$$$$$ 90.00 for acetylene

[AR. Hillbilly]

I paid $90.00 for acetylene today. The last time I swapped that cylinder I thought it was $45.00 or so. Has acetylene doubled in the last year or am I crazy?

[BD1]

What size cylinder ? I know prices have been increasing plus location makes a difference too. Arkansas might cost more cause all you guys are rich .

[Gravel]

Swapped a 145 a couple months ago and paid $32.

[AR. Hillbilly]

I don't know one cylinder from another. On the ticket it says AC4. Does this mean anything? It looked like the biggest ace tanks they had. Oreilly Autoparts. I just want to know if I got screwed of if I've been out of the loop for to long?

[SuperArc]

Dump acetylene and switch to oxy/propane because it's much cheaper. If you weld with o/a, give it up. Mig, tig or stick if you want to weld something and use oxy/propane for heating and cutting.

[AR. Hillbilly]

I have a good mig welder and a good stick machine. I don't o/a weld. On occasion I braze but not often. I use it for cutting and mostly heating. What would I have to do to swap to propane? I have an older smith torch.

[BD1]

I don't know one cylinder from another. On the ticket it says AC4. Does this mean anything? It looked like the biggest ace tanks they had. Oreilly Autoparts. I just want to know if I got screwed of if I've been out of the loop for to long?

This will help on sizing, http://www.airgas.com/content/detail...=7000000000234

[pepi]

What would I have to do to swap to propane? I have an older smith torch.

X1 tells us more please.

[irish fixit]

It's on the high side but not totally out of line around here. Unfortunately.

Part of it is where you got it. They're a reseller and have to mark it up enough to make a little money on it. I'm in the same boat and have to charge that much myself.

You pay for the convenience of not having to go all the way to the LWS. Here that's a 60 mile trip.

[Gravel]

I have a good mig welder and a good stick machine. I don't o/a weld. On occasion I braze but not often. I use it for cutting and mostly heating. What would I have to do to swap to propane? I have an older smith torch.

I don't know one cylinder from another. On the ticket it says AC4. Does this mean anything? It looked like the biggest ace tanks they had. Oreilly Autoparts. I just want to know if I got screwed of if I've been out of the loop for to long?

Something I forgot to ask. Was the cylinder out of test? When I swapped mine the total was actually $66, about $30 of it was for retest.

[SuperArc]

What would I have to do to swap to propane? I have an older smith torch.

3 easy steps for the conversion:

1). Switch the fuel gas hose from what you currently have now. Acetylene uses a type "R" hose, all other fuel gases (propane, propylene, CNG, etc....) all use a type "T" hose. Propane gas rots out a type "R" hose, so they invented the type "T" hose. .

*** It should be noted that a very few "some" here will say, "...but I've been using the same acetylene hose with propane now for years and still no problems....bla bla bla...." Well I say that "they" will probably "KA-BOOM," themselves with their wrong fuel hose, before I ever do.

2). Switch torch tips. Look up what Smith model torch you have now, and simply swap out the acetylene tips with a "propane" tip. bakersgas.com has a great website for that.

3). You can use a simple BBQ propane tank, thus saving money. One bbq propane tank will last you about 3-4 refills of a 250 cu ft. cylinder of 02.

To save money, you can use your existing acetylene regulator and simply ignore the "red zone" indication with the 15 p.s.i. markings. Propane has no discharge pressure limit rate so in other words, you may exceed the "15 p.s.i." maximum that acetylene has and also toss the "1/7th" cylinder discharge" acetylene rule out the window as well. . Generally, you won't use over 10-15 psi of propane anyway for cutting unless you're using a large rosebud tip.

Personally, I spent the money and bought a new "propane" regulator but again, it's not required.

Easy.

Excellent demo on oxy/propane, using a Smith torch:



This guy shows more tips about the switch to propane.....

[user 9328330]

....you can use your existing acetylene regulator and simply ignore the "red zone" indication with the 15 p.s.i. markings....

Whether you ignore the red zone or not, you aren't going to get much if anything over 15 psi out of an acetylene regulator. It will have a mechanical limiter on it to prevent ignorant people from blowing themselves up.

