Oxy welders. If an Aussie plumber asked for a torch and you handed him a welder you'd be laughed off the worksite!
gadgetnerd:
Obviously, different parts of the English-speaking world have evolved their own local versions, and, I can appreciate that it isn't necessarily logical, for example: calling a handheld portable light source a "flashlight" simply because you could only use them in brief flashes 100 years ago.
With that said, I am going to point out that "oxy welder" is either a serious misnomer (yeah, like flashlight) or you didn't understand my question. There are three levels of metal-joining processes, in order of increasing strength, sophistication, and heat requirement:
- solder
- braze
- weld
Soldering is the simplest, lowest heat, and lowest strength of the three. Neglecting electronics soldering, the majority of soldering work is done by plumbers. In my experience, the heat sources used by plumbers in the USA are most commonly fueled by propane gas or acetylene gas. However, the temperatures are low enough that bottled oxygen is not necessary and is actually detrimental - too much heat can damage the plumbing components being soldered.
Brazing is a metal-joining process where the filler metal (usually based on a brass alloy) melts at a lower temperature than the parent metals, but it is a much higher-strength process that requires substantially more heat than soldering. Brazing processes typically use heat sources fueled by a combination of acetylene and bottled oxygen.
Welding is defined as a metal-joining process where the parent metals are brought to their melting point. This requires the greatest amount of heat. Oxy-acetylene can be used but far higher temperatures can be generated by electric arcs, which is how the majority of welding is done.
SO.... Aussie plumbers call their soldering heat source "oxy-welder", really? I seriously doubt they're using bottled oxygen and I know for a fact that they are not welding. Ah, just like "flashlight" I suppose. It doesn't have to make sense.
Likewise in the USA, if a plumber asked you for a torch and you handed him a flashlight, you'd be laughed off the worksite equally fast.