Those of you with torches...

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

What do you use them primarily for?  I have a chance to get a torch setup relatively cheap.  What should I be looking out for if I decide to buy? Basically it's a two tank setup with relatively newer regulators. The torch nozzle needs to be cleaned, but I have a couple of them I believe I could use in that one's place.

[J.A.F.E.]

Make sure they are a brand you can get parts for locally. Some brands are favored in some regions and getting parts for the others can sometimes be an issue. If they are two stage regulators that is ideal but most home stuff and even a lot of commercial is single stage. Make sure the hoses are in good shape and the tips are in good shape and haven't been hogged out or out of round with oversize cleaners.

[walrus]

Used to use them alot, now hardly ever. Still good for turning a stuck nut or bolt cherry red but I use a cut off wheel or plasma for most cutting.

[oldnslo]

Used for heating 90%, brazing 10% of the time.

Share the brand name of the torch setup and we can offer some advice if you care for it.

[ken w.]

Up here in the Northeast you really need one if you do a lot of automotive work. I use mine mostly to heat up bolts before I attempt to remove it. Bleeder screws , some brake line fittings , lower shock bolts , etc.   You should make sure you can get the tanks filled or exchanged at a local welding supply.  Once you have them , you'll ask yourself why I waited so long to get them.

[goodfellow]

I still use it a lot on cars and restorations to blow off rusted fasteners and to heat bolts/nuts for removal. The cutting and rosebud tips in O/A are still the best solution when it comes to delivering heat quickly and precisely. For annealing metal (especially aluminum) in preparation for forming I use a rosebud tip to apply heat very quickly -- although for smaller jobs I now use an air/propane torch hooked to a standard BBQ-Type cylinder.

I haven't done O/A welding in quite some time, but I still do quite a lot of brazing and silver soldering with those O/A welding tips. Just last weekend I brazed a cast iron door flange for a neighbor. It also came in very handy two weeks ago when I heated and removed a corroded O2 sensor from my daughter's Highlander. Of course it still cuts thicker metal much better than my plasma cutter.

There are two basic options -- Professional heavy duty O/A outfits are usually 2-stage regulator units; meaning that cylinder pressure is brought down to working pressure in two separate regulator chambers, and that makes for better flame control and precise welding operation. Cheaper and often lighter duty O/A outfits usually are single-stage; meaning that cylinder pressure is brought down to working pressure within one regulator chamber. It's not nearly as precise as 2-stage, and as cylinder pressure drops, you have to fiddle with the torch settings more often to keep proper flame control.

The biggest issue in buying a used set is to make sure you don't have a diaphragm or needle valve seat leak in the regulators and/or a needle valve problem in the torch handles. Older equipment that's been sitting for a long time can often have diaphragm problems --- ozone cracks and dries the neoprene material.  That said, older Harris or Craftsman (usually Harris), Oxweld, Smith, Victor, Uniweld, AIRCO, or Purox (Union Carbide) are damn good systems and will work for decades without any significant maintenance. My Craftsman, AIRCO, and Union Carbide rigs have been working since the 1970s -- no issues.

[bonneyman]

My set up has been used since the early 90's and only one regulator rebuild. (Don't remember the brand - it was the standard contractor supplies model at the time). Solid system. used it during the day for brazing refrigerant lines, then on the weekends cutting and welding. Just by swapping tips. Great jig.

And local service is sqwat! I found this place on-line - they are superb! You pack up the reg and pay to ship it to them. For their fee they repair it and ship it back. 2-3 day turn-around. Outstanding!

http://www.billswelderrepair.com

Here's my jig in it's current form. Starter kit (with two tank deposit) cost me around $450 in 1991. Still polishes up real nice if I'm trying to show off.

[fatfillup]

As stated above, make sure you can get the tanks filled. 

Don't use mine often but mainly for heating for bending metal straps

[DeadNutz]

I have 2 large sets and 1 smaller set. I would say that I use a rosebud more than the cutting torch. My big set has PowrKraft regulators on it that still work well. Victors on my slightly smaller set and Harris on the small set.
I stopped by the wife's shop yesterday and the foreman showed me a large Victor cutting torch that just came back from rebuild which cost $140 to have done. They go through plenty of gas with rosebuds, welding tips and cutting tips in use all day long.

[gtermini]

Cutting, spot heating, bulk heating, cooking grease out before a weld, stuck bolts, gouging with a tip for it, brazing occasionally, silver soldering, heat shrinking and straightening. I never hesitate to go for gas ax/smoke wrench.

I have a couple big sets. I leave one with a gas eater rosebud and the other with a cutting torch. I have a small set of burglar bottles that are handy as a shirt pocket. It's an oxy-propane setup with some funky little feather tip flame torch. Perfect for small silver solder joints or when I want a little more oomph than a plumbers propane torch.



Greyson

[DeadNutz]

You might want to make sure you use flashback arrestors. I have a large Victor torch that has them built into the torch. Here is some interesting reading for you:

https://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/Expert-Advice/Articles/Flashback-Arrestors.aspx

[stokester]

Good topic.

I've used torches in the past while in school and working in shops but never paid too much attention to brands or types.

This oxygen regulator was given to me in a box many years ago and I've never gotten around to either obtaining the necessary parts for my own OA torch.

So is this Meco worth saving or should I just pitch it?

[goodfellow]

Good topic.

I've used torches in the past while in school and working in shops but never paid too much attention to brands or types.

