Acetylene v/s other gases

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Gentlemen,I would like to know, regarding cutting and welding operations for various gauges, the advantages and disadvantages of acetylene v/s propane and othergas mixtures that are coming to the market.* About the new entrants, how many years, on an average, does it take to have their safety and compatibility issues (both about teh gas and the accessories used on it)  to be studied and documented by the relveant agencies in fire protection?* Will the savings thru lesser oxygen consumption of acetylene be offset by its cost in comparison to other gases?* What is more suitable if I want to cut stainless steel also?* Does the fuel gas used have any significant impact on the properties of the metal after welding/cutting? * Are there any thumb rules as to which fuel gas is more viable with what kind of gauge ?Any info on the above points will be greatly appreciated.
Reply:Originally Posted by winnGentlemen,I would like to know, regarding cutting and welding operations for various gauges, the advantages and disadvantages of acetylene v/s propane and othergas mixtures that are coming to the market.* About the new entrants, how many years, on an average, does it take to have their safety and compatibility issues (both about teh gas and the accessories used on it)  to be studied and documented by the relveant agencies in fire protection?Fire protection should be about the same hazard level as any other.  Only caution I might add on Acetylene is: It can become unstable above 15 PSI after it leaves the tamk itself. * Will the savings thru lesser oxygen consumption of acetylene be offset by its cost in comparison to other gases?You most likely will use more OX during the preheat portion with most anything other than Acetylene.* What is more suitable if I want to cut stainless steel also?As far as I know you CAN'T cut stainless with any OX/FUEL setup.  You need plasma, water jet, Laser, etc. * Does the fuel gas used have any significant impact on the properties of the metal after welding/cutting?  Depends on the base metal you are cutting/welding.   Your mild steel grades (low carbon) remain pretty stable & usually don't require any pre or post processes.* Are there any thumb rules as to which fuel gas is more viable with what kind of gauge ?For machine cutting it's hard to cut anything below 1/4".  3/16 is doable but is hard to keep up with the warpage.  Hope this helps you some.Any info on the above points will be greatly appreciated.
Reply:No oxy/fuel torch is good at cutting stainless; the oxides have a much higher melting point than the metal.