LPG Oxy welding advice.

[shane_3800]

Hi all.
Is there any welders here?
I'm looking at buying an LPG Oxy kit as I don't want an Acetylene bottle as it's just one extra thing I will have.
I want to buy a eutectic spray welder so I can try some cast iron welding.

Now, what is involved with using a spray welder with LPG? The kits have brazing tips and a cutting tip but I can't find any info on spray welding with LPG other than big companies using all sorts of fuel gasses.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DavesSV6Tonner]

Forget LPG for welding, the primary flame isn't hot enough. You need Acetylene.

 

[rambunctious]

Depends what cast iron you want to weld.
I can still weld exhaust manifolds with an arc welder and still have cast iron rods from 1960's.
Oxy acetylene can be used to tobin bronze braze cast iron but never tried welding cast iron with oxy even though I have a kit.
But bronze brazing is not all that strong on a manifold.
Also if buying an oxy kit buy second hand, they are not worth much these days as very limited need although some people still try to get stupid prices
An example was 18 months ago I tried to get $40 for a complete oxy kit (no bottles) and no interest, even tried parting it out at $8 a piece( gauges torch cutter etc which is scrap brass prices but still no interest).
Bottles and gas are expensive and available from Bunnings and Trade Tools whereas an arc welder should cost under $100 with helmet and rods, gloves, chipping hammer etc
I sold a full arc set up as above complete for $40 a couple of years ago to a bloke who wanted to learn to weld and gave him a crash course when he came to collect it.

 

[shane_3800]

Forget LPG for welding, the primary flame isn't hot enough. You need Acetylene.

I'm not talking about fusion welding but rather eutectic spray welding which apparently can be done with any fuel gas.

 

[shane_3800]

Depends what cast iron you want to weld.
I can still weld exhaust manifolds with an arc welder and still have cast iron rods from 1960's.
Oxy acetylene can be used to tobin bronze braze cast iron but never tried welding cast iron with oxy even though I have a kit.
But bronze brazing is not all that strong on a manifold.
Also if buying an oxy kit buy second hand, they are not worth much these days as very limited need although some people still try to get stupid prices
An example was 18 months ago I tried to get $40 for a complete oxy kit (no bottles) and no interest, even tried parting it out at $8 a piece( gauges torch cutter etc which is scrap brass prices but still no interest).
Bottles and gas are expensive and available from Bunnings and Trade Tools whereas an arc welder should cost under $100 with helmet and rods, gloves, chipping hammer etc
I sold a full arc set up as above complete for $40 a couple of years ago to a bloke who wanted to learn to weld and gave him a crash course when he came to collect it.

As above I'm not talking about normal welding with the oxy but eutectic spray welding with powder.

 

[Drawnnite]

A mate has been using the Oxy-LPG set up for a bit after seeing it a few times.
Reason being he didnt want to have to get the acetylene bottles and gas (and its much easier to get lpg)
From what i can understand if you set it up well it can still get the temps right.

However his use of it is generally for heating and cutting.
I would guess if you can get the temps right and find whatever tip you need then it should work.
But would there be an issue with moisture from the lpg? (just a random thought)

 

[shane_3800]

A mate has been using the Oxy-LPG set up for a bit after seeing it a few times.
Reason being he didnt want to have to get the acetylene bottles and gas (and its much easier to get lpg)
From what i can understand if you set it up well it can still get the temps right.

However his use of it is generally for heating and cutting.
I would guess if you can get the temps right and find whatever tip you need then it should work.
But would there be an issue with moisture from the lpg? (just a random thought)

See the tips are my issue. You have to change tips for LPG, example for the cutting torch you have to change tips over.
My issue is with the eutectic guns I can't find any info on tips for them.

 

[Drawnnite]

Could be worthwhile getting directly in contact with them?
[email protected]
02 8786 3705

If i remember right (not a welder so most things are second hand knowledge) but isnt the LPG tips normally just a bit bigger?
Or with this spray process does the powder go through the nozzle aswell?
Trying to get the head around it, because I can always have a chat to someone who may have some knowledge on it.

 

[DavesSV6Tonner]

I'm not talking about fusion welding but rather eutectic spray welding which apparently can be done with any fuel gas.

BOC gases say LPG can be used for flame spray welding however, quote "The recommended fuel gas for thermal spraying materials is Acetylene due to the higher flame temperature".

 

[Immortality]

We have a spray welding kit at work. IIRC it's a whole kit that you have to attach your hoses to as you need to introduce the spray powder into the stream. I honestly can't recall the last time it was used. Probably more than a decade ago. It's much more than simply attaching a different size nozzle to a regular Oxy welding handle.

Probably need to do a bit more research on youtube to figure out what you are getting into. Abom79 probably has video or 2 about spray welding/repairing stuff.

I actually like oxy welding, it's quiet an art when done right, I'd like a kit for home but the bottles are so damn expensive and not justifiable for the odd use.