Thinking to go to propane—what do I need?

[modrob01]

I have the small, portable oxy-acetylene torch setup that I use occasionally, and so far for only heating. I’ve replaced two MC 10cf tanks in last two weeks—one was empty when I swapped for it, and the replacement I think wasn’t full either. And a 1 1/2 hour drive. I’m considering switching to propane now as those tanks are 5 min. from me. In reading I believe I need to buy hoses meant for propane, probably a new regulator, and a cutting tip for propane. Right? And I believe I need to install flame arrestors?
I have a #6 rosebud tip that I’ve used before, but further study has told me my small acet tank can’t really run with it very well and could be dangerous. I’m not sure what type my hoses are now—some things I’ve read detail others using them fine with propane, and I read the propane starts their deterioration…
Would the 6 rosebud work with the propane “BBQ style” tanks? Or can I heat with the cutting torch?
Many thanks.

 

[SidecarFlip]

It's a 'bottle' not a tank btw. I do believe you have to change the orfices.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You would need to change the cutting tips to Propane / MAPP gas tips. I dont think the rose buds you have would work for propane either. Regulators are fine, they work on propane or acetylene. They do recommend changing the hoses for ones that are acceptable for propane but you could just use the ones you have temporarily. You cant use propane to weld with so you would still need acetylene tank for doing that. As far as I know, they dont make a tip to gas weld using propane.
As for heating, when I need to put out some serious BTUs for heating, I hook up my weed burner from Harbor Freight to my propane bottle. I think I saw them on sale for around $30 once. Much cheaper than buying a rose bud for your cutting torch attachment.

 

[Chuck1225]

I switched to propylene for cutting and use with a rosebud. The acetylene can only come out of the acetone just so fast, so you can often have plenty of acetylene yet cannot get sufficient flow to decently use a rosebud. It seems like the tank is not full, but it is just a matter of how fast it can bubble out of the acetone in the tank. Acetylene is unstable at pressures of over 15 pounds, so it is dissolved in acetone to prevent it from blowing up. Propylene is stable at high pressure, so you can get good flow till the tank is empty. It is especially useful if you do a lot of heating with a rosebud. You can use the same rosebud, hoses and regulator to switch to propylene, you only need to switch the tip on the cutting torch. It is not quite as hot as acetylene, so it takes a bit of practice to use for cutting, but after a bit of use, you will find it works well. It is significantly hotter than propane.