Oxy/Mapp Torch Kit

65535

65535

Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Messages
3,736
I have my uncles old Oxy Mapp torch kit. I bought a can of Oxygen and a can of mapp and after about 5 minutes of light low output use the oxygen is gone I think It was a bum cylinder, but what kind of run time am I looking at? The place I went to only had 2 cylinders.
 
65535, If you are useing the small "B" tank cylinders, which is what I think you are refering to, About 14 inches tall? The oxy side should last for 60min the mapp side for 45min.
Do you have your regulators set at 38? 30 for the oxy, 8 for the gas. Did you check the packing nut? This is the nut below the stem to turn the tank on. sometimes the pressure of opening the stem drags the packing nut along with it, causing a leak.
 
Those little units are about the most expensive way to get a torch flame. They also don't produce many BTUs. For very small brazing jobs and such they will work. For knife work, or continuous running of the torch,they won't. I think five minutes was about all you could expect. The tanks only hold a tiny bit of oxygen.

Heres a trick a friend has on his workbench. He took one of those Ox/mapp units he got at a yard sale (for $1) and hooked the oxygen line to his air brush pump. The torch now runs off pressurized air and mapp gas. It gets a pretty good flame. I bet an aquarium pump would even work.

The trader papers and other sale sources often have small gas/Ox torch sets very cheap. I'v picked them up,tanks and all, for as little as $25
Stacy

Please fill out your profile. Someone might be close to you and have one to spare.
It helps a lot to know who we are talking to.
Stacy
 
I bought one of those years ago and still have it stashed away somewhere. You didn't get a bad tank, that's all the longer they last.
 
I'll have to try the aquarium pump or air compressor idea. Some day I'll buy myself a nice cutting/welding oxy/mapp rig, but that's until a later date. I thought they filled them pretty high and that you would at least get 30 minutes out of them. It's a shame that oxygens vapor pressure is so damn high. I might try to return the tank just because the damn thing costs so damn much. Time will tell.

Thanks for the advice and profile is updated.
 
is it a bernzomatic rig with the little orange disposable oxygen? If that's the case they only have about 1 cubic foot of oxygen in them, that's about enough to sweat 2 pipe joints, then your 14 dollar cylinder is done. I got one of those silly rigs when I started making jewelry when I was 18 in my college dorm room. After a couple cylinders I realised that for the cost of 10 cylinders I could get a 20 cubic foot refillable, and the cost of another 10 cylinders would get me a good quality (Smith) oxy regulator. I now use a Smith micro torch with the 20 Cubic foot oxy tank, and the 1 lb disposable propane cylinders for my jewelry work. For larger stuff I spent he money and bought an 8o Cubic foot oxy tank, 60 cubic foot acetelyne tank, and a Smith medium kit. Worth the money! I have had that kit for 15 years now, and it ahs paid for itself in work it allowed me to do many times over! Word of caution on buying oxyacet rigs, don't buy the cheapo ones at Harbor freight. I got one as a duplicate to travel with, the regulators were unstable and pulsed, the torch mixed gases in the handle and kept backfiring. I may have just gotten a bad one, but that is kind of scary. Furtunately they had a return policy!

-page
 
If you read the bottle (RED) it should state that the oxygen in the can is only a little over 1 oz in weight. 5 minutes is just about right. The mapp can is atleast 16 times the weight I believe.
 
You guys are right I seriously under estimated the amount of O2 required to create a nice flame so anything less than 20 cuft is pretty much useless unless you need emergency repairs that only take minutes. I'm looking around at some micro torches that use about .2-3 cuft per hour of O2 which should work for me. Thanks for all the help.
 
I feel the logistics/finance pain, too. I picked up one of these for about $50.00 new and over the past 18months of stacking dead red oxygen tanks to the side realized that $50.00 for the set up and 50+ non refillable oxygen tanks was a really bad deal- No one wanted to sell me anything that could adapt the non refill o2 tanks to take a refill from a big tank-they saw me coming a mile away and no one would do it under the table for me...I came to the conclusion that those big tanks on the big systems are big for a practical reason.

Lowes has a Lincoln Electric refillable small tank oxy/ac (harris type)set up with the tanks priced below $300.00. The local welder's supply wants $300.00 + for the same style little system sans tanks- tack on another $200.00 for the bottles. The welding shop did suggest that I use propane instead of ac- cheaper and allegedly similar performance according to them. I'm not terrified of gas like I am electricity, but I think I'll leave the set up alone when I get it. Until then, I do have a little airbrush compressor that I may try out with the o2 vampire system-good suggestion.

Anyways... shop around. Check Tractor Supply, Harbor Freight and whatever else is in your area. The local welding shop willl keep an eye out for deals for you, too.

Incidentally, for silver brazing, Home Depot carries bernzomatic silver brazing rods but they have a hi-1500f or so temp. The local welding shop carries some more expensive ones that are around 1100f use temp.
 
I too recently purchased the set which I consider a ripoff in the truest form. The oxygen comes with 1.4 oz @ 11.00 dollars per. Yes, it last about 5 minutes. If you have a job which requires more than a single weld don't waste your time and money. The 50.00 dollar set price lures you in but the constant rebuy of oxygen turns the sets price on it's head. Live a little spring for the Oxy- Acetylene mini set. Approximately 1100 degrees is required to braze using silver soldier and i have never had any success with straight map..
 
I use an air/acetylene plumber's torch (Smith) with a "B" tank for much of my soldering, brazing, sweating.
Since I don't weld, it works great for me and lasts a very long time.
You can (hard) silver solder with plain old propane as long as you use a heat-reflecting surface surface. I do it all the time.
 
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