[TheForge] Propane vs LPG

[ries]

A couple of years ago, I switched to Chemtane for my forge.
It lasts longer, burns hotter, and in general, I like it better than  
garden variety propane.
My local welding supply company has a big tank of it out back, and I  
end up going there at least once a month or so to fill argon,  
acetylene, oxygen, and mig gas tanks anyway, so its no big deal to  
keep it full.

I believe its a proprietary mix from the Chemtane company.
http://www.chemtane2.com/products/chemtane-2

I live within 20 miles of 3 oil refineries, and probably a dozen small  
shipyards, (small meaning they build ships up to about 250 feet in  
length) so the local welding supply store is perhaps a bit more  
industrially minded than most. Not all suppliers have this stuff.

But for forges, it kicks butt. Its BTU output per cubic foot is double  
that of acetylene, and a 25% more than propane.
It costs more, but when your round trip for a refill is, like mine  
close to 45 minutes, less frequency of trips to refill alone saves me  
money.

I havent tried it yet with a torch, for cutting, but they say it is  
excellent for that as well.

Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist
http://www.riesniemi.com/