Originally Posted by
clasher
It's unlikely your acetylene torch will work with propane. Oddly enough different gases have different chemical properties. There are seals in the torches that propane can dissolve... acetylene seals are made to resist acetone, so they might not always be compatible with propane. Some torches are made for different gases, as well the regulators, and they will usually have it clearly marked, esp. on regulators "for all fuel gases".
I would really urge you to do some more research at an actual welding supply shop instead of the internet. Surely professionals (of any trade) still use oxy-acetylene rigs in the UK, find out where they get their stuff.
Personally I try to avoid jerry-rigging medical equipment when the right tools are
commonly available. I didn't notice anything on the BOC site about acetylene being a restricted substance but maybe it is... IDK. Surely if you have acetylene regulators, hoses and torches it makes sense to just go with acetylene as a fuel?
Not really, because I can buy a propane canister for much less than I can pay to rent an acetylene one. The same goes for using an OC rather than a cylinder. It's not that the "right" tools aren't available, just that I can't afford them.
And as for them using acetylene over here, I've never heard of it being done, all the welding seems to be done with arcs, of one form or another. I'd imagine that's because everyone's so terrified of getting sued that they'd much rather have cylinders of CO2 or argon, which are pretty much chemically inert as gases, than cylinders of acetylene and oxygen, which aren't.