petrogen torch

[dtt454]

so i was thinking rather than buy a set of bottles for the garage, i was thinking i might just go this route. http://www.petrogen.com/

of course all the sales material makes it look like the neatest thing since butter, ive heard guys at work that have been to trade shows say its the neatest thing ever, but for some reason i have yet to see any industry around here start using it.

im just thinking of trying it because its only one bottle of gas instead of two.


and looking around on the web i only see these folks offering the set up (they must have the patent i would assume) and one china brand, i have yet to hear of any "real" people who have used it to do actual work.

 

[mike13u]

That thing is awesome. But can you heat items say with a rosebud tip on that system? If not, I would buy the oxy-acetylene. It already states that you cant weld with it. If you cant weld and you cant heat, I would go oxy-acetylene. The classic rig is an invaluable tool when you consider the 'hot wrench' aspect of heating parts. I couldnt be without mine.

 

[RBailey]

Seen a similar system in use in a FSU (Former Soviet Union) shipyard back in the early 90's.

It used kreosene in a metal hand pump sprayer.
The torch head had a the main cutting jet and also small jet facing back up the torch through a coil which preheated the the kerosene.
Lighting up could be "sporting" as they would spurt slowly burning kerosene like a mini flame thrower.

Okay'ish for cutting but nothing else, also not as good as Oxy-Propane which IMO is best for large scale cutting only operations.

 

[diesel research]

Price is a little steep, but for cutting, this thing appears to be one of the best alternatives out there.

While it may or may not have a rosebud tip, we all most certainly have used a standard tip to heat before. Right wrong or indifferent, it can/has been done.

 

[gorilla]

Do you do enough burning to justify a petrogen torch? I use my O/A torch more for heating and brazing than I do for burning. Can you go to a trade show and try one out? Please post back what you decide.

 

[sberry]

This is not practical for small shop, demolition in a shipyard would be good.

 

[1930case]

Go with propane if you don't plan on welding. You can connect acetylene or propane CGA-510 regulators to ordinary BBQ propane jugs (the valves are threaded for them).

Buy your oxy-acetylene setup of choice, and get propane cutting tips instead of the acetylene normally included.

If you have the cash for a Petrogen, you can buy an overkill oxy-propane/oxy-acetylene rig instead and have a bunch of money left over.

Extended, detailed thread on the subject:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=50250&page=2

Rational suggestion which will likely make you happy:

Get a Smith Toughcut specifying the CGA-510 regulator (about 200 bucks online, made in USA, good stuff, light enough to handle easily), throw the included goggles in the trash and get a tinted face shield, and pick up a couple of propane tips for it.

http://store.cyberweld.com/smwecuouto.html

Buying "too much torch" does nothing for maneuvering and doing fine work. You can always ADD more gear, and Smith equipment is excellent.