Acetylene/propane ??School me.

RandyB(MI)

Well-known Member
I've got a complete Victor set (cutting torch/welding tips) bought new in mid '70,s. Let the tank lease laps quite a few yrs ago. Would like to put them back into service (mostly heating and occasional brazing ). Retired, hobby use only. Need advice. Propane? Acetylene ? Lease or buy tanks ? What size? Pro,s / cons of the two gasses. This set might sit unused for 2 mos. and then might use it 5-6 times next month. I'm a little shell shocked at tank prices/lease and most at auctions are complete sets and high or pure junk. What say you. RB
 
Ace works the best for cutting heating and brazing/weIding.
Propane is good onIy for cutting but it don't get as hot as ace.
propane and ace use diff tips on the torch.

I have 2 sets of victor torches and tips, i use one for cutting with propane(cheaper) and the other for cutting with ace if i need high heat and heating/brazing/weIding i do with ace
 
The approved hose is "all fuel rated--T hose" Change tips and you can run LP. Check around, some of the welding companies really bend you over, and some are just plain easy to buy from.
We have a competitor that sells you a new lease every five years,we charge you once, and a guy down the road that will exchange anybody's tank for the price of the gas.
 
If it's very random occasional use I think I'd probably just go with the knee high bottles of acetylene. If you're getting into more frequent use or any amount of heating, go with LP. I've used a 20# LP tank now for years and have a contract on a large O2. I probably only use 2 O2 tanks a year and a bit more than one LP tank per year.... unless I get into some big projects. I used to use the small tanks and still own a set... but it costs so much to fill them... actually the same price to fill a small O2 as a large O2 and there's 7-8 small tanks worth in one large... so that very quickly pays for the contract price.
I find LP works just as well for heating and cutting. It's manageable for brazing for limited use. It's no good for welding.

Rod
 
Thanks, guys, don't really care to change hoses / tips and doubt I would go through anymore than 0ne #4 100c.f. 3' acetylene and one 4' o2 in a year. Guess I'll do some more shopping , maybe hit someone on the "right" day.
 
Propane is the best choice if all you do with your torch is cutting and heating. But acetylene is hotter and therefore more versatile. In your situation, I'd stick with acetylene.
 
I own my tanks and last month purchased a propane cutting tip for my Smith torch. I had just gotten my acet. tank filled (with sticker shock)$86.00. The tip cost $26.00 so that wasn't bad. I got my oxygen tank filled last week $38.00 (large tank)so that isn't too bad. I do still like to do some oxy acetylene welding so I want it around too. I 100% agree that the propane is colder than acetylene but with the price difference it's worth it if you're gonna use the torch for cutting very much. Just my thoughts, Keith
 
Like other people have said make sure your hoses are rated for propane, the torch handles/bodies should work on either. Propane takes different tips. Just heating, bending, and cutting the average person probably can't tell a difference between the two. You can't weld with propane. Propane burns cleaner so the tips don't get dirty. For weekend work propane is readily available, acetylene is not. When heating with propane hold the torch a little farther away from the work for the hot spot in the flame.
 
I have always used MAPP. I was talked into MAPP in the 1970's by the welding rep that called on me. Never been sorry. Talk to you welding supply shop. I will never go back to acetylene.
 
I've used both, and propane is darn near useless for me. Propane doesn't cut as clean if trying to remove bearings. Propane also uses more oxygen for the same work, enough to eat any savings I get on the acetylene. I have the small tanks an acetylene B and Q oxygen. Last me a long time for occasional use.
 

I feel about the same as Moresmoke. I started out with acetylene, then switched to propane because it was cheaper. Times got really lean back 40 years ago or so and I had to scrape just to get a cheap used torch let alone buy gas for it so I set the acetylene tank aside went to propane. A hundred pound tank of propane would last me a couple of years. I couldn't braze with propane so I was switching tips and tanks just to braze a little bit which was an inconvenience, but I couldn't hardly afford brazing rods either. The downfall to propane was the slow preheat before I could hit the oxygen to start the cut. With slow heating propane cutting through bearing races without getting the shaft too hot was a challenge and I was getting into more precision cutting when combine ownership came into my life. When you are in delicate areas like cutting a bearing you want to preheat fast and cut with a quick burst so you don't nick the shaft or set something else on fire. So I went back to acetylene. Yes it costs more for sure. If I was in the salvage business where I did a lot of non-precision cutting I would certainly use propane.

A friend I have worked with a lot uses something he calls Propalene. He claims it's a mix of propane and acetylene? When I first used his torch to cut I wondered how that big fat imprecise looking flame could do a neat cut but it does do a nice clean job with a thin cut.
 
I believe you are correct as is moresmoke above. When I do need cutting, I need it to be precision and fast precise heat and I do braze and same there. With acetylene I have , in the past, been able to blow a snapped off steel bolt out of a cast iron hole without screwing up the threads. That takes instant and precise heat. Don't do that much but you get the idea of my priorities. Think I'll stay with acetylene but will check into MAPP also. Thanks to all. RB
 
fixerupper;

That's one of the best explanations of the advantages and disadvantages of using propane versus using acetylene that I've ever read. Thanks for taking the time to go into details.

Stan
 
you're going to get a different opinion depending on who you talk to,i've used both for over forty years and prefer propane because of cost,been several years since I bought any acetylene it was about 4 times the cost of propane and don't exactly remember the ratio but a 20# cylinder of propane will far outlast a #90 of acetylene, as for heat propane is less as for cutting and brazing propane is a little slower to heat up other than that I've noticed very little difference,either gas has a selection of tip sizes there is where the performance factor is with either gas ie #0 cutting tip compared to a #3 see which will cut the thickest metal, as for cutting bearings I've probably cut off a pickup load and have no preference between the two gases
 

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