Mag-Torch any good?

/ Mag-Torch any good? #2  
let me start by saying no I havent tried it.

But how good it is just depends on your expectations. Dont go in thinking you are buying a "welder" or a real "cutting torch". What are you wanting to do with it??
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #3  
True MAPP has been extinct for 5 yrs and tho' it's replacements (MAPD, 'MAPP-Pro') aren't much hotter than propane 'in free air' adding oxygen better replicates the performance of the original. You don't want to weld steel with MAPP, MAPD, or MAPP-Pro as hydrogen absorption will make the welds brittle.

I worked at M__ Muffler 35 yrs ago. Propane with O2 cut clamps & shock mount bolts like butter and the acetylene cart was the dustiest and least used tool in the shop. (w/coat-hanger, but not much to weld there, actually) Plumbers still prefer MAPP with lead free solder for the extra hundred+ degrees and higher BTU. Most importantly, head/tip types are critical to getting the most from the pricier gas, as is using it with O2.

If you want to cut or braze with the above kit I doubt you'd be disappointed. Having the best tip on there it'd be my 1st chioice. Wouldn't cost much to prove me right or wrong about it for the task & it sure sounds easier to use than the carbon-arc torch I usually braze with. :eek: Give it a shot & tell us what YOU think. If it bombs we can always take up a collection to cover you investment. :rolleyes:
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #4  
It will cost you a fortune buying new cylinders for every 3 minutes of cutting time. What do plan to use it for?
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #5  
I had a similar one years ago. Those little 1 cubic foot oxygen cylinders made the thing basically worthless. Sure you can get a hotter and more concentrated flame than a basic propane or MAPP/air torch, but I wouldn't waste my money on another one of those!
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #6  
The oxygen bottles will bankrupt you if you try to do much of anything with it.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #8  
You can't fill the acetylene from another cylinder. Unless you have to carry the torch up stairs or to some remote location you can't get to, get a 75 cu. ft. acetylene cylinder and an 80 or preferably a 122 cu. ft. oxygen. You'll have enough capacity for most jobs and standard regulators will fit this size cylinder. Even the little portable totes are only good for about 15 minutes of cutting at the most.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #9  
You can't fill the acetylene from another cylinder.

Sure you can or at least I do. You need to do it very, very slowly though. You want to transfer the acetylene only, not any of the acetone.

How long they last, depends on what you are doing with them. A rosebud, cutting torch and welding tips all use the gases at different rates, not to mention the different orifices you might have for any of the processes.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #10  
That's SCARY! I doubt your gas supplier is aware that you're filling acetylene from a larger cylinder. I work at a welding supply and all the acetylene cylinders are shipped to the main fill plant where they are filled in a controlled environment. Hopefully no one will follow your practice of transferring acetylene from one cylinder to another. I believe it's illegal. Oxygen and most high pressure gases can be transferred though.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #11  
That's SCARY! I doubt your gas supplier is aware that you're filling acetylene from a larger cylinder. I work at a welding supply and all the acetylene cylinders are shipped to the main fill plant where they are filled in a controlled environment. Hopefully no one will follow your practice of transferring acetylene from one cylinder to another. I believe it's illegal. Oxygen and most high pressure gases can be transferred though.

You work at a welding supply and were asking here what to use to weld cast iron.?

Wouldn't surprise me to find out that it's illegal but the only law I know of is the transport law. MSHA - Safety Hazard Information - Special Hazards of Acetylene

I suppose it is dangerous to post stuff like that on the Internet as you have no idea what experience or knowlege others have.

Not to mention the fellow that invented the substrate that allowed the safe storage of acetylene in the first place lost his eye sight pressure testing with it. Gustaf Dalén - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So if you didn't want to learn the process because a mistake, if you make one, could be your last, you could always just make your own when you need it with calcium carbide and water, in an acetylene generazor.
http://www.rexarc.com/uploads/articles/pdf/50PSlit.pdf
 
/ Mag-Torch any good?
  • Thread Starter
#12  
What happens if you connect a compressed air source in lieu of the oxygen bottle?
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #13  
Yah, I asked how to do a specific cast iron repair on an engine block I spent $7000 rebuilding a few years ago. There is nobody on the planet that knows everything about welding or the best procedure for each application. I worked on tanks, skids, piping, vessels and oilfield equipment. Not too much cast iron or engine blocks. Don't know what that has to do with the topic of transferring acetylene from a large to small cylinder though.

Acetylene generators are used to make acetylene. Back in day shops had acetylene generators but they were banned because of too many serious accidents. There's also a BIG difference between using something with built in safety features than making your own setup. How do you measure how much acetone is left in your cylinder? Acetylene is filled by weight, not pressure. The amount that can be put in is dependant on how much acetone is in the cylinder. That's why a lot of larger acetylene cylinders have a sticker showing the cu. ft. or cu. meters of acetylene in the cylinder. I toured a fill plant and we couldn't even go into the acetylene room. We had to stand outside the door because you had to have fireproof clothing. Acetylene isn't something to experiment with and I really hope no one else tries to fill their own cylinders. Below is from your own link you posted: Although it says from a torch, there isn't much difference if it came directly from the cylinder. It's still unburned acetylene gas.

NEVER DISCHARGE UNBURNED ACETYLENE GAS FROM A TORCH INTO ANY TYPE OF CONTAINER OR VESSEL.
When unburned acetylene gas is discharged from a torch, static electricity can be generated at the torch tip. If the tip comes in contact with a ground path, a static spark capable of igniting the acetylene can occur.


npalen, compressed air won't do anything. It would probably blow the flame out. You need pure oxygen.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good?
  • Thread Starter
#14  
I'm wondering if an oxygen concentrator designed for medical use would be a good investment for the small oxy/fuel torch. The idea is to replace the need for any stored oxygen and use the machines output instead. My understanding is that it takes about three liters/minute of oxygen to supply the small torch at it's highest heat setting and most of the home concentrators put out a maximum of about five liters/minute. The output is adjustable to match the requirement of the fuel being used. (Mapp, Propane etc.) I did watch a fairly long winded youtube video where a guy is running his torch with an oxygen concentrator. Here is a link on how a concentrator works. Medical Supplies: How Does An Oxygen Concentrator Work? Seems like the used ones run in the neighborhood of $300.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #15  
Oxygen isn't the expensive gas so I don't know if it's worth all the trouble.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good?
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Arcweld, I may have misread some of the above posts but I was lead to believe that the oxygen cost is the killer when using the small torches. See posts 4, 5 & 6 above.
I've had access to cutting torches and welding equipment most all of my life but have never really learned to weld with oxy/fuel. I thought the small torch would be a good way to pick up a bit of expertise without spending a ton of money. Simple things like silver soldering carbide tips to cutting tools have always intrigued me.
 
/ Mag-Torch any good? #17  
With the tiny cylinders it's all expensive. If I was you, I would get a 75 cu. ft. acetylene and 122 cu ft. oxygen cylinder. You'll be able to get a lot done and the cost per cu. ft. will be a lot lower.
 

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