Propane Torch Cylinder

[thatguy]

I'm trying to find a cylinder in the Khon Kaen area. Global says no, check in the gas stores in town. They look at my torch head, and I don't think they've ever seen one.

here's a picture and thanks for any help

[nick2k]

about 2 years ago, I went around looking for a small propane torch similar to the ones they sell in the usa. I didn't find any that looked exactly like the ones in the states that are a small cylinder with a narrow L shaped nozzle.

I did find a small propane torch that would have done the job. but the people who I saw using them wouldn't tell me where I could buy one.

..go to the golf stores over on silom. thanya street. they use the small propane like torch for repairing golf clubs.

I thought they might sell the small gadget at the stores all over the city which sell propane tanks, but they don't. the vibes I got from the ones I enquired at was - the small gadget is illegal.

perhaps several people didn't use them properly, and they exploded on them during use. which would naturally result in them getting banned.

my guess. just a guess. someone was smoking while playing around with the nozzle of a propane tank, and the nozzle came off. duh.

[nick2k]

..just saw your picture of the propane tank. yeah. yeah. that's the one I was looking for.

I think illegal here. like I said - too many people not using them properly got them banned.

a couple of years ago, I went all over the city looking for the thing. from chinatown to pantip, to onnut. even went to chatuchak. only in silom/thanya did I see anything close.

you can find small propane cannisters being sold at all the big C stores that sell the small tabletop propane stoves.

[thatguy]

thanks nick

i may try a gas hose that i have that will connect a 20 pound tank to the torch-head. i hope the threads are the same here as in the us (on the large tanks)

[nick2k]

thanks nick

i may try a gas hose that i have that will connect a 20 pound tank to the torch-head. i hope the threads are the same here as in the us (on the large tanks)

good luck. just remember to be careful with that stuff. it is dangerous in the wrong hands. maybe you don't smoke, but look around you before you play with the nozzles.

every now and then, you read in the paper about some small street stall blowing up. last one I heard about was near the amari watergate hotel on pratunam district.

[Deke]

You can buy inexpensive torch heads with hoses that attach to the "Picnic" style cooking gas cylinders at most good-sized hardware stores.

Edited June 10, 2007 by Deke

[chownah]

thanks nick

i may try a gas hose that i have that will connect a 20 pound tank to the torch-head. i hope the threads are the same here as in the us (on the large tanks)

That's what I've got. I brought it from the US. Fits right on the Thai tanks. If you find a place that sells these in Thailand please let us know where.

Chownah

[thatguy]

deke:

by "picnic style", I assume you mean the things that look like an average sized aerosol can with a male business end about 1 cm long. I saw them last night in lotus next to some campstoves. 39B.

Still no torch (home pro). I'll try a real hardware store rather than a big box store.

chownah:

While in a gas store in KK, they said something about a hose they could order from Bangkok. as I was still looking for a cylinder, and had no idea about the threads sight unseen, I passed on it. May be a wild goose, maybe not.

It seems plumbers that use copper, AC/refrigeration guys etc, must have some option.

You can buy what looks like an oxy/acetylene setup for 5500B (home pro), and I remember seeing similar in global some time ago.

I doubt that a simple propane torch is actually illegal. My cop brother in law spoke of two hoses and oxygen, not jail.

A new day dawns, getting there is half the fun.

tg

[ozzydom]

thanks nick

i may try a gas hose that i have that will connect a 20 pound tank to the torch-head. i hope the threads are the same here as in the us (on the large tanks)

If you are going to use a hose and torch on a standard LPG bottle ,dont forget you must have a pressure regulator fitted, the small bottles in the foto,s are a variation of the Primus type and have a very fine jet as a pressure reducer.

[thatguy]

ozzy

I've had just the opposite effect

on the 20 lb tank, the torch valve full open, I got a smaller flame than with the little bottle.

????

[chownah]

deke:

by "picnic style", I assume you mean the things that look like an average sized aerosol can with a male business end about 1 cm long. I saw them last night in lotus next to some campstoves. 39B.

