Yes, I searched.

I wanna get an oxy/act setup of some kind. I won't use it all that often but would like to use it for cutting stuff thicker than 1/4" and pre-heating/heating. I can't see myself ever cutting anything thicker than 3/4" plate.

I'd definitely like to stay under 7 bills.

Airgas currently has a sale on their brand torch outfit (reportedly made by Victor) for $185.00, but I don't really have specifics (like size) beyond that. Throw in two 125cu bottles and I'm looking at $590 incl tax. But I'd have to get a rosebud(s) separately I'm sure.

Another place wanted to sell me one 150cu bottle and one 140cu. Another wanted to do 125 and 60. Should I go for equal size cylinders or?

I'd say the torch would be used 80% for pre-heating cast or heating for shaping/bending, and 20% for cutting 1/4" to 3/4" material.

Take me to school on cutting torches, I clearly don't know much.

I have a Sears torch my father got me for my birthday back in 1980. The regulators have been rebuilt twice and are still going strong. If you buy good regulators and a good torch, you'll have it forever. Victor is good, Harris may actually be better. In addition to the Sears stuff, I also have Harris and Victor for other gases :evil: my nitrous regulator is even heated!

As for tanks, the oxygen tank must be larger due to the chemistry involved. It involves words like stocihiometry, second order reactions, enthalpy, etc. Please don't make me derive it for you :flipoff2: Ah what the hell. C2H2 + 3O2 =2H2O & 2CO2 + heat. I'm not suitably motivated to do the rest of the math and that was the first time I balanced an equation in ten years.

As for what size of tank you want/need, it is up to you to balance cost versus burn time.

PEace,
PT

As for tanks, the oxygen tank must be larger due to the chemistry involved.

Doesn't have to be according to Airgas? You'll just be refilling the 02 tank more often, yes?

As for size, I think I'd like 125cu minimum. If it lasts me years, great. But I don't want small bottles, I'd rather not have to not refill very often.

buy victors i have a set that was my grandfathers from the 1950 when he used to work at the factory, never been rebuilt and still going strong, at my shop we buy what ever is the cheapest and they never last harris is second best but if u can afford it go victor

Yes, I searched.

I wanna get an oxy/act setup of some kind. I won't use it all that often but would like to use it for cutting stuff thicker than 1/4" and pre-heating/heating. I can't see myself ever cutting anything thicker than 3/4" plate.

I'd definitely like to stay under 7 bills.

Airgas currently has a sale on their brand torch outfit (reportedly made by Victor) for $185.00, but I don't really have specifics (like size) beyond that. Throw in two 125cu bottles and I'm looking at $590 incl tax. But I'd have to get a rosebud(s) separately I'm sure.

Another place wanted to sell me one 150cu bottle and one 140cu. Another wanted to do 125 and 60. Should I go for equal size cylinders or?

I'd say the torch would be used 80% for pre-heating cast or heating for shaping/bending, and 20% for cutting 1/4" to 3/4" material.

Take me to school on cutting torches, I clearly don't know much.


Ive used Harris and Victor both make good torches but the Harris is heavier (weight) making for a more clumsy feel when doing fine stuff. The money is better spent on decent regulators that are sized for the flow required for the rosebud and the cutting torches than what the "kits" usually have IMO.

A 4 hole cutting torch (cutting-mixed gas) works fine for 1/4 but you might consider 6 for the heavier stuff otherwise plan on taking a L...o...n...g time to get through it. I havent used a rosebud except for some real heavy stuff as the cutting torch does fine for my "bending" and weld preheat applications up to and including bending 1/2x3 steel fer tow bars.

Personally I'd ask about renting the bottles before buying. You can get a feel for useage, cost isnt that much more and you dont have to deal with periodic certifications.

D.

I got a setup at the Swap meet here in Phoenix for $150 a couple years ago. Everything. Tanks and a China reg/hose/torch set. It's a Victor rip-off, the internals of Victor stuff even works in it. My hoses are dry rotted on the outside, but everything dry rots out here in the heat. They don't leak though. I've never had a problem with mine other than that. Bought a $20 hand truck and ratchet strapped the whole lot to it so it's easy to move. I just filled my tanks tonight actually, It's the medium sized tanks, maybe 20 and 45?? not up on all the tank sizes. The oxygen is under the size of a 55 nitrogen, so it last quite a while. $37.

propane is better and more cost effective in a heating/cutting application, for the casual user I would get a basic set from your dealer, use propane and rent a WSC size tank I myself have 2 torches, one is a smith extended reach and the other is a harris, both have #5 tips on them and both are propane/oxy

a 20# propane tank costs $12 and will take 4 WSC cylinders of oxygen to use (251CF each) and it would cost $50 to do te same with acetyline

I can empty a 80 of oxygen in 15 minutes doing cutting work whereas a 251 will go atleast a hour if not most of the afternoon and it is cheaper

buy victors i have a set that was my grandfathers from the 1950 when he used to work at the factory, never been rebuilt and still going strong, at my shop we buy what ever is the cheapest and they never last harris is second best but if u can afford it go victor

/\ thanks to him I now have a victor torch. :p

I would also look into buying used. Sometimes you can come across good deals and you save a bit off of buying new.

i use a victor that my dad bought back in the 60s.

victor used to be a good brand, but they started doing poorly and then went bankrupt. victor is currently under ch 11. in an attempt to get back on their feet, they outsourced their production to mexico, and plans are underway to outsource it to taiwan next.

harris and smith are still made in the USA

I also got a victor hand me down from my father that he bought in the 70s. Great torch a little unwieldly since he was using it for much larger jobs than I was but I got use to it. I believe that it's a journeyman set. They still make it I think. I don't know about their quality now but they've only been rebuilt once. Tanks usually you want more oxygen because you'll use it faster. Don't remember what size my tanks are but they are about 4 and 5 feet tall.

