Will this work for brazing??

[cloudkat]

I just picked up one of these at Home Depot for $50

http://www.bernzomatic.com/PRODUCTS/KITS/TORCHKITS/tabid/215/ctl/Detail/mid/1147/xmid/6954/xmfid/3/Default.aspx

Will do me good for the kind of brazing I will be doing when I start making my first SS setup??

It has the benefit that I can also use it for many other things as well.

[Postal Dude]

Might be a bit too hot for brazing what we do so you'll have to be quick lol. But yeah, its fine.

[boshuter]

It's definitely not too hot for brazing.

I had one of those a few years ago and they do work very well. The main drawback to them is the oxy cylinders are fairly expensive and do not last long at all. You will go through 3 oxy cylinders to one gas cylinder. If you only plan on doing very occasional brazing it is fine, if you plan to do much brazing at all, invest in an oxy/acet setup.... try to avoid just using a mapp torch if at all possible.

[cloudkat]

"try to avoid just using a mapp torch if at all possible."

Wait a minute.....what ?!?!?!

I thought that I had read a few posts where people were using, and actually recommended using mapp torches?

Am I wrong here?

That is the main reason that I got this kit. This torch can use both Propylene/oxygen and mapp. This way I can use it for all my plumbing and stuff as well as my brazing.

[Postal Dude]

standard mapp will work just fine, its bloody hot stuff. i jus finished my 1st SS using a plain mapp torch. The reason i said it might be a bit hot is because your supplying it with pure oxy. Mapp on its own is fine, Mapp/oxy is very fine

[trance565]

i use an oxymap setup, the only thing is the valves on kits like the one your linking to, and mine, are very fickle, and unstable, an oxyacetelyne setup with proper valves would be much better and easier to get going.

[boshuter]

Wait a minute.....what ?!?!?!

I thought that I had read a few posts where people were using, and actually recommended using mapp torches?

Am I wrong here?



No you are not wrong... you can braze with straight mapp, but the only reason you would do so is the fact that it's all you have. There is no way the flame will be too hot for brazing with an oxy/acet or oxy/mapp torch, it can be too large, but not too hot. If you absolutely have nothing else but a straight mapp, use it, but if at all possible, try to get the proper tool for the job, it will make your life so much easier.

[Duzter]

What is mapp?

Haven't heard about that before.

[yngndrw]

My Mapp torch seems to take forever to heat up 1/4" copper tube, but my Oxygen / Acetylene torch can heat it up in seconds.

On the other hand Mapp can braze just fine if you are willing to wait, and with Oxygen / Acetylene it can be easy to melt the tube.

Another thing to think about is that the tinted safety glasses required for Oxygen / Acetylene can make it quite hard to see when the tube is glowing "cherry red".

[sdumper]

A lot of folks use MAPP and I have too but that was before I tried oxy/acet. If you are just doing a one off build then MAPP is fine but if your planning on making this a hobby then you will prefer oxy/acet.

To be honest it is a night and day difference.

[trance565]

My Mapp torch seems to take forever to heat up 1/4" copper tube, but my Oxygen / Acetylene torch can heat it up in seconds.

On the other hand Mapp can braze just fine if you are willing to wait, and with Oxygen / Acetylene it can be easy to melt the tube.

Another thing to think about is that the tinted safety glasses required for Oxygen / Acetylene can make it quite hard to see when the tube is glowing "cherry red".

i don't use the goggles, goggles make it easier to make sure your cutting torch is just right, but for brazing, so long as you the flame to be blue/white your fine.

[Fitseries3]

anyone know where to get one of those torch setups without having to buy the kit? i have plenty of MAPP bottles already.

[trance565]

mapp torch? or oxy mapp torch? oxymapp you might as well just buy the kit, the torches for just mapp should be sold seperate at homedepot and such

[Duzter]

So if I understand you all right, mapp torch is when you use Oxygen with butane/propane? And not with Acetylene?

[yngndrw]

No, Mapp is a flammable gas (Based off Acetylene IIRC.).

You can use Mapp with either air or Oxygen.

The torches used for Mapp can commonly be used with either Mapp, Propane or Butane.

[wdrzal]

Mapp is mostly propane with Actylene added to raise it's temperature.

Pure actylene is very unstable but when mixed with propane no acetone and special foam filled tanks are needed to stablize it.

There are 2 basic torche type: gas/air or gas/oxygen.

In gas/air you primarly have propane/air........mapp/air.......actylene/air. These use 1 bottle of flammable gas +the O2 in the air. Air has ~20.9% oxygen compared to 100% oxygen that is used in 2 gas torches.

In 2 gas torches actylene/oxygen is most widly used but just slightly cooler are mapp/oxygen & propane/oxygen . For non portable use there is natural gas/oxygen.

[loonym]

Great explanation Walt. Even though acetylene burns slightly hotter, I like the control I get using mapp for brazing, especially when joining nonferrous metals.

[trance565]

Great explanation Walt. Even though acetylene burns slightly hotter, I like the control I get using mapp for brazing, especially when joining nonferrous metals.

control? from my experience, oxy/ace is much easier to control, as they have proper valves with actual psi readings so you can mix properly.

my oxy/mapp setup, i have to try several times to get the oxy part going, because it's such a poor valve, the oxygen will come and blow the flame out with a slight twitch of the valve. and the mapp valve, opens up to where you want it, then within about 2-3 seconds settles to a point much lower than you want.

[sdumper]

from my experience, oxy/ace is much easier to control, as they have proper valves with actual psi readings so you can mix properly.



I have to agree and to be perfectly honest once you try Oxy/Acet you wont want to use MAPP. It cuts my brazing time in 1/2 perhaps more even.

[loonym]

I use regulators no matter what gas I use trance. The control I like with non-ferrous metals simply refers to the heat effected zone and puddle size. I obviously use more mapp with these operations, perhaps 12-15psi at the regulator as opposed to 5-7psi with acetylene.