What do you think of this torch kit?

[SR5Dave]

Taking use of the new forum (thank you Lance)

Someone posted a link to this and I spent the next hour oogling it wondering if it'd be a good idea for me. I'm moving into my own home, with a good sized garage, but still have little cash. I wanted a torch setup because they're very versatile, and this seemed to really improve on that, being able to do sheetmetal, thick cast metal, make EXCELLENT cuts, etc. I'm sure the guys using it are total pro's, so I can't expect that level, but it still seems great. Anyone used it or have any thoughts? Thanks :D

http://www.henrod.com/
Torch (little guy)
http://www.henrod.com/images/image_settingup01.jpg
Sheetmetal
http://www.henrod.com/images/image_sheet_metal_10.jpg
Chrome-Moly Tubing
http://www.henrod.com/images/image_welding_chromemoly_54.jpg
1/2" metal-
http://www.henrod.com/images/image_thick_steel_27.jpg

[unimogken]

Another tool to add to my list!

I've got the TIG on the way and I think this will be a great torch to have around the garage.

Thank you for the link!

[Goldmember]

Hmmm defiantely a great link. I guess I'll add that one too. I'm need of a torch and this would be ideal.

Koko

[SR5Dave]

I figured for 350$ plus some tanks.. thats not a bad tool to have, considering it can do quite a bit! Might not be the perfect tool for every job, but it has the ability to do pretty much everything.

I'm just wondering if its cool as they say it is. Wuzabronco got one, hopefully he will chime in.

[Rudezuk]

Yeah id like to hear how this works also....looks like you can do quite a bit of welding with it! I already have the oxy acetaline torch, so this would add to it:D

[fj40guy]

Side note, for really fine welding (4130, thin sheet, etc) also check out the MECO mini torch.

Meco midget torch (http://www.tinmantech.com/html/meco_midget_torch.html)

Kent White lives up in Northern California. Only thing I can say is me makes metal work look easy (look around that site). His preference is for the MECO. Problem I have is BIG HANDS (no jokes), so what is comfortable to one person would make my hand cramp.

Yes, I've seen the "amazing" henrob at some of the swap meets, but they are a bit of a side circus when you look at the welding material. Still it is a neat torch (it was the Dillion long before Henrob obtained mfg rights), but not a "one torch does all" sort of thing.

I have TIG (250A Hobart) machine, Plasma, etc... still think I could use the Meco for some stuff.

If you oxy/acetlyene weld aluminum (yes, you read that correctly)... check out the googles on the Web site above. I have a friend who can do this, and it looks fantastic. I got really frustrated as I would "blob" the hell out of any project. I still swear it can only be TIG welded... viola, finally dawned on me why he had those funny "aluminum welding googles". :flipoff2:

Once the shop is built, and before I start doing a bunch of 4130 welding... I'll probably sign up for EAA (experimental aircraft assoc) TIG welding class. Just feel more comfortable using TIG on 4130 (small heat zone), yet for WWII all those small planes were oxy/acetlyene welded.

Tom :usa:

[PTSchram]

Just feel more comfortable using TIG on 4130 (small heat zone), yet for WWII all those small planes were oxy/acetlyene welded.

Tom :usa:[/QUOTE]

General aviation aircraft had gas welded frames up into the 80's. Once you learn how to adjust the torch, it goes quickly and easily. AFAIK, for some, gas is still required for repairs-although I've been out of the business for 20 years+.

[XJClown]

Wow, what i would give to get one of those. Did you see the 1/2" steel it cut, like a plasma but 1/4 the price!!!!!!! Another thing to add to the list. (the list is really long!!!)

[SR5Dave]

Wow, what i would give to get one of those. Did you see the 1/2" steel it cut, like a plasma but 1/4 the price!!!!!!! Another thing to add to the list. (the list is really long!!!)

I know! That was one of the things that made me really want it

[wuzabronco]

I bought a Henrob torch about 2 months ago. I got the kit plus 2 extra tips, the low pressure regulators and 25 foot hose from the web site. After buying 125 cu.ft. tanks and cart the total was over $1000. I haven't used it much, just a couple hours of practice, but I like it alot. I haven't gas welded since metal shop in high school 20 years ago, but i was putting down some respectable beads with a few minutes of practice ( I have been using mig and stick in the garage over the years).

