portable oxy/acc tanks ?

[BryanM]

I am thinking of picking up a torch set, mainly going to be used for heating up matal occassional cutting. Usually steel and frozen bolts light duty work.

My question is If I buy say a tote setup I think acc 10cu and o 20cu, how long do you have before you need too refill? If you wher heating metal up? or what is your experience with them? thanks

[Wyoming]

For your primary usage of heating metal they would not be a wise choice. The upper limit to usage for a small acetylene tank before reaching the level where you would be drawing off acetone along with the acetylene is quite restrictive. Even on a mid sized acetylene tank you may suffer the same consequences with larger rosebud heating tips. If you envision doing much heating of metal, go large.

The second reason that a portable tank set-up may not be a wise choice is that on a cost basis it doesn't cost much extra to fill a much larger tank than what it does to service a small tank. Would you really feel happy about having to constantly go in for refills knowing that you were paying in the neighborhood of 75% to fill a small tank than what you would need to pay for a tank of much larger volume?

Those small tank set-ups have there purposes, mostly service work. For your own usage, a larger tank set-up isn't all that much more unweildy, will provide much longer torch time and be far more cost efficient.

[ptsideshow]

For heating and cutting you will be blowing thru the gas. And paying through the nose for refills. They are great for, heating and AC work or carrying up stairs etc. Save up and get larger cylinders.

[ptsideshow]

If you really feel that you want/need the portable cylinders,
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/ptsideshow/Tools/DSCF9261.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/ptsideshow/Tools/DSCF9262.jpg
With there average weights, Now for both MC (motorcycle cylinder) B (Bus cylinder) they were used to provide light on said vehicles in the good old days. You will need to have adapter to connect B sized to full sized set of regulators.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/ptsideshow/Tools/DSCF9265.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/ptsideshow/Tools/DSCF9256.jpg
This is for size comparison of the cylinders,

For heating you can use a propane weed burner torch for large area or a smaller hosed propane torch for detail fine heating.

When I got my first set of at the time were called home owner cylinders 75/80cuft I was told that when heating/cutting I can expect to use 3 oxygen cylinders to 1 acetylene cylinders.

[bandsawguy]

For portable work I use a propane torch with a small oxygen bottle. Not sure what size the bottle is but its slightly taller then my 20lb propane cylinder. Its the only size owner bottle I could get in my area. So there are no lease payments I can carry anywhere with my propane cylinder. I have a cart for them for around the shop. I think this setup is about as cheap as you can get for what I do. Plus if you run out of propane on a Sunday it no big deal and if the BBQ runs out in the middle of your steak you are covered.

[vwguy3]

If your main goal is heating an air/acetylene(TurboTorch) torch works good either from an MC or a B tank.

[monckywrench]

I resolved the cylinder question by getting as many different ones as practical (Craigslist and scrounging made that cheap).

Get little ones for carrying, propane for heating along with a larger oxygen cylinder, and if you need bigger after that then get larger, more, or more larger cylinders.

[32deucecoupe]

I have the Victor Portable I bought from TSC. It has the #1 tanks. Ok, New tanks,... cut off 1 exhaust system ( few clamps, slice 2 mufflers ), heated up new mufflers to fit on new pipes, Tanks Dead. I paid like , 300.00 for it. Looking back on the purchase, Should have saved some more duckies and got a bigger outfit. The tanks don't last nothing, and cold abient temperature effects the pressure ALOT on tanks that are partially full ( small tanks like #1's ). Do yourself and save your money. My .02 worth...

[ptsideshow]

The tanks don't last nothing, and cold ambient temperature effects the pressure A LOT

Makes no difference, amount of gas in the cylinder or the size of the cylinders.

Temperature and gas pressure:

Following the gas laws: The combined gas law is a combination of Boyle's Law and Charles's Law; hence its name. In the combined gas law, the volume of gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature and inversely proportional to the pressure.
Simply put the colder the temp the lower the gas pressure, as the temp climbs the pressure increases. So you may have more gas in the cylinder than appears, on the gauge.