-ben

I'm a Victor fan. Thats all we ran in the welding shop, and never a moment's trouble... except when hooking up the machine torch.

Doesn't have to be according to Airgas? You'll just be refilling the 02 tank more often, yes?

As for size, I think I'd like 125cu minimum. If it lasts me years, great. But I don't want small bottles, I'd rather not have to not refill very often.

Yes, you're correct. I should have said that the oxygen will be consumed at a faster rate.

I have found that if I do not fill my tanks regularly, they do leak. Slowly, but they leak. I'd rather know I had an empty tank to fill than think I still had gas in them-guess which boat I found myself in recently?

As for torch size, there are so many sizes available from the huge monsters at the boneyards down to aircraft and even jeweler's torches. Size the torch to the application.

I have found it to be veyr handy to have both medium sized tanks and tiny ones for field work. When I was doing contracting, the small ones were great to haul into a client's place where I wouldn't consider taking the big ones.

I own several tanks, yet I also rent a few.

propane is better and more cost effective in a heating/cutting application, for the casual user I would get a basic set from your dealer, use propane and rent a WSC size tank I myself have 2 torches, one is a smith extended reach and the other is a harris, both have #5 tips on them and both are propane/oxy

a 20# propane tank costs $12 and will take 4 WSC cylinders of oxygen to use (251CF each) and it would cost $50 to do te same with acetyline

Never heard of this. What are the drawbacks? Does it burn as hot? Do you need a special regulator for the propane which is more expensive?

Never heard of this. What are the drawbacks? Does it burn as hot? Do you need a special regulator for the propane which is more expensive?

Slightly lower temperature. Any fuel gas regulator can be used, along with torch. The chemistry isn't the same (and I'm not sure I could balance the equation after a coupla beers :D ) so I can't comment on consumption versus acetylene.

The instruction manual that came with my Craftsman torch set specifically stated that propane could be used to substitute acetylene.

Oh yeah, it's much less expensive!

Peace,
PT

Whatever you end up with, invest in a set of flashback arrestors for the torch end of the gas lines. Cheap insurance. Always shut the valves at the bottles when not in use. Dont open the acetelene bottle more than 1/2 turn, no need to. Let the acet bottle sit upright for 8 hours before use if it has been layed down such as during transport in the back of your truck.

Hey, ya said ya wanted basics.

No, I do want the basics. Thank you for all the replies so far.

So, on the propane thing.........I can just use a 20lb cylinder like you'd use on a grill? Are adapters needed to hook up to the bottle?

Here's a link on oxy/fuel safety, click click. (http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PDFs/oxyfuel%20safety.pdf) More manuals can be found in the Pirate Tech page under the PDF files section.

I have used both Victor and Harris...recently I saw a demo of a Smith and got to test drive it. All I can say is WOW!!! They are very impressive and backed buy a no questions asked warrenty. I now own one, torch cuts awesome and the tips can take one hell of a beating including a flashback.

Safety Tip: Don't flow more than 1/7 of your Acet. cylinder capacity per hour. If you draw more than that you'll pull the acetone into your regulators and lines. After that fun and dangerous things can happen.

Personally I would run Mapp gas in your case. It is the best for heating and cutting and it very safe. Propane is easy to come by but it's heating ability sucks compared to other stuff out there.

It costs about $40/yr to lease a size 4(140cf) Acet bottle & size M(125cf) Oxy. Refill for the Acet is $30 & $10 for the oxy.

I use a 20# BBQ tank with mine, there is no special adapters needed with the exception of a propane cutting tip, it burns about 7-800 deg cooler but it is still in the 3700 degree range and at that temp 95% of all metals will melt

the big plus is that it is safer then acetelyne and less volitile, another benny is that if you run out of propane you can snag the bottle off the grill and finish, or drive to a gas station that is open 24 hours and do a tank swap

Pardon me, but what is a rosebud tip?
Someone mentioned that the "kits" that are availible don't have the right regulator, is this true? How do I know, and how do I find the right one.
Thanks

Pardon me, but what is a rosebud tip?

