Acetylene and copper work?

I read somewhere that you should never use acetylene with copper. Why
is that?

Marshall

I read somewhere that you should never use acetylene with copper.
Why is that? 

This refers to plumbing acetylene gas not using acetylene flame on
copper. If you plumb acetylene gas in copper it can form copper
acetylide which is a highly unstable compound. It is shock sensitive
and can detonate with very little in the way of shock or motion.

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

A bit of googling turned up this:
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep805m

alonzo

Hi Marshall,

No idea. I’ve been doing it for years. Perhaps not oxy-acetylene for
cutting (or welding) but certainly for jewelry soldering/brazing,
it works just fine.

(It won’t work for cutting or welding, as it does for steel. That’s
the only thing I can think of that they could be talking about.)

FWIW,
Brian

 It is shock sensitive and can detonate with very little in the
way of shock or motion. 

Sounds like an ammonia based paint that I have a recipe for
someplace, an ant walking over it will set it off. CIA

Hey Brian

I wonder why it doesn’t react to brass then as that is what they
make all the regulators out of.

I guess a little bit a zinc makes the difference.

thanks for the pointer
Sam

when acetylene gas comes into contact with copper it forms copper
acetylide, which is an explosive solid.

What is probably meant is never use copper pipe to carry acetylene
gas rather than never heat or melt copper with oxyacet. The same is
true of silver so the metals and raw gas should never be together so
dont use copper pipe to join hoses together.

nick royall