Here is a pic of one of my first welds, after only a few inches of practice. Its on the miter joint of a bent piece of 20 gauge (an aborted hood scoop project).
http://webpages.charter.net/w01845730/pictures/weldbead.JPG

Not the best fitup, and no filler, but full penetration and no burn through. With more practice I was able to put down some straighter, very narrow welds, with less heat affected zone. I've also welded some 1/8" sheet and angle iron. I need more practice with the rod, and need to get different sizes to match the metal thickness.

The cutting is a little trickier to master. The flame and oxygen are on separate tips, so you need to move at just the right speed to keep it hot enough to cut cleanly, but not overheat and distort or melt. I need more practice to "cut like plasma".
http://webpages.charter.net/w01845730/pictures/cutting.JPG

I have no regrets about buying it. I just need more practice and want to try different metals. Mostly I need to get my butt away from the computer and into the garage to use all the cool tools I've been collecting.

[BigWoodyWag]

I saw a vendor at a couple of swap meets here in Texas, after about the 3rd one I stopped to see why he always had a crowd. :eek: fricking amazing. On top of that you it is much more efficient so you end up saving on gas usage. No I haven't bought one.........yet. It is high up on my list.

This dude wentr from cutting 14-20 guages thin ass metal with no distortion to slicing thru 3/4 inch like a hot knife through butter. With zero splatter or weld back.

[BigWoodyWag]

Yep, I got one. Finally did it. Found a used one for a couple hundred.
I absolutely love it. Practiced with it for quite awhile. I haven't gas welded since I was in high school (10 years). So I had to grab a spec sheet on filler rods and grabbed a few various ones at the welding store.
Anywho to the details. This thing welds basically like a tig, but its the old style gas. The flame is so finite, I can literally put my finger almost into the feather before you feel the heat. I ended up welding up a crack in a set of '65 Rivi cast iron exhaust manifold, which I thought were junk. Good as new now.
I am absolutely sold on this thing. And the novelty of my new 251 Miller hasn't even worn off yet, but I'm dying to see how well I can do welding AL with this little torch.
As for cutting, it cuts just like a Plasma without the noise.
HUGE THING TO NOTE: you never move the Acetylene above 4psi. And only move Oxygen above 4psi when you are cutting heavy plate (1"). My Oxygen regulator doesn't even register at 4 psi. :eek: So yes I am expecting my gas runs for refills to be few and far between.

[DRM]

So, if I don't have a torch setup yet - should I buy this instead?

[whypave]

I saw this first at a truck show as well and I was hooked on getting one. I just got mine a week or so ago and I've since been acquiring the tanks and regulators etc. I am hoping to start learning it this weekend. I'm glad to hear some folks are having good luck with these. When you see someone at a show using it, you have to wonder what the tricks are :) How long did you have to practice to do good cuts?

I found that my local gas place (Roberts Oxygen) would match the price of tanks that Indiana Oxygen Company has on eBay so I was able to save about 70 bucks on tanks for my setup. http://www.cut-like-plasma.com is having a special on these right now where they throw in an extra .5 tip and some other crap and its $319 shipped.

[DRM]

I notice their kit does not include hoses or regulators. I have one of these, to get started can i just use the tanks, hoses, and regulators fro this?

http://www.truckpartsproshop.com/images/portable_gas_welding_outfit_kits_1.gif

[MiniMog]

From what I see on their site yes and no, you can use the bottles and hoses but the regulators may not work. They need to be set a 4lbs, do your regs even register that low?

[DRM]

From what I see on their site yes and no, you can use the bottles and hoses but the regulators may not work. They need to be set a 4lbs, do your regs even register that low?

Good question... I will check when I get home ;)

[whypave]

I asked cut-like-plasma.com if I needed their LP regulators just last week and they didn't push me to buy them. They said they've had a few issues with Harris regulators but that most regulators will work fine. You may not have anything register on the guage (they have low pressure gauges as well for sale) but as long as the regulator can hold 4psi well then you shouldn't have a problem. The torch includes the flashback arrestors you can screw into your hoses and the hose fittings from a standard setup will screw right onto the end of the Henrob.

