What sort of torch setup do you all prefer for gunsmithing?

I'm interested in answers to these sorts of questions:
- air-fuel (plumbers torch) or oxy-fuel mix torch?
- propane, MAP, or acetylene?
- any favorite torch tips? Rosebud? Welding tip? Etc?
- any other suggestions for heating in the gunsmith shop?

Acetylene/air turbo torch for 90% of what I do, oxy/acet occasionally when I need to get a larger part really hot or a lead bath up to temp for making springs. I use a good soldering iron to do the brunt of the soft solder tinning I do. I also have a heat treat oven.

I also use an Plumers Acetelene/air turbo torch with 2 tips but I also use a Mapp torch with 3 tips for small quick stuff. I use an oven for annealing and heat treating.

I have a propane forge, and I was hoping to keep my setup simple by using an oxy-propane torch. Seems like oxy propane should be able to do most of what air acetylene could do, right?

I'm thinking a rosebud tip and a brazing tip would cover the vast majority of my needs.

I use a standard MAPP for 90% of what I do, also standard "plumbers" propane, since propane is much cheaper than MAPP, but is not nearly as hot.

Interested in these acetylene/air turbo torches, how do they compare to MAPP... what brands are ya'll running?

I can not say how acet/air compares to MAPP because I have not used MAPP. I bought out a shop a longtime time ago and it came with two acet. "b" tanks and a Turbotorch brand torch. I have used it ever since. I like it because I can turn it down for smaller parts and have good control, turn it up and it will met soft solder at the breech end of a double.

Propane will do most of what needs done. Using one of the 4' hoses so you can move the torch around a barrel set is really useful. Acet/air is or can be way hotter then MAPP. With Acet/air you can braze but not hot enough to weld. It will melt aluminum.

MAPP gas was discontinued in 2008 as the only firm making it stopped production. It was great "stuff" and I distressed to see it go.

Bushvield

I was about to argue with you because I'm still using MAPP, but I decided to look it up.

Yep... true MAPP is gone replace with MAP-PRO, although it's not advertised/marked that way.

Mike,
Use an old Smith Acetylene/air torch with a variety of tips. Largest over 1/4", Smallest about 3/32". Works well.
Never used MAPP, but those propane/air push button torches, about 1" diameter will do a lot of good work. MAPP should be better.
Chuck

Heating, yes- with a rosebud tip-- but to get brazing temps, nothing works as well as an oxy/acetylene torch. Do you know how to get a neutral flame at the tip with your torch set-up.

You can, in a pinch, use a cutting tip/head on a combo torch for pre-heating mild steels- but for efficiency and less overall usage of acetylene, use a rosebud tip.

For a heating oven set-up, oxy/propane works fine. Mapp is way more expensive than propane, at least where I live and have my shop set-up with my son-in-law. RWTF

Mapp torch is brill, the type plumbers use with the trigger igniter is handy for general shop use.

Heat treatment oven for springs and tools.

Heat gun is pretty handy for all sorts, heat bluing small parts when needed as the color change is slower and less aggressive and you can watch it carefully, good for warming finishing oils and heating stocks to burn out the oil that they have soaked up.

Have a big propane tank with a bigger nozzle for doing rib work and such.