I'm sure people ARE using them more aggressively, but I just go with propane for cutting. You can hook any size propane container you like to your outfit.

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=56785

I copied the "Denrep" adapter in the linked thread and it will feed a #3 Victor GPN tip. I did some cutting with mine since the "bleed rate" test above. He's not kidding about being able to burn out large pins with that setup. I have no doubts on that score.

You can just buy the Uniweld FV600 adapter shown off Ebay, they are as cheap or cheaper than buying fittings

I verified through Victor tech support that their tote regulators and others have soft parts compatible with propane. (The email is in another thread I'm too lazy to look up.)

This guy has 'em:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acetylene-R...pane-Tank-Adapter-FV600-/400240559910?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d30324726

If I have a torch I want to be able to use every size cylinder and every common fuel that I can. I like LIGHT setups because it's much handier to move them to (for example) a truck I need to slice some parts off of.

One explanation for not offering propane tote setups I received is that supposedly they use up the oxygen sooner. I'll leave the company nameless in case they decide to pull their heads out. The objective of portable setups is to get specific jobs done, and if you want more gas then bring it to the game.

 

I have a WQ (60 cf) acetylene cylinder and Q (83 cf) oxygen cyclinder.
As per the 1/7 rule, I am limited to an acetylene withdrawal rate of about 8 cf per hour.
For welding that means a I'm limited to a Victor 0 or 2 tip (Harris 2 or 4). - good enough for welding thin to 1/8 inch thick steel. As you said, with your 40cf cyclinder, you are more limited to a 0 to 1 Victor (2 to 3 Harris) tip - good enough for thin to 3/32 inch thick steel.

For cutting, which I don't do, I'd be limted to a Victor 0 (Harris 00) - good for just 3/8 inch thick steel or maybe a brief push for 1/2 inch. You'd be limited to the same size cutting tip - good for 1/4 inch thick steel.

What do you use your torch for?
Mostly, I use mine for welding/brazing thin steel/aluminum up to 1/8 inch thick.
It comes into it's own when working on thin materials where MIG just blows holes.

 

Rick,You are also live in a virtual Ice box so depending on if the garage is heated constantly or not, you may be on a 1/10 rule. whereas in AZ for example where its triple digit temps all summer the 1/5 rule would apply...

My standard tip is a 0 for most stuff I do and rarely do I use over 5 PSI on the gas.

 

I use a B size for my Goss torch for silver solder and light brazing. Can't really see it being too useful on a cutting torch

 

I just looked it up, and a 00 cutting tip is just fine (0 is borderline).
I've got a 000 cutting tip, and if you think of it as a micro-rosebud, it's about the biggest "heating" tip I've used with a B tank.

 

I've got 4 "B" cylinders and they are all set up for soldering. If I need to cut, my small "portable" rig has a 75 cf acet.

 

Here is some useful info I found around the web..

1/7th Rule Acetylene is disolved in liquid acetone. Its release is similar to boiling a cryogenic liquid requiring the absorption of heat to maitain the pressure equilibrium. If you exceed the draw rate the liquid cools until it will no longer evaporate. On the way it cools the container and we observe condensation and frost forming on the container surface (especially propane bottles). Thus we say it has "frozen up".

To further agrevate the problem in acetylene cylinders you have the explosion prevention pumice foam fill that prevents circulation of the acetone, thus heat absorption is very slow. In propane cylinders it is common to see frost form on them but it is rare on acetylene cylinders. Generally acetylene cylinders just quit working without warning.

For brief periods cylinders will deliver much more than the 1/7th draw rate. The 1/7th rule is such that you can continously draw gas from the cylinder until it is empty. At the draw rate you theoreticaly have 7 hours of fuel at a nominal temperature (I'd guess 70°F or 21°C). So in cold conditions the rule may be a 1/10th rule or in very hot conditions a 1/5th rule. . .

Acetylene is dissolved in acetone in th porous filling of the tank. It is NOT stored as a compressed gas, because if that is done it can/will explode at any pressure above 15 psig. If you draw more than the 1/7 of the cylinder size per hour, acetone from the tank is drawn out and may damage the regulator, hoses and seals. The flame will sputter. If too much acetone is removed, the tank can explode when subjected to rough handling after use. Acetylene is a dangerous material and needs to be handled with respect.

 

Thanks guys for your comments. I guess I was just wrong in assuming that the B tank was significantly more flexible than the portatorch setups.

