oxweld multiflame head which one

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i am looking at getting a new multiflame head or rosebud for my oxweld torch.looking at their catalog they offer both multiflame and rosebud torches from 55 to 250.i will be using it on farm and logging equipment.i was thinking a multiflame head 100 or 150.would a rosebud be better? what size would ya'll get?millermatic 35      acdc thunderboltesab 2522 oxweld w-17 torchesesab plasma cutterspeedway fluxcoreold bug gas welderROLL TIDE
Reply:Are you using propane or acetylene?  If you're using acetylene you probably can't go over a 55 with a possibility of a 70 with a large tank. Otherwise you start to overdraw the cylinders (in truth the above will draw more than you're supposed to with the modern draw rules).   Personally my most used one is a 70 multiflame in the shop but I use a large ac5 cylinder to feed it. I have larger but without manifolding they're really not usable. On my truck I have a 55 rosebud for use with my smaller ac4 cylinder.   Now with propane you can get bigger ones but for farm use going much over 70-100 is really overkill.  As far as difference between rosebud and multiflame. The only real difference is that a rosebud heats a larger diameter area than the multiflame which is more concentrated. Just depends on what you're doing whether one is better than the other. The multiflame can heat a larger area with you moving it over that area while the rosebud had a harder time heating a small spot.Last edited by irish fixit; 05-31-2012 at 12:17 PM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:thanks fixit .i have number 4s.what is the max head i can use with a number 4? with acetylene.thanksmillermatic 35      acdc thunderboltesab 2522 oxweld w-17 torchesesab plasma cutterspeedway fluxcoreold bug gas welderROLL TIDE
Reply:The official answer is none of them. A AC4 size bottle has between 105 - 140 cu ft of acetylene in it. The modern draw rule is 1/10th of the bottle size for max draw. That equals to between 10-14 cu ft per hour draw rate. Even with the old draw rules of 1/7th you're limited to between 15 and 20 cu ft per hour.   Now keep in mind that oxweld and purox tips are labeled by the draw rate. Thus a 55 tip is rated to draw 55 cu ft per hour of acetylene and so on.   I have run my 55 tip off a ac4 cylinder. But only on a lower setting with a full bottle. I won't run it on a nearly empty bottle. I can't say that it's safe to do this so it's take your chances if you do.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:looks like, even if i hook up 2 of my bottles ,i still will be a little short.i also have a victor torch.would you happen to know if a smaller heating head is made for it?if so what is the number on it?thanksmillermatic 35      acdc thunderboltesab 2522 oxweld w-17 torchesesab plasma cutterspeedway fluxcoreold bug gas welderROLL TIDE
Reply:You're pretty much in the same boat with any of the brands. I don't know Victor off the top of my head but the whole reason for a rosebud is to put out more heat. To put out more heat you have to draw more gas.   What size welding tips do you have for your oxweld?. If you've got a 15  then that's the official max amount you can draw thus the max heat available on the ac4 tank.  In truth I think this is where using propane with a torch really shines. If you would get a fuel gas rosebud then you don't have to worry as much about the draw rate. You still would on a large tip but larger propane tanks are cheaper than large acetylene tanks.Last edited by irish fixit; 06-06-2012 at 09:37 AM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:after looking up the oxweld head chart,it shows different heating heads for propane or acetylene. i did not realize that propane and acetylene heating heads were different .is there a heating head that can be used for both? i have used propane to cut with before and did not like it as good as acetylene.on a heating head what would be the noticeable differences between the gases?i guess that i am looking at a bigger acetylene tank or going over to propane.i have a set of welding tips that goes up to 70,but i have only used the 3 smallest ones.mostly just to braze.millermatic 35      acdc thunderboltesab 2522 oxweld w-17 torchesesab plasma cutterspeedway fluxcoreold bug gas welderROLL TIDE
Reply:Propane or natural are much better , Harris makes the best and biggest fuel gas tips over 1 million btu's  .  John
Reply:Propane has to have a different tip than acetylene so no real cross over. The problem is the flame velocity is so different on the two gases and propane benefits from a flame keeper. There's also a difference in the mixer on most of them.   Propane cutting has some advantages once you get used to it. However it does behave differently so there's a bit of a learning curve.   I've not done it yet I'm working on getting a propane setup in my shop. I still do a lot of brazing and other things that work better with acetylene so have to keep the capability. Up until recently I didn't have room to add the second set of bottles so I hadn't set it up. I've finally freed the space up but not had to time to get it all setup yet.   I've been collecting some large fuel gas heating tips for when I do get it set up. Acetylene is getting so expensive that it just makes sense to use propane for heating like this. I've also collected a lot of fuel gas cutting tips which I need to start using.Last edited by irish fixit; 06-08-2012 at 06:49 PM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm