Talk to me about torches

Les White

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I already have a MIG/stick welder and a plasma cutter, but I want/need a oxy/acetylene torch for heating/bending/melting. Another caveat is I don't want to use acetylene, I want to use propane as it's worlds cheaper and one less tank to buy. I know basic operation but I've never owned one, so tips for propane are sort of a foreign concept for me. For all I'm going to be using it for are they even necessary? I see some online chatter about needing different tips for cutting, but I doubt I'd ever use it for cutting, or welding.

I'm looking at something cheap (but well reviewed) like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Gas-We...086217&hash=item3d41a22d47:g:T8cAAOSwyRdcLIdM

School me.
 
Brian, I have owned (and used) oxy-acetylene torches for over 40 years, and owned oxy-propane for around 4 years. Here are my 2 cents.

First, if you will only use this occasionally and want to do brazing and welding, do yourself a favor and go with oxy-acetylene. It burns hotter, uses less o2 for cutting, and is more suitable for torch brazing. The torch sets used to cost less too but this may have changed.

However, you mentioned primary uses being heating and bending, and this is an area where oxy-propane may be better.

A primary benefit of oxy-propane is that propane costs less than acetylene, and is easier to find. However, oxy-propane uses much more o2 than oxy-acetylene, so even though your fuel is cheaper it is offset by the fact that you have to buy 3X more oxygen! (4.3:1 ratio for propane, versus 1.2:1 ratio for acetylene)

Oxy-propane is not a good process to use for steel rod brazing. It has something to do with the chemistry of the fuel not being well suited for welding.

Oxy-propane requires a T rated hose. Fortunately this hose is also rated for acetylene. Standard R hoses are not rated for propane - only acetylene.

Acetylene burns hotter than propane, and you will use less oxygen.

Propane cutting and heating tips are definitely different than acetylene. I've used acetylene tips with propane and it did not work well. If you go with propane, buy the correct tips for it.

If your main use will be heating / bending, then propane may be a better option (depends upon how thick the metal is being heated / bent). Heating tips (aka Rosebud's) work better off of propane, unless you have an extremely large rental acetylene tank. The issue here is that acetylene has to be converted from a liquid to a gas before it leave the bottle, and the conversion rate is sometimes not as fast as what's needed for a high flow rosebud. That can cause liquid to be drawn into the torches which can represent an explosion hazard.

You will want to size your regulators and torches to the thickness of the metal being heated / bent. Standard 3/8" and under, an inexpensive acetylene set will be fine. However, if you want to heat and bend thicker metal, you will need to upsize to a torch head that can support a larger rosebud and regulators that will flow more.

How thick of a material do you plan on bending?
 
I bought a med size set a friend found. Brand new med duty complete set with tanks and cart, the complete old med duty set, and a brand new heavy duty torch $150. Got a steal on it.

I've used oxy-propane and hate it. Like scott said takes a proprietary regulator hoses and the special 2 part tips.

And for whatever it's worth dont buy the cart size. What a waste of time energy and money
 
FWIW the brazing and rosebud tips at HF will fit and run just fine on a med duty torch body
 
Brian, I have owned (and used) oxy-acetylene torches for over 40 years, and owned oxy-propane for around 4 years. Here are my 2 cents.

First, if you will only use this occasionally and want to do brazing and welding, do yourself a favor and go with oxy-acetylene. It burns hotter, uses less o2 for cutting, and is more suitable for torch brazing. The torch sets used to cost less too but this may have changed.

However, you mentioned primary uses being heating and bending, and this is an area where oxy-propane may be better.

A primary benefit of oxy-propane is that propane costs less than acetylene, and is easier to find. However, oxy-propane uses much more o2 than oxy-acetylene, so even though your fuel is cheaper it is offset by the fact that you have to buy 3X more oxygen! (4.3:1 ratio for propane, versus 1.2:1 ratio for acetylene)

Oxy-propane is not a good process to use for steel rod brazing. It has something to do with the chemistry of the fuel not being well suited for welding.

Oxy-propane requires a T rated hose. Fortunately this hose is also rated for acetylene. Standard R hoses are not rated for propane - only acetylene.

Acetylene burns hotter than propane, and you will use less oxygen.

Propane cutting and heating tips are definitely different than acetylene. I've used acetylene tips with propane and it did not work well. If you go with propane, buy the correct tips for it.

If your main use will be heating / bending, then propane may be a better option (depends upon how thick the metal is being heated / bent). Heating tips (aka Rosebud's) work better off of propane, unless you have an extremely large rental acetylene tank. The issue here is that acetylene has to be converted from a liquid to a gas before it leave the bottle, and the conversion rate is sometimes not as fast as what's needed for a high flow rosebud. That can cause liquid to be drawn into the torches which can represent an explosion hazard.

You will want to size your regulators and torches to the thickness of the metal being heated / bent. Standard 3/8" and under, an inexpensive acetylene set will be fine. However, if you want to heat and bend thicker metal, you will need to upsize to a torch head that can support a larger rosebud and regulators that will flow more.

How thick of a material do you plan on bending?

Bending up to 1/4 bar stock (~1/4" x 2"), 1/2" rebar, melting gold. Seriously doubt I'd ever use it to weld or cut.
 
You will be very surprised how often you will use it to cut even though you have a plasma cutter. The best tip I've bought is a gouging tip Cuts welds out with hardly and damage to the surrounding steel
 
Unrelated, but cool history. :p



 
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Bending up to 1/4 bar stock (~1/4" x 2"), 1/2" rebar, melting gold. Seriously doubt I'd ever use it to weld or cut.

For those tasks my first choice would be oxy-acytelene. Much more common regulators and equipment, which means that it’s less costly. Usually you can find a used complete setup, with owner tanks and a cart, for around $200 - $250.
 
For those tasks my first choice would be oxy-acytelene. Much more common regulators and equipment, which means that it’s less costly. Usually you can find a used complete setup, with owner tanks and a cart, for around $200 - $250.
I learned something valuable from you today. For 30 years I used a normal tip for my HVAC soldering but two weeks ago I put on a rosebud I have had for many years. It did not work well with 15 percent silver solder sticks. I thought it was my lack of knowledge on tuning the regulators. I switched back after one day on an installation with six solder joints.
 
For those tasks my first choice would be oxy-acytelene. Much more common regulators and equipment, which means that it’s less costly. Usually you can find a used complete setup, with owner tanks and a cart, for around $200 - $250.

I've looked on marketplace and Craigslist, never seen any complete sets that cheap. $400 and up....like they're made of gold.
 
I use both gases. I have tips for both. I have small mc tanks for acetylene (hvac size) and several 20lbs propane tanks. I prefer acetylene, but it tends to run out in the middle of a project that I'm working on at night or the weekends. There's no industrial supply open during those times so I switch to propane. There is a learning curve to using propane but once you pass the hump, it's no problem.
 
@YeeHaa

@LeeMajors found one for me. $200

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Yes. That's a 1st gen miata in the shop. Was mom's car. They gave it to me to get it out of their garage. Runs and drives but needs a LOT of work...engine rebuild, clutch, master cylinder, slow battery drain, bushings, ball joints, etc...
 
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