Still no torch (home pro). I'll try a real hardware store rather than a big box store.

chownah:

While in a gas store in KK, they said something about a hose they could order from Bangkok. as I was still looking for a cylinder, and had no idea about the threads sight unseen, I passed on it. May be a wild goose, maybe not.

It seems plumbers that use copper, AC/refrigeration guys etc, must have some option.

You can buy what looks like an oxy/acetylene setup for 5500B (home pro), and I remember seeing similar in global some time ago.

I doubt that a simple propane torch is actually illegal. My cop brother in law spoke of two hoses and oxygen, not jail.

A new day dawns, getting there is half the fun.

tg

Picnic tanks are like the full sized propane tanks that everyone uses for cooking only they are about half as tall and smaller in diameter....just a smaller version but they have the same valve and fitting on the top. If two full size propane tanks mated then the picnic tank would be what their child would look like.

Another option is to see if you can find an adjustable high pressure regulator. In the US you can get one specifically for propane....it is bigger than the low pressure regulators which is what cook stoves run off of. If you can't find one of these then an acetylene regulator will work fine but cost a bit more. You can then run acetylene hose from the regulator to the torch head. The difficult I have found in doing this is finding something whose threads match the torch....I have sometimes resorted to cutting the thread unit off of the top of an empty hand held tank (like you are looking for) and making an adaptor out of it by welding on a fitting with another type of thread....works fine so if you have an empty tank don't throw it away since you can make an adaptor from its threads. If for some reason this does not supply adequate pressure for your torch then it is not that difficult to make a torch (or have someone fabricate it for you) from small diameter pipe with a small amount of welding....and make it with an orifice the right size for the pressure range you can supply it. Look on the internet and I think you could find some plans....maybe Google for "home made gas burner" or something like that.

Chownah

[chownah]

ozzy

I've had just the opposite effect

on the 20 lb tank, the torch valve full open, I got a smaller flame than with the little bottle.

????

I think that either you are in the Twilight Zone or else there is a low pressure regulator in your system. The torch should work about the same with either; the only difference being due to different composition of gas between the two cylinders. My hand held works just the same with either.

Chownah

[ozzydom]

ozzy

I've had just the opposite effect

on the 20 lb tank, the torch valve full open, I got a smaller flame than with the little bottle.

????

Did you have a gas regulator on the large bottle,and was the hand-piece (nozzle) from one of the small bottles?

[thatguy]

I may have taken the gas thru a regulator, sounds reasonable. this was 30 years ago, memories fuzz.

I could never understand why I got a smaller flame. It seemed to me at the time that the pressures right out of the bottle should be the same, so I assume that I was coming right off the tank, but---.

[ozzydom]

Thatguy, On those small bottle/burner outfits ,the bottle outlet nozzle is matched to the burner which usually has small holes just back from the tip,this is where the air/gas mix takes place which allows combustion.

On say oxy/acet or oxy/propane the mixer is in the handpiece hence the two valves.

A normal cheap LPG regulator is pre set at about 11 inches water column ,which is about from memory 4ounces psi,that is what domestic appliances work on.

If you can get hold of an adjustable LPG regulator you can adjust the pressure to suit the burner nozzle from your small bottle and it should work ok. the adjustable regulator will have a removeable cap top/centre,remove this and underneath you will see a screw or slotted plate which sits on the spring which in turn sits in the diaphram , backing the screw off allows more pressure of gas to your burner nozzle.

As you cannot adjust the amount of air at the nozzle you have to adjust the LPG pressure to suit.

[ozzydom]

I may have taken the gas thru a regulator, sounds reasonable. this was 30 years ago, memories fuzz.

I could never understand why I got a smaller flame. It seemed to me at the time that the pressures right out of the bottle should be the same, so I assume that I was coming right off the tank, but---.

thatguy ,I hope the explanation is clear enough for you,I know a shop in Udon that has a lot of quality imported gear and will check tomorrow and let you know if they have suitable set-up for you.

Cheers

Dom

[thatguy]

Thanks for all the help guys, you are truly an encyclopedia.

i'll sift all this info, and I think the next trip back to the US I'll bring back the oxt-acetyl gear.

dom- udon sounds like a good bet, closer to me than bkk.

tg