To those of you searching for info on this conversion, it has been covered exhaustively on this site many times. If you type the words "propane" and "acetylene" into the search bar, you should have an evening's worth of reading at your fingertips.

[irish fixit]

Whether you ignore the red zone or not, you aren't going to get much if anything over 15 psi out of an acetylene regulator. It will have a mechanical limiter on it to prevent ignorant people from blowing themselves up.

To those of you searching for info on this conversion, it has been covered exhaustively on this site many times. If you type the words "propane" and "acetylene" into the search bar, you should have an evening's worth of reading at your fingertips.

I guess that depends on the regulator. I've not run across one yet that was limited like you say but then I usually use Purox or Oxweld regulators. I know the regulator I'm currently using on my propane tank isn't limited. It's also the newest regulator I own.

I guess it might not go as high as a propane regulator but it goes plenty high for me to use my super large rose bud (200cfh of acetylene equivalent) through a hose reel and a lot of hose.

[Charliekilo]

Quote
To save money, you can use your existing acetylene regulator and simply ignore the "red zone" indication with the 15 p.s.i. markings. Propane has no discharge pressure limit rate so in other words, you may exceed the "15 p.s.i." maximum that acetylene has and also toss the "1/7th" cylinder discharge" acetylene rule out the window as well. . Generally, you won't use over 10-15 psi of propane anyway for cutting unless you're using a large rosebud tip.

How do you screw a ac reg onto a propane tank? What's the missing link?

[irish fixit]

Nothing missing. They have the same fittings. Unless you've got small regulators made for B or MC size tanks. There's also a rare fitting used on large acetylene tanks but I've only seen one tank with that on it.

[user 9328330]

Hey Irish, since I've never used Oxweld / Purox / Esab regulators I'll take your word for it on them. I do know that regulators have definite delivery pressure ranges, and that acetylene regulators SHOULD have delivery pressure ranges in the area of 2-15 psi. I seem to remember the Harris website or one of their catalogs having some delivery pressure / flow charts that showed acetylene flow going to zero above 15 psi. I think Victor lists acetylene gauge ranges of 0-30 and delivery ranges of 2-15 or something similar, too.

Oxygen regulators are available in different ranges, which I had explained to me at my LWS when I wanted to put a 100 psi max low pressure gauge (easier to dial in) on my 250 psi max delivery pressure regulator. They suggested I should either be danged careful not to crank it up over 100, or else buy an oxygen regulator with a lower delivery pressure range, say 60 or 80 psi, that would already be fitted with that gauge. I don't know how they set delivery pressure ranges into the regulator -- maybe by the strength of the spring?

Anyhow, my point is that if you need 60 psi for some huge propane project, an acetylene regulator isn't going to get you there. You might get 22 psi, but my money is on that regulator's delivery range crapping out before you go much over 15 psi. Otherwise there'd be no difference in acetylene and propane regulators except the gauges, and people would be blowing themselves up all the time. What's the pressure where acetylene explodes at room temperature? Something around 29 or 30 psi if I remember right, with instability beginning at a lower pressure.

[irish fixit]

True you're not going to get 60 psi out of the acetylene regulator. But then I don't think you'd ever need to. I think I'm running about 20-25psi on mine right now for that big rose bud and I have to turn the oxygen pressure up to about 60 just to keep up with the propane delivery. That's with a rosebud rated at 297,000 btu. The largest they make for that torch a 794,000 btu actually calls for a slightly lower propane pressure.

Looking at the Harris web site even the biggest propane heating tip only calls for 20psi propane at max heat. Looks like they're in the same ball park pressure wise.

[SuperArc]

Again, acetylene regulators are used for propane conversions frequently from what I've gathered in the past. I did it initially, but then switched out for all brand new propane equipment. That was just me.

[Charliekilo]

Nothing missing. They have the same fittings. Unless you've got small regulators made for B or MC size tanks. There's also a rare fitting used on large acetylene tanks but I've only seen one tank with that on it.

Thanks. All these years and I never thought of the treads being the same.

I know that the cutting nozzle is different , will the other tips work for heating and brazing?

[irish fixit]

Other tips work with varying success. I've managed in the past but the tips actually made for fuel gases work better.