What is Your OXY/PROPANE Torch Set Up

i love my propane....i have 2 large tanks filled and stored but i usually get old gas grill tanks from junk i haul that are partially full and use them so that way it is free...i just use regular acetylene hoses ,gauges , and torches.. they all work with propane...the only thing is you need to buy a propane tip for your torch, and alough the acetylene regulator will work just fine with propane, the gauges will not read accurate, but that has never caused me a problem...i love the propane for cutting scrap..if i had to fabricate something id want to use acetylene because it will make a more precise cut

Have you looked at Patriot76's thread on big torches for scrap? He's just done a pile of research on torches and fuels and probably would be willing to tell you what he's learned.

Jon.

I have an acetylene outfit and won't change. There's many places nearby to exchange tanks / unlike propane. I learned on propane back in Vet School but can't think of any advantages. I should buy another acety. tank so I have my own spare and I need to get the large size oxygen instead of the "S" size that I have. I stand the gas tank upright in my pickup and lay the oxygen down in the box. I often find 100 lb propane bottles with varying amounts of gas in them yet on scrap jobs. I use them for branding cattle or starting my burn barrel fires on the farm.

one more thing id like to add to this...ask your scrap yard if they will sell you oxygen...my yard will let me trade out oxygen bottles with them..i can get a full tank from them for around 15 dollars.. it is around 35 at the welding supply store..

these prices are from over a year ago so they may have inflated a bit...there is only a 1 dollar difference between short and long iron around here so i wont cut steel for 1 dollar a hundred...i only use my torch to hack things down to manageable size, so my fuel lasts a lot longer than it used to..

for me and what i do propane is all i ever need...i can cut anything i need to with it, and as i said before i get the propane free the biggest part of the time...lots of folks prefer acetylene..i have used both and for what i do which is cut scrap the propane saves me a good bit of cash...when i was younger i was told i couldnt cut thick steel with propane and i always believed that..then i started noticing all the junk yards used propane only..they didnt have any problems cutting what they needed to with it .. so i tried it and i have never looked back..

there are a couple draw backs i can think of with the propane....as i said earlier it is more difficult to make a precise clean cut with and id not recommend it for fabrication where you need exact perfect cuts..the tips are sometimes harder to find in stores..i always just pick them up when im at my junk yard, they sell em to me cheaper there anyway..the last thing i can think of is if you are not experienced at using a torch you need to watch what you are doing a bit more with a propane torch, the tips are designed a bit different and they are very hard to clean if you get slag down inside them..they cant be filed down and the holes opened back up with a safety pin like an acetylene tip can...

lots of folks use lots of different set ups, and after thinking about it for a minute...i reckon a person could just buy an oxygen / acetylene set up then just get the propane tip and then you would have everything you needed for both set ups..providing you already have an old gas grill tank around somewhere ..then you could have them both and try them out...the extra cost wouldnt be a whole lot..

Gee,where do I start on this one ? I have been burning scrap thirty years now,so i think i have a little imput. Propane/liquid oxy is the way to go to cut scrap.All you need is a oxy regulator and a regulator off and old barbecue(better flow) Either kind of hose will work and a torch with and oxy/propane tip. All the oxy /propane tips i have seen are two peice meaning that you can split them and clean them with a wire brush. If you burn the end off,you simply cut the end of the tip off with a hack saw,dress with a file and you are off burning again.Cutting scrap is a lot different than fitting,since the tip is never at 90 degrees to the steel.You wash more than cut with the torch(you wear a lot less sparks that way) This will not work with less than 100# of oxy. If you need to make a fine cut for fitting,put in a small tip,pile on the oxy,and the cut will look like it was cut with a saw. When I was first trained as a burner,the boss told me "a fitter will never burn and a burner will never fit" The rare times that i do fit these days,I have to mentaly tell myself to slow down the cut,run the tip at 90 degrees and clean off the rust/dirt before i start.Compressed gas cylinders will last about twenty minutes at 150# and a #8 tip(baby tip) a liquid oxy tank will last about two days. As far as production goes,a good burner produces 20 ton a day on a bad day of prepared 4 ft. On the crews i have worked on less than twenty ton a day gets you fired on the spot. Good luck burning and just remember that the furnace at the steel plant never checks to see if the cut is straight or square. As a parting tip,all burners have a quarter sized scar on each foot from hot ones in the boot,if you get a hot one,never stop,just grin and bear it and keep slashing

Originally Posted by hmburner

Gee,where do I start on this one ? I have been burning scrap thirty years now,so i think i have a little imput. Propane/liquid oxy is the way to go to cut scrap.All you need is a oxy regulator and a regulator off and old barbecue(better flow) Either kind of hose will work and a torch with and oxy/propane tip. All the oxy /propane tips i have seen are two peice meaning that you can split them and clean them with a wire brush. If you burn the end off,you simply cut the end of the tip off with a hack saw,dress with a file and you are off burning again.Cutting scrap is a lot different than fitting,since the tip is never at 90 degrees to the steel.You wash more than cut with the torch(you wear a lot less sparks that way) This will not work with less than 100# of oxy. If you need to make a fine cut for fitting,put in a small tip,pile on the oxy,and the cut will look like it was cut with a saw. When I was first trained as a burner,the boss told me "a fitter will never burn and a burner will never fit" The rare times that i do fit these days,I have to mentaly tell myself to slow down the cut,run the tip at 90 degrees and clean off the rust/dirt before i start.Compressed gas cylinders will last about twenty minutes at 150# and a #8 tip(baby tip) a liquid oxy tank will last about two days. As far as production goes,a good burner produces 20 ton a day on a bad day of prepared 4 ft. On the crews i have worked on less than twenty ton a day gets you fired on the spot. Good luck burning and just remember that the furnace at the steel plant never checks to see if the cut is straight or square. As a parting tip,all burners have a quarter sized scar on each foot from hot ones in the boot,if you get a hot one,never stop,just grin and bear it and keep slashing

I am impressed. The best day of cutting prepared metal for me is about 5 tons. This was an exceptional day. There is a project that needs to average 50 tons per day. We are not close with 10 torches. Are you for hire because we need some help?

Thankyou for the compliment. The wife would not be impressed if I went off on another road job nor would my present employer. Are you cutting plate and structual or machinery? Burners normaly are paid by the ton produced and the rate varies by whats being cut. I get 15 per ton of P&S and 20 for machinery. Then there is the problem of me being a canuck and working across the border. If you were anywhere near the sea,I could use my sea book and tell them Im going to work on a ship (legal) or try and cross with all my gear in the trunk and tell them im going on vacation at the border (not legal and get me in big poo poo)
Years ago,I tried to get a US work permit,but was told no because i am considered as skilled labour so I will have to decline. There are lots of contractor companys that supply the burners and gear and work on a tonnage basis,you just supply oxy and gas. These guys are not cheap but get the job done in a real hurry. We have one of these guys at the yard cutting 45 ton mill rolls producing 200 ton plus a week but he is burning up 4000$ a week in oxy. This gives you and idea of the scale this can turn into. Depending on what you are cutting,there is also the possibility of shear rental. We have and operator at the yard running a little Komatsu/VTN shear that produces 50 ton a day of P&S. Post some pics of the job and I can tell you what the best route is.

Pictures can be found on a series of threads called a Scrappers Dream: (Metal, Torches, and the main thread.) Any input you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry Beardo, this is not an attempt to hijack your thread, just a chance to get more perspectives.