Can anyone relate experience of oxy/propane mini welders, using disposable gas bottles? do they work? how long do bottles last (£16 a pop!)?
Am tidying up the chassis on a part built acquisition and having problems where there is a small gap between tubes and weld blows through, using a filler rod may help I hope!

I have an oxy/mapps gas set which I'll admit I haven't used for years but IIRC it was always a b*gger to get going and was a bit like welding with a dirty nozzle.

Once set up and running it was OK

HTH

Neil

Id like to know the same as the large rental bottles are to expensive.

I tried one years ago and the oxygen lasted about 15 mins so very expensive to use.I think the oxygen in them is actually nitrous oxide so that may be a cheaper way if you could get a suitable bottle and have it filled.
Paul

Fine for braising, not hot enough for welding

Forget proppane except for cutting and use a prper propane nozzle. You can get big bottles fro Air products on deposit but they only charge you hire by the day so if you take them back between jobs it is much cheaper than the BOC annual rip off! If you return BOC bottles they charge you up to the end of the month.

Caber

Propane flame carbonises metal, turns it to a crumbly coke like mess no good for welding. Mapp gas will braze without adding oxygen. There are some that use something called turbo gas but I think this is just mapp gas and oxy, they are hotter than propane. Like this and they are not cheap.