My guess is that the lowest tic mark on your regs will be at the 5psi mark and the lowest number will be higher than that.

[DRM]

Hmm... I know my tiny-torch tanks are small, but if I can re-use the regulators & hose that would be sweet to get me started, and upgrade later :)


Besides, my birthday is this Sunday, and dad was just saying he was tired of me complaining and was gonna get me a set of torches anyway... maybe I should just talk him into this instead ;)

[ChiScouter]

I bought a henrob a few years ago and haven't used it much. With conventional torches I really, really suck at cutting. I am better with the henrob, but I still suck. I have had a lot of trouble getting it to run consistant, maybe my cheap ass harris regulators ar the culprit. I had a lot of problems with the tips clogging, I suggest you buy lots of extra tips to have on hand. I didn't click on any of the links of what the torches are going for, but I found price swings of hundreds of dollars from dealer to dealer so shop around. If you are thinking about buying a henrob do a search on the board here. IIRC I bought mine from a link here and saved a lot of money. My dealer was in SC ........or somewhere in the Southeast

I was not knocked over after using it, I can do aircraft quality gas welds, but for some reason I have never been able to cut worth a shit. When I finally get a plasma I will probably sell my henrob.

[BigWoodyWag]

DRM- Yes you can run your regulators. The deal is to turn your line pressure all the way off. Then crack the tanks. Acetylene 1st, now turn up the line pressure enough to strike and get flame, then you adjust the acetylene flame. Now you crack the O2 tank, and now you adjust the flame with your line pressure. When you have the flame set to a good feather, your set. Now actually look at your regulator dials. The o2 won't even have registered it's on.
My regulators don't register low enough to record either. And yes your little bottle set up will last an assload longer than they would normally due to how little gas the Henrod uses.
Think of it like driving a car that the speedo doesn't work. You know your moving, rather or not the speedo registers any speed or not.

I'm not getting rid of my standard torch, but this thing has totally opened my eyes up to whats possible with it.

[DRM]

Well, I am in the position where all I have now is the little torch kit - which is fun ti play with - but just not useful for very long.

I was about to (As in - any day now) get a bigger torch setup, but say this thread and the prices and started considering other options.

If I can make use temporarily of the small bottles/regulators/hoses, then I like the idea and this Henrob setup is not much more expensive than if I had to go buy a torch kit and big bottles anyway.

And if I can learn to gas weld with it - the small bottles would make for a convenient portable welding setup too :)

Where have you guys found these things used? Web prices look like $320-$360 for the kit... are there better prices out there?

[DRM]

2 things.

1. My small torch kit *does* read down to 5psi, go figure.

2. On Saturday morning, I just went ahead and bought some bottles and a torch kit so I could get finished with some projects.

Maybe in a few years I will pick up a Henrob and start playing :)

[whypave]

I started to use mine this weekend. I had a bit of trouble dialing it in because I was trying to use the regulators only as they mention in the instructions. A buddy of mine came over who's familiar with normal Oxy torches and he used the valves on the henrob directly to setup the Just of Feather (JOF) flame and we were cutting 1/2 plate in no time. Interestingly we had a fair amount of slag on the back side when we were testing with 1/4 material, but actually had hardly any when we were working with a scrap of 1/2 plate. I think getting the oxygen pressure right for the "blow through" nozzle of the torch is critical to minimizing slag as it the speed you pull the torch.

We also tried welding with it, but haven't gotten the hang of that yet. It seems like preping the materials is a key ingredient to success. DRM if you do decide to get one down the line go to http://www.cut-like-plasma.com and you can get an entire new kit for 319 shipped to your door. They are in SC so it takes no time at all to the eastern US.

[SR5Dave]

Maybe in a few years I will pick up a Henrob and start playing :)

Now now, don't hurry yourself :flipoff2:

I haven't found a better price. I see a few on ebay here and there but they are the same price.