Where have I been?

[chips and more]

I just found out, no more MAPP gas! And no more since 2008! GEEZ! Looks like I will look harder at garage sales for the stuff.

[mdlbldrmatt135]

You're talking the 14-16oz yellow cylinders???    Surprisingly it's still available here in NYS.... 

[chips and more]

I believe you are talking about map/pro that is also in a yellow colored cylinder. But, it's not the same gas. Not as hot!

[TerryWerm]

I just bought a bottle of MAPP gas here in Minnesota a little over a year ago, but have not looked lately. Now you have my curiosity going!  Maybe it was NOS?

[4GSR]

I'm a little late to the party here.
What's the big deal with banning MAPP gas? Can't be any worse than any of the other gasses we burn for serious heating.

[TerryWerm]

According to what I found, MAPP gas was not banned, but it's production was halted in 2008 due to a large fire that destroyed the plant where it was produced. Due to the high cost of MAPP gas (typically 1.5 times or more the cost of propane) rebuilding the plant was not seen as a viable option. 

https://askingyard.com/why-was-mapp-gas-discontinued/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAPP_gas

What this all means is that what I purchased as MAPP gas may have been a legal mis-representation and error on my part. Instead I probably purchased MAP Pro gas, which burns only slightly hotter than propane but at a reduced cost.

A quick investigation showed that this is exactly what happened. I purchased MAP Pro, not MAPP. Proof that a little P can make a big difference. 

[PJ]

And here i thought my yellow bottle was mapp but its actually map/pro.  bummer.

[chips and more]

I don't think that all torches can be treated equal? I have for example two different model number Bernzomatic's and the heat from one of them (TS8000T) is hotter than the other with the same gas. Anybody have a favorite torch?

[mdlbldrmatt135]

Being a CAD designer for a Turbo machinery company I can say that small changes in the geometry of a burner can have a huge impact.  I've heard from our turbine and power turbine folks that switching to 3D printed injectors has increased (jet/turbine) engine efficiency, in some cases up to 10% (which is MASSIVE in our industry) where anything above 75% is considered pretty good. 

[TerryWerm]

Maximum temperature is not a function of the torch but rather a function of the type of fuel and whether it is using atmospheric oxygen or bottled oxygen.

One torch design may be capable of burning a larger quantity of gas over a given period of time compared to a different torch design. The torch that burns the larger quantity of gas over a given period has a greater BTU or overall heat output, but its maximum temperature will not be any greater than any other similar torch design burning the same fuel / oxygen mixture.

Degrees, whether Fahrenheit or Celsius, (or any other scale such as Kelvin), is a measure of Temperature.

BTUs, or British Thermal Units, is a measure of heat quantity. One BTU is defined as the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit when at sea level. A common household match if burnt completely has a total heat output of approximately one BTU.

If one torch (Torch A) is capable of turning a part cherry red faster than another torch (Torch B), it may seem to the observer that Torch A burns hotter, but it does not. It only burns a greater volume of fuel in a given period of time, putting out more heat units (BTUs).

Clear as mud, no?