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Gas Welding equipment what say you pros about this

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Rob Keeble

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12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Murphy struck again ....trusted the mechanics at a new local shop.....just my luck dont want to rant about it, just going to get er done and move on.

Anyhow now i will fix it myself .....again. :rolleyes:


So i am in the market to sort out once and for all getting a gas welding setup.

Found a fullblown Harris pro set never used near me for sale......whats this Brand like. I can get this for $200 all in thats hoses, torch, both gauges, goggles and flint strike all new in a box.

My kit came from SA and was a hand down from my Dad who consulted to the manufacturer but the connections dont fit local gas bottles so i gotta buy a new set.


I see Harris seems to be a brand copied by the pirate manufacturers. But i also see Victor. So which is the go to Brand.


Thanks in advance of any help.
 
I've not used a Harris set either, mine is a craftsman set, but was manufactured by Victor (purchased in early 80's). They seem to be the most popular on the welding boards I frequent, but Harris has been around a long time, also owned by Lincoln Electric.
 
i have victor, and has worked well for over 30yrs, now another thing you need to check on is getting tanks rob. dont know your regs but the regs can cause one trouble ..gases are explosive and you already have trouble with the nn..
 
The Experimental Aircraft boys like the Harris for its size and it is a good set up and high quality torch. I grew up with Victor and we also used it in a mfg shop. So you really cant go wrong with ether one in my opinion (for what thats worth):D
 
Thanks again guys. Waiting on the seller.

Larry as you know NN can go jump. I am done with letting them negative vibes affect me.

Cylinders no problem just add to the cost. I have also found a small unit something like my Dad gave me that has two small bottles, torch, gauges and pipe and even carrier for around $350 on a sale. Normal price for these units are over $500 before our 13% added sales tax.

I dont see myself doing any heavy cutting with this unit so the small one might do what i need.

Just depends on my chosen path. (different post).

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I've used a variety of brands of regulators and they all seem to work about the same. After some time, the seat starts to leak and the regulator has to be re-built. You'll know when you have a leak because the low pressure gauge will start to climb when you're not lit. As soon as you turn on the valve on your torch, the low pressure will fall to what it should be and stay there until you turn the valve on the torch off again.

You can often find used setups, including tanks, for a decent price. Even if the regulators need to be rebuilt, they can often be a good deal.

The problem with small tanks is the acetylene. It's dissolved in acetone in the tank. If you try to get too much acetylene out of the tank (a high flame) you'll get acetone spitting in the torch. Unless you need portability it's nice to have a larger tank.

Mike
 
Thank you Mike. Your point about tank size is an eye opener. It never got mentioned when i asked the guy selling cylinders about the pros and cons of the different sizes.
As for second hand equipment in my market place well most often i find the prices are not worth it. Our sales tax here is 13% i think this has a fair influence in the second hand market. Not only that but a lot of the second hand stuff i find in my reasonable travel distance is stuff that was branded for some box stores and sold as wanna be real things but are basically junk.



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Looks like it would get a job done, but I mostly use mine for cutting. The carrier looks handy, but would also like to see more protection around the gauges. A tip in the wrong direction and one of those bottles could become a torpedo at the NN house...oh the humanity! :D
 
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Rob, you could also get a regulator and tips to use propane/oxygen rather than the acetylene. Propane is way cheaper and cuts steel just fine. It does not get as hot as the latter but works well. My brother-in-law uses a set up like that in his truck garage.

I have used both as well as MAPP/oxygen for cutting.
 
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