It is a heating tip that you mount in a torch handle. You use it for heating large area's of metal quickly.

been using my dads torch that he got in 75... its a victor... never been rebuilt... gauges still good....

propane is better and more cost effective in a heating/cutting application, for the casual user I would get a basic set from your dealer, use propane and rent a WSC size tank I myself have 2 torches, one is a smith extended reach and the other is a harris, both have #5 tips on them and both are propane/oxy

a 20# propane tank costs $12 and will take 4 WSC cylinders of oxygen to use (251CF each) and it would cost $50 to do te same with acetyline

I can empty a 80 of oxygen in 15 minutes doing cutting work whereas a 251 will go atleast a hour if not most of the afternoon and it is cheaper

Maybe cheaper and easier to get, but in no way better. And if you were using acet, you wouldn't be going through the oxygen so quickly either.

I think the Craftsman portable set that is in the catalog is a Smith IIRC. Anyway it's either a Smith or Harris, and most of the tips are interchangeable with the 'branded' kit it's based on ( or IS). The Craftsman catalog is also a good source of low-cost propane tips.

We've had good luck with the C-man set, it's not getting used like professionally, but we put it through it's paces for a couple of years and it held up good.

It is a heating tip that you mount in a torch handle. You use it for heating large area's of metal quickly.

Okay thanks. Do they usually come in the kits, or do you have to buy them seperatly?

I too inherited a Victor my dad bought in the early 70's. Never had a problem with any of it. No rebuilds or anything. Don't do much brazing anymore, just use the rosebud and cutting tips. Don't know how much cutting will be done anymore since I just bought a Hypertherm 600 Plasma Cutter. My suggestion is buy used, but make sure you run it beforehand.

Okay thanks. Do they usually come in the kits, or do you have to buy them seperatly?

You have to buy them seperatly.

Maybe cheaper and easier to get, but in no way better. And if you were using acet, you wouldn't be going through the oxygen so quickly either.

i disagree, the reason I go through oxygen so fast is because I run a #6 tip and 95 PSI of oxygen to cut 2"-6" thick steel down to size for use as foundry steel

I currently use liquid oxygen for cutting apart scrap. but that is way more then a home shop based user needs so I wont comment on that

how many tons of steel have you cut apart/dismantled in the last year?
as of yesterday when I took my final load in I am currently at 213 TONS of scrap so I know a little bit about cutting torches ;)

Ok BigNat, since ya know so much about cutting torches...how's this set look? http://www.babcosales.com/product_info.php?products_id=17517 Don't mean to hijack, but I'm in the same boat.
Cheers

In some of my research I'm seeing mention of CGA inlet sizes for the regulators. What are the differences, what's better and whats' generally standard? Is it as simple as bigger flows more or?

BBBT, that is a good starter kit, home depot has it for around $229 IIRC they also have the harris port-a-torch kit for $30 more and it has a MC sized acetelyne tank and a small oxygen tank, you can trade the tanks for something bigger at your welding gas supplier

to be honest, I have always bought torches at my welding supplier that I get all my gas from, tell them what you want to do with the torches, and your price range and they should be able to set you up with a good torch kit and tanks for a reasonable amount of money. also dont bother buying tanks, lease them for the $4.00 a month or whatever they charge... atleast if you lease them and want to do a large project over the weekend most welding suppliers will let you trade in the leased bottle for a larger tank for the weekend as long as the deposit is the same.

on the inlet sizing, the bigger the regulator inlet is the larger the tip you can run, IE if you are under 6" cutting depth any standard regulator will work just fine, the larger regulators are for heavier applications

if anyone is curious I have a Harris model 136 cutting head and today I put in a #6 tip and I use Harris model 9200 regulators for both oxygen and propane

IMO 95% of the home shop torch users will like this kit: http://www.harriscal.com/2003/classic_outfits.asp it is what I originally started with and I still have it in my garage for cutting/heating stuff

that is a CDN price, so I guess thats about right on the money. Thanks man

I've got HF gift cards so this could be basically free to me, but is it total junk? Victor at HF:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3509

I've got HF gift cards so this could be basically free to me, but is it total junk? Victor at HF:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3509

The set I have now I bet is the same damned thing. It has the built in valves on the torch body. If they ever go bad, you have to replace the body, although from what I can tell, it's a direct fit with the name brand.

I think that's a little expensive. My FIL gave me my outfit and I don't believe it was $150. You want detailed pics of it?

Ive seen a starter kit that comes with the regulators, hose, handle, striker, goggles ,#0 welding tip and cutting attachment with #1 tip. What do you guys use besides what comes in the basic kit? What else besides cylinders and a cart would I want for general garage fab use? rosebud? bigger tips?

All my torches, tips, cutting heads, rosebuds, flowmeters and the 2 stage Journeyman reg set I bought used in the late 60's is all Victor. It's hard to go someplace that doesn't have Victor equipment, parts and service which is important to me.

Ive seen a starter kit that comes with the regulators, hose, handle, striker, goggles ,#0 welding tip and cutting attachment with #1 tip. What do you guys use besides what comes in the basic kit? What else besides cylinders and a cart would I want for general garage fab use? rosebud? bigger tips?

Pretty much every torch setup that I've seen for sale comes with ~3 welding torches, a handle, a cutting torch, and a rosebud. The tip that comes in the kit should work fine for you. Some people in this thread must not realize that the average home fab guy never sees over 1/2" and usually cuts 1/4-3/16...