[TheForge] MAPP gas vs. acetylene

[jerry Frost]

That's okay Pete reading things twice helps me get it.

I agree with most of what you said though I've never used natural gas except
in high school lab once. I did a little silver soldering to modify a stand.
I don't use my torch that much anymore, I just don't need it much and I have
several electric welders that pretty well cover the spectrum. Still oxy acet
is THE setup for gas welding steel, nothing better.

My Allstates rig cuts light stock, say sheet as fast as you can move the
torch and if you crank the oxy to say 130psi it'll pierce 4-5". Yes, it's an
unpleasant experience, think volcano and you're the landing pad. Still,
that's an #0 cutting tip piercing 5 should be done with a #4 or larger and
then it just blows through like a 3006 through warm butter. 

A major feature that makes the Harris or Allstates rigs so cost effective is
the thumb valve, you adjust the torch once and turn it on and off as needed.
The valve is right under your thumb, it's faster and easier than a gas
saver. I clamp the negative wire from a trickle charger to the torch handle
and the positive to the table or work. Just start brushing the torch on the
table, etc. and open the valve POP it's on and adjusted to work. Another
lighter I haven't tried is a peizo electric sparker like on a BBQ.  I can
not express how much I love this torch, the most serious work horse torch
I've ever used. It just don't weld worth spit. I can live without that.

Harris parts and accessories work on Allstates rigs, in fact they have the
same pt.#s. As soon as I can filter the info from about 40 E-mails between
Clyde, Bill and myself I'll see if I can make a kit list.

Jer
-----Original Message-----
From: TheForge [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Peter
Fels & Phoebe Palmer
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2014 9:35 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] MAPP gas vs. acetylene

Sorry about the partially redundant posting.
Bruce, I use oxy-acet for most things and oxy-propane for heavy rosebud
stuff and heavy cutting.
I even do all my light forging off an oxy acet  flame set up.