[BC] Irons for silver soldering copper strap

[Mike McCarthy]

Let's make sure we're talking about the same size bottles.  I use either 
the 20 or 80 cu Ft. O2 bottles/tanks sourced from welding supply 
houses.  Not the little bottles of gas from the local hardware 
store.  Using O2 from those 14 oz. bottles nets me about 5 minutes of flame 
time.

The acetylene tanks I get are either the MC or B sized. There is one tank 
larger which I might get for this next project which should closely mirror 
the supply of the larger O2 tank.

I can usually do a whole tower with a single B tank and 2 to 2.5 towers 
with a 80ft O2 bottle. (Usually 120 radials at the screen, 100 screen to 
screen joints, 30 far side radial to strap joints, 10 ground rod wire to 
strap joints, and dozen or so strap to strap joints.) Once I "mastered" 
using the oxy/acet system (and invested in complete systems for each size 
as well as two tanks of each gas for each size), I didn't see the need to 
learn MAPP.  Though in my quest to seek out new methods, I probably should 
and determine if the single tank MAPP gas might be enough in certain 
situations.

It's too bad you're so far south....

MM

At 09:46 AM 10/16/2007 -0400, Alan Alsobrook wrote
>I don't understand that, MAPP and Acetylene have almost the same heat 
>output. I use 15% silver as well and can easily do everything with MAPP 
>that I did with C2H2, including 4" strap to tower base. Since switching to 
>MAPP, I've used 2 bottles of O2, and still have 75% of my MAPP tank 
>remaining. Work done with this amount of fuel includes about 200 #10 to 3" 
>strap connections, several 3" to 3" connections, and 10, 1/4" rebar cuts 
>along with cutting up a FM20h power supply cabinet for disposal. Perhaps I 
>was using the Acetylene wrong, but sounds like you were using the MAPP 
>incorrectly as well.
>
>Mike McCarthy wrote:
>
>>FWIW, I never had any luck heating strap sufficiently with MAPP alone to 
>>flow 15% silvaloy.  Which is all I use with strap 2" and above.  And MAPP 
>>is SO much more than acetylene if you purchase the gas at a welding shop.
>
>--
>Alan Alsobrook CSRE AMD CBNT
>St. Augustine Fl. 32086 904-829-8885
>aalso at Bellsouth.net