Using propane instead of acetylene

[Shield Arc]

In the pic's you made, I noticed the cuts look smooth and hardly any slag. Is that typical with propane?

Oh you can get slag with propane if your travel speed is off.


I don't notice more use of oxygen, but I don't cut a lot with the torch, just depends on the project at hand. I use my band saw for most cuts.

 

[Ken45101]

Vapor propane is what powers gas grills, heaters, and camping equipment in a normal residential bottle. Liquid propane normally powers forklifts and other engines but has to be preheated by the engines coolant heat to the converted to a vapor

My son works on fork lifts. He just was just telling me that they had problems starting some of them with the cold weather. Without a running engine, there was no preheat to convert it to vapor.

I usually use oxy/propane for heating but I do have a lot of trouble with cutting tips popping on me. I do okay with a rosebud but sometimes I don't need all that heat. IDK if my problem is cheap cutting tips, or my mistake. It sure sucks up the oxygen!

 

[bandaidmd]

anyone ever tried there dillon/cobra on LP?

 

[diesel lover]

My son works on fork lifts. He just was just telling me that they had problems starting some of them with the cold weather. Without a running engine, there was no preheat to convert it to vapor. I usually use oxy/propane for heating but I do have a lot of trouble with cutting tips popping on me. I do okay with a rosebud but sometimes I don't need all that heat. IDK if my problem is cheap cutting tips, or my mistake. It sure sucks up the oxygen!

Well said!! While working for a fleet company with 115, 4000 capacity forklifts they would not start near zero if they sat too long. There was a point of no return when the raw liquid propane was much too much for the engine to ignite! If you had block heaters installed you would defintely stand a chance! I have had to tow several of them to a warm shop and let them warm up even after installing a new battery!

Tell your son the best thing out there for a cold propane engine is carb cleaner! It's much more ignitable in the cold than liquid propane but will not be damaging if too much is used. Remove a vacuum line, and spray into the vacuum line while the engine is cranking over.

 

[DXN1EL]

 

[diesel lover]

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWAnv3r0CSw

wow never seen something like that!! Just uses regular pump gasoline. Seems to be able to cut through all the thick stuff and also very cost effective !!

 

[DXN1EL]

The system alone is a little expensive Petrogen Complete Oxy-Gasoline Steel Cutting Torch System — Model# 100 | Cutting, Heating Welding Torches| Northern Tool + Equipment

There a Chinese that seems to be Zhonghuan Oxy Gasoline Cutting Torch Outfit ZH C100 CN | eBay

 

[Arc weld]

Propane does use more oxygen for the preheat flame. It's about 2 1/2 to 3 times more but that's at a low pressure. The cutting jet uses oxygen at a higher pressure but it's the same pressure as used with acetylene so there isn't much difference in consumption except for maybe a larger size cutting jet for propane. Propane is cheaper overall but not as much as just the cost difference between acetylene. More oxygen is used but since oxygen is much cheaper that acetylene, it's easier to save money using more oxygen with propane than using less oxygen with higher priced acetylene.

There's something I've never checked. Maybe Shield Arc could check with a tip cleaner? For an equivalent size cutting tip, say for 1/2" (#1), is the cutting jet hole the same size for propane as it is for acetylene?

 

[Shield Arc]

There's something I've never checked. Maybe Shield Arc could check with a tip cleaner? For an equivalent size cutting tip, say for 1/2" (#1), is the cutting jet hole the same size for propane as it is for acetylene?

I went out to the shop to check. Yes they are the same size. A #1 propane tip takes a #10 tip cleaner drill. A #1 acetylene tip takes a #10 tip cleaner, or a .043 drill bit.
Funny I never noticed the chart on the back of a set of tip cleaners before. Always just used the ones that fit the holes. Hopefully I read the chart right!

 

[Reverser]

Propane does use more oxygen for the preheat flame. It's about 2 1/2 to 3 times more but that's at a low pressure.

So then, if I understand this correctly, the most noticeable difference of the amount of oxygen being used, is in the heating of metal and not so much in the cutting of metal. Is this correct?

So if you were heating metal to bend, or brazing metal, then propane would use 2½-3 times more oxygen than acetylene?

I'll have to get this straight before I decide whether to take the plunge or not. :confused2:

 

[PANHAPP]

It's not much of a plunge. Just a few bucks for a tip.

 

[notme]

remember your saving money from the propange being cheaper then acety but propane burns at least twice as much oxygen as acety....preheat times are longer..burn times/temp is lower so man hours are higher..imho you aint saving jack!

 

[PANHAPP]

Propane cutting doesn't use that much more oxygen. Have you cut with it? The drawbacks are.

It takes a just a little longer to preheat to start the cut

It is a little harder to lite the torch. I hold the tip against something, the work or even the ground and lite it.

I have wound up with an oily crap in my regulator a couple of times.

I think you can get a finer or better cut in light work with acetylene.

All that said I am going to get one of my acetylene bottles filled and set up a small sized torch in the shop for the first time in years. The torch on the truck stays on propane.

 

[dstig1]

I have no problem lighting the propane tip, but found you really have to walk it up to full blast in stages. With Acet is seemed that you could make fewer adjustments, but with Prop you need to increase one, then increase the other and do this back and forth several times or it will flame out if you try to push it too fast.

 

[Arc weld]

Propane uses an oxidizing flame so yes it uses more oxygen than acetylene. For large heating tips propane has the advantage that you don't normally have to worry about withdrawing the propane too fast. It's not as hot but you can use a larger rosebud so it kind of evens out.

 

[Reverser]

Do you ever have to be concerned about overdrawing it and pulling liquid into the hose, as is a concern for acetylene (small bottle)?

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Do you ever have to be concerned about overdrawing it and pulling liquid into the hose, as is a concern for acetylene (small bottle)?

If the propane cylinder is properly filled and not overfilled there should be no problem getting liquid if you keep the cylinder upright. If you over draw; the vaporizing liquid will cool down the cylinder and lower the pressure rapidly affecting your flame balance and causing constant adjusting of the valves. If working outside and using my diesel shop heater I set the cylinder so it stays warmed up when using the rosebud. That drops the pressure fast on small cylinders.

Ron

 

[Tractor Seabee]

wow never seen something like that!! Just uses regular pump gasoline. Seems to be able to cut through all the thick stuff and also very cost effective !!

As I mentioned in my earlier post; I have seen this product demonstrated many years ago. I was going to buy one but the only welding equipment vendor in Portland that had them stopped selling them because the prospective contractors at that time were stopped from using them by an uninformed fire department inspector with his own agenda. Then all of a sudden the advertising hype disappeared so I thought the product had died.

After these posts my interest peaked up again so I called them. They are alive and well. There lowest cost set is $1865; that is probably out of our reach except those of us that do not have budget problems and hanker for the latest and greatest. They have an adapter available to use distillate fuels also and recommend kerosene as it burns the cleaner than #1 or #2 heating/motor diesel. I am waiting on their Sales Manager to contact me about possibly representing them here in the Pac NW. They indicate that most large city fire departments including Seattle and Tacoma have them on their rescue rigs. There major market has been large industrial users, scrap yards, and fire departments. They have had a problem with reps as they do not want to be demonstrators and servicers of the product.

Ron

 

[PANHAPP]

Dave that is what I was talking about, If you lay the tip sideways against something the flame wont go out while you adjust it.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Is a regulator for Oxy different than that for Propane? I have a new victor set and I thought it said good for both oxy and propane....