I can probably live with the limitation. I bought the oxyfuel set up for hobby use as I decided to take a gas/stick welding class and have really enjoyed the gas process. I'd like to use it for brazing, welding and cutting though. I have a Passport for welding heavier than 1/8 inch steel and so I guess I will just limit the oxyfuel use to less than 12 gauge. Don't absolutely need it to cut as I have a small Hypertherm plasma cutter but I was kinda hoping it would allow cutting options without needing electricity/generator/compressor etc in the field.

Live and learn. I thought I was avoiding the limitations of the portatorch size but I guess I didn't do my homework carefully enough. If I really need bigger I guess I will look into a 60 or 80cf acetylene tank. There is room on my cart for a second B cylinder, has anyone ever used a manifold to link a couple of B's together to get 80cf? Is such a product available?

 

It is possible to cut and heat with a small set of cylinders. You just need to keep in mind the limits that you have. One quick cut isn't going to end the world with a small tip and that rig. Many guys use those size kits for that exact reason rather than the bigger rigs. They don't need to cut lots of 1/4" plate, but need to burn off one 3/4" bolt for example. The problem is when people go with small kits to save money, and then want to run them like they have a full size shop setup. Given a choice the next size up is usually a better choice for most, but there is a niche those smaller sets will fill well.

They do make manifolds for larger acet rigs so you can stay within the 1/7th rule when doing serious heating and cutting. I've never seen one for a "B" sized set of cylinders, but I'd bet Western makes one or at the very least you LWS could get the parts made up for one if you really wanted one. I't be cheaper to simply upgrade to the nexted size cylinder however. You will pay more per CF every time you get them refilled ( 2x the handling and hazmat charges and so on), plus the cost of the extra "B" cyl and the manifold. You will need to get the reg changed over to the larger CGA fitting for the bigger acet cylinders or get an adapter so you can use the reg you have. If you go with the adapter route, be sure you always remove it from the cylinder and keep it on the reg. If you opps and pull the reg and leave the adapter on the cyl, don't expect to see it again when they swap out cylinders. I know someone who learned this the hard way and when he went back later that day they'd already picked up the dead cylinders and taken them in for fills and he was SOL.

 

.....Given a choice the next size up is usually a better choice for most,.. ..

Yep, I will take your advice and when I use up the B tank I'll see if the LWS will let me trade it in on a 80cf tank. I knew I was not aiming for a full welding shop capacity I just did not realize how much of a limitation 4 or 6 SCFH was going to be especially on heating use. I will generally just be doing hobby work but the one practical area I need the gas setup for is fixing 3/8-1/2 inch bent farm equipment that needs straightening. I guess I could also go the propane route for that as an alternative.

 

A number 4 rosebud far exceeds the cfh limit and according to the Victor charts so does even a 000 cutting tip!

Not sure what your source is, but I'm looking at a fairly recent copy of the table given under "Cutting Tips: Operational and Performance Data" from Victor's current catalog (section E). Depending upon acetylene gauge pressure (3-5 PSI), series 101 cutting tips, which is what I have, consumes 3-5 SCFH (#000) and 4-6 SCFH (#00), which is well within the B tank's normal working limits. Granted, that's only 1/4" capacity but ...

 

Interesting. My info was from "Torch Handles, Cutting Attachments, and Heating Nozzles: Saftey and Operating Instructions Revision C, Issue Date May 14, 2008. Form no. 0056-0138. When I talked to the Victor Tech Support rep she seemed to confirm those tables.

One other area of confusion for me is that the SCFH is given as a range. For example, on the 000 cutting tip they list acetylene pressure as 3-5 and the flow as 6-11 scfh. Should that be read as meaning that at a pressure of 3 PSIG that consumption would be 6SCFH? The cutting table is odd because it lists the same 3-5 PSIG and 6-11 SCFH for each of the tips 000, 00 and 0.

 

To respond to the question in the title, With oxweld welding heads which are numbered by the cubic feet per hour presumably when you turn it up and back it down where it starts to smoke. I use a 9 or 12 tip to make perhast two or three tacks on something like steel railing pipe 1 5/8 inch diameter and perhaps a tenth of an inch thick. Of course it is takes longer to tack a saddle than a miter. I also use it to blow a hole and then cut a circle for say a 3/4 inch bolt. Half or 5/8 thick steel or less. Then I would electricaly weld the pipe or finish grind the hole. I have perfectly clean regulators hoses etc. It isn't I use that size because it is portable, acutally the valve is quite vunerable to damage, it is just that I have enough leases and could lease a large cylinder any time I choose. There is another advantage that if you forget to turn off the cylinder your losses will never be more than 40 cubic feet. Sometimes the losses seem to come from the packing on the valve of the leased cylinder.

I might also add I have an air acetylene set up

 

Perfect for soldering...My dad's plumbing torch uses B size cylinders.

Andrew