This oxygen regulator was given to me in a box many years ago and I've never gotten around to either obtaining the necessary parts for my own OA torch.

So is this Meco worth saving or should I just pitch it?

Depends if it will hold pressure Nick. I've heard of Meco, and they still make equipment, but don't know if they still make O/A equipment. If you have to get it rebuilt, then it all depends on the availability/cost of replacement parts. 

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

This is the setup.  He said the tanks are mostly full.

[goodfellow]

Does he own the tanks (have receipts?), and what brand is it. From afar it looks like a generic single stage Asian-sourced Victor style knock-off; nothing wrong with that, but the price should reflect that.

Cylinders are the issue. Are they in test? Except for the very small MC tanks (in portable outfits), in my area if you can't prove ownership or lease, many suppliers  won't even talk to you anymore. It's different in other parts of the country, but it doesn't hurt to ask to see if he has proof of ownership.

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

GF, he says he does and seems pretty above board.  I'll ask him about the receipts but I'll call a couple of gas supply places first to see what their policies are. 

He's asking $100 for the setup.

[bonneyman]

I leased my tanks (as was standard practice at the time of purchase) so -  after the original $175 deposit - all I paid was refills (less than $20 each). But then when I closed my business and went to return the tanks and get my deposit, they wouldn't accept them! Well George, we have people all the time go buy tanks for $20 at the swap meet and then get $175 deposit back from us. So, unless you can prove they're "your" tanks, no refund".

 ! I've been dealing with you guys for 20+ years, you know me, I just got the tanks refilled a few months ago. What do you mean I need a receipt? Head honcho in Phx said no deal, too bad. I didn't buy from them again.
It's no wonder contractors screw their customers, because the warehouses are screwing them. Hell of a business my trade has morphed into.

[slip knot]

In my area that set up would go fast at $100. Call around and see what the local welding suppliers need for bottle refills. My go to guys recently sold out to another company and I don't know how that's gonna be. For a number of years we could swap any bottle anywhere. All the oilfield welders coming from all over needed gas.  The LWS we eager to sell them some and didn't care about whose bottles you had.

IIRC all you need to do to check the regulators is turn the bottle on and set the pressure and watch the gauge. if it held steady it was ok if it crept off of setpoint it was bad. depending on which way the pressure went would determine what was bad needle or diaghram wise. Haven't even thought about it in many years.

[bmwrd0]

I have an older version of what Bonneyman has. Brazing, welding with silphos, I have a cutting head but haven't used it in years. All Victor equipment. My dad called it an airplane set, which I can see, but they are mostly used in HVAC now.

I also have a Smith Airline set, but I have never used it, as I don't do jewelry. Good for really delicate things.

[goodfellow]

GF, he says he does and seems pretty above board.  I'll ask him about the receipts but I'll call a couple of gas supply places first to see what their policies are. 

He's asking $100 for the setup.

excellent price -- bottles alone are worth that. What is the brand name of the torch?

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

 I believe it's a Victor.

[Matt_T]

He's asking $100 for the setup.

At that price go buy it now before he changes his mind. You can easy double, probably triple, your money if you decide you don't want it.

[goodfellow]

He's asking $100 for the setup.

At that price go buy it now before he changes his mind. You can easy double, probably triple, your money if you decide you don't want it.

+1 -- Agreed!

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

He's holding it for me to come get this weekend.  I bought a cart from him the other day.

[oldnslo]

Your next call should be to the local welding gas refiller, and ask about their refill/exchange and upsize policy.

[ken w.]

I exchange my tanks for refilled ones. The refilled ones have the company sticker on them and it makes it easier to exchange them the next time.

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

He's holding it for me to come get this weekend.  I bought a cart from him the other day.

Well there was some miscommunication, on his part, and he told me they were sold on Sunday.  Oh well.  Anyways, at least I'm more edjumicated on the subject now.   

[goodfellow]

Happens a lot -- he probably had someone offer him a higher price and there it went. It was a small basic single stage set, and in the grand scheme of things, marginal at best. Check CL and FB Marketplace and find an outfit with larger cylinders and a heavy duty 2-stage torch set. You will not regret it -- take my word for it. Larger cylinders cost less (overall) to refill/exchange than the smaller sizes (i.e., the gas gets cheaper the more you buy), and a good industrial quality torch set will last a lifetime.

[bonneyman]

I have an older version of what Bonneyman has. Brazing, welding with silphos, I have a cutting head but haven't used it in years. All Victor equipment. My dad called it an airplane set, which I can see, but they are mostly used in HVAC now.

I also have a Smith Airline set, but I have never used it, as I don't do jewelry. Good for really delicate things.

Yeah, the jewelers version uses natural gas as the fuel because it's cleaner. A guy let me watch him repair a piece of gold with his tiny torch once - man was that cool!

[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

Happens a lot -- he probably had someone offer him a higher price and there it went. It was a small basic single stage set, and in the grand scheme of things, marginal at best. Check CL and FB Marketplace and find an outfit with larger cylinders and a heavy duty 2-stage torch set. You will not regret it -- take my word for it. Larger cylinders cost less (overall) to refill/exchange than the smaller sizes (i.e., the gas gets cheaper the more you buy), and a good industrial quality torch set will last a lifetime.

Thanks for the advice, Ray.  Yeah, I went with the big bottle on my mig welder years ago for the same reason.