> Can an Oxy/acetylene torch be used to make a 2 1/2" boiler? Pending a response from someone with more experience than I have, here's what I know (a little firsthand, mostly from reading books):
Oxyacetylene burns at a higher temperature than propane. This could potentially melt the copper you're trying to join. (That's why it's used as a cutting torch as well as a welding torch.) Propane burns at a hot enough temperature to braze copper, but not so hot that you can easily burn holes in your work. Copper is an excellent conductor of heat. This means that it absorbs the heat you apply and radiates it out at all the places you're not applying it. Thus you neat a lot of HEAT (calories, thermal units, etc.), but NOT HIGH TEMPERATURE (degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit, etc.). An acetylene torch with a small head would be putting out high temp, but not enough thermal units to do the job. A propane torch with a big rosette head would be burning cooler, but would deliver enough heat to do the job. Don't ask me how that works. I used to think I understood volts and amps, too, but I find that I can't explain them to my own satisfaction anymore, much less help you out. It's every fool for himself! You can find good books on the subject at Sulphur Springs. regards, -vance- Vance Bass Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Small-scale live steam resources: http://www.nmia.com/~vrbass
