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I have had an oxyacetylene setup in my shop/garage for about 20 years having done some farming, work on cars, various projects. 145 cf of acetylene, 250 cf of oxygen, not portable. I strap cylinders to the wall and use long hoses. Braze, weld, cut, heat metal.I need something more portable for an upcoming scrap cutting project. Was looking at portable acetylene but anything larger than a B size cylinder isn't really hand portable, and the B being 40 cf, with the 7 hour withdrawal rate you're not supposed to exceed for acetylene, that's a max of 6 scfh, will comfortably run the preheat on (Victor) size 00 cutting tip, can cut 1/4", maybe push things a little and run a #0 tip and cut 3/8". Not good enough. Size B still weighs 28 pounds fullI'm thinking of getting a propylene setup for that because I think I can use smaller/lighter fuel cylinders and still get a sufficient withdrawal rate. That way I can hand carry the cylinders and keep hoses short and everything stays small and light.My local gas place has 2 pound and 7 pound cylinders, and some much larger cylinders that do not meet my portability goals. I want to be able to run a (Victor) #2 cutting tip that draws up to 15 scfh of fuel gas. Seems like I'm good with the 7 pounder but not the 2 pounder. 7 pound cylinder should weigh less than a B of acetylene.Right?Am I doing anything dumb?
Reply:Cutting with non-acetylene gases requires more skill,, so do not be surprised.When you go away from acetylene, all of the fuel gases perform virtually identical, so use the cheapest.I like cutting with propane, because a standard grill tank is cheap, and portable, especially if it is only 1/4 full (5 pounds of fuel).5 pounds of fuel will match probably a dozen or more portable oxygen bottles.Actually, maybe only 2 pounds of propane might be enough to match a dozen smallish oxygen bottles,,.
Reply:Since you have the big set of torches, buy a propane tip.hook a propane grill tank onto the torch, in place of the acetylene bottle. With just the cost of a tip, and maybe a regulator (assuming you can get a propane tank somewhere,,)you can try out cutting with the alternate fuel for an investment of as little as under $20.If you like it, then buy the portable outfit.
,,, I hate wasting $$$$$$$$$$$,,,
Reply:Stick with what you know and love. A cart to move with a 75 cu ft acetylene mated to a 80 cu ft oxygen is not so bad. Yea it isn't no A/C man type burglar bottle setup for sure but it will work like you expect it to.I realize if you cut a lot acetylene is pretty high priced fuel these days but when you need to make a weld with it you will be bummed.Last edited by danielplace; 06-08-2021 at 04:15 PM.
Reply:Just use propane. You can get smaller tanks than a BBQ tank. No need to worry about withdrawal rates with a cutting tip. Problem is you still need the oxygen cylinder. Acetylene regulator will work with propane. Most propane tanks have dual threads on the valve. Propane will use more oxygen but is a little more portable.
Reply:How much scrap do you have to cut and how thick? O2 tanks that you can easily carry aren't going to last long in the scrap pile.---Meltedmetal
Reply:Thanks for the replies.How much scrap. Not a lot. The problem at hand is a relatively small amount of machinery and some fuel tanks at my Mom's place. The tanks are thin. Machinery up to an inch. I would use 40 cf oxygens and rent extras for a week or whatever if I had a big project.
Reply:Well, good luck with it. Be really careful with the fuel tanks. They don't explode until they do. We had a 2500 gallon molasses tank blow on us. Fortunately it was filled with water and all we got was a fright and wet. I presume the molasses had fermented into alcohol.---Meltedmetal
Reply:
Originally Posted by Meltedmetal
Well, good luck with it. Be really careful with the fuel tanks. They don't explode until they do. We had a 2500 gallon molasses tank blow on us. Fortunately it was filled with water and all we got was a fright and wet. I presume the molasses had fermented into alcohol.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Meltedmetal
Well, good luck with it. Be really careful with the fuel tanks. They don't explode until they do. We had a 2500 gallon molasses tank blow on us. Fortunately it was filled with water and all we got was a fright and wet. I presume the molasses had fermented into alcohol.
Reply:
Originally Posted by 2airishuman
I am very paranoid about this sort of thing and will have a shop vac running in reverse and blowing air through the tanks overnight. Then fill with water, then make initial cuts with the blower still running.
Reply:Hi. Oxy propane works great for cutting. But I don't think you would want to go to work with anything lessthan the 20lb BBq tank. I made up a cheap rough terrain cart from an old moving trolley. and it works very well.I even used the same idea for a small cart for a small portable set
Reply:Propane ≠ Propylene
Reply:As a reminder, use proper hose type. Hose grade "T" is for all gases .Grade "R" is acetylene only. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:I have portable outfits (including a medical oxygen cylinder with adapter for small jobs but there's another way: My back is destroyed and I'm lazy so instead of pushing cylinder carts I bought two 50ft hoses (handier than a 100ft hose) and leave my cylinders in the shop when working outdoors. If you can get your truck close enough you can leave large cylinders in the bed on a skid or otherwise correctly stowed and not have to move them. Gas hose is like SOOW cords and welding cable, it may not be possible to have too many feet.R works fine with LP but isn't to code (the regulation may have preceded modern plastics) but T lasts longer so I buy T rated hose for everything. I often cut scrap when it's raining since that handles spark suppression and is cooler. |
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发表于 2021-9-1 23:18:03