Welding with alcohol/oxygen

admin

First, I am not a welder. So be gentle, yes? I recently discovered that jewelers in the Third World (and possibly other places) are welding with oxygen/gasoline units. That aroused my curiousity. Alcohol and oxygen flew over England in WWII, and alcohol (and atmospheric oxygen) some of the fastest cars in the quarter mile. I have searched the Internet for information without success, so I thought I would come to a place where welders congregate and throw myself on your mercy.So, the questions.Is welding with alcohol/oxygen a possibility? If so, are there sites/manufacturers that you could recommend? If not, why not?Thank you.
Reply:Depends upon the metal to be welded and on the type of alcohol. I do not know the temperature of any oxygen / alcohol flame nor the amount of BTU's produced. I suspect it would vary with the type of alcohol. Acetylene and M.A.P.P. are the only fuel gasses when mixed with oxygen permits welding steel. Oxyhydrogen is often used by jewelers for gold and silver. Propane, butane, propylene and others are also used for various non-ferrous welding applications. I do not know of an oxy-alcohol welding torch manufacturer, but it would seem that jeweler equipment supplier would be a logical place to start.
Reply:Oxygen and gasoline have been used for heavy duty cutting.  I don't know using that for welding but I guess anything that enough makes heat could be used to weld something, provided enough atmospheric shield is produced to allow clean joining of the metals.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Alcohol lamps with blow tubes (so pressurized-air/alcohol) have been used by jewelers for centuries for hard soldering.
Reply:Thank you for your time and consideration.
Reply:Alcohol takes a lot of heat to vaporize it.  It doesn't burn as a liquid, you have to get it vaporized first.  This is one reason it works so well in race engines.  When the carb puts little droplets of alcohol in the air stream, it gets really cold.  Cold air means you pack more air/fuel into the cylinder.  More air/fuel equals more horsepower.  The cold charge and high octane equivalence also lets you run a much higher compression ratio.  The higher compression ratio gives you a more efficient burn.For torch use, you'd have to waste a lot of the heat in getting the alcohol heated enough to vaporize.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE