sold by corporate stores. Sullen counter men act like they rather hobbyists, farmers and other customers with owned bottles not even come in. There are no mom and pop welding stores.

 

[NoDakInMN]

While there are more options for cutting steel these days, they are pretty useless if you need to heat up a rusty bolt or some other heat required work. I inherited a full size O/A torch setup years ago but never got around to leasing tanks. But I've always had the small portable O/A kit and that does the trick for me. But I would get a couple spare bottles to have on hand as they run empty fairly quick if doing some serious cutting work.

 

[Fawteen]

While there are more options for cutting steel these days, they are pretty useless if you need to heat up a rusty bolt or some other heat required work. I inherited a full size O/A torch setup years ago but never got around to leasing tanks. But I've always had the small portable O/A kit and that does the trick for me. But I would get a couple spare bottles to have on hand as they run empty fairly quick if doing some serious cutting work.

Precisely why I'm spending the money to keep an O/A setup on hand. Lots of cheaper/easier/faster/more accurate ways to cut metal but it's still the best way to heat it.

 

[moresmoke]

Precisely why I'm spending the money to keep an O/A setup on hand. Lots of cheaper/easier/faster/more accurate ways to cut metal but it's still the best way to heat it.

When I want to get fancy, I draw out what I want and send it to a guy in town that has a shop full of CNC cutters. 1”+ stuff is still flame cut. Doesn’t cost me much more than the steel would cost and every piece is perfect.

 

[Ray,IN]

Anyone use mapp gas? It burns hotter than LP. No more often than I needed my O/A equipment, I sold it and pay an independent welding shop to do my work.

 

[da.bees]

Anyone use mapp gas? It burns hotter than LP. No more often than I needed my O/A equipment, I sold it and pay an independent welding shop to do my work.

Not that I'm aware of and I can't think of a good reason they would. Map would be difficult if not impossible to find in quantity useful for what is being discussed here. Were that not enough to deter consideration, several reliable sources claim bottles today labeled as Mapp is nothing more than LP with a squirt of chemical allowing for marketing at inflated price.

 

[Jim.ME]

Anyone use mapp gas? It burns hotter than LP. No more often than I needed my O/A equipment, I sold it and pay an independent welding shop to do my work.

My understanding is the original MAPP gas is no longer available. MAPP was/is actually a trademark name for the gas. What is now commonly called MAPP is actually a propylene derivative gas. It burns hotter than straight propane, but still not recommended for gas welding of steel.

 

[m16ty]

Back when I was a kid there were no gas suppliers in town, the closest one was in Nashville 50 miles away. There was a local welding shop where you could exchange bottles with the supplier in Nashville and they had a truck that serviced the welding shop. I don’t know if they paid the welding shop a little to deal with it or they just did it to help the locals out, but it kept farmers and whatnot from having to drive all the way to Nashville to get gas.

That being said, I’ve got a set of small customer owned bottles at my shop. They do all I need at the farm shop and I have extras in case I run out.

I don’t do much cutting anymore with the torch but I’d sure hate to be without, if for nothing else but heating.

You can switch to propane, but you still have to have oxygen. Propane does ok, but doesn’t produce a cut nearly as clean acetylene and doesn’t get as hot. Propane is a lot cheaper though.