Cheap Cutting Torch?

[RonR]

In a former life where I WORKED for a living, I'd wear work jeans and a decent shirt. When I needed to get dirty, I'd slip on some old old old coveralls. The bottom of the legs were frayed, which didn't bother me--heck, it kept the grease/dirt/oil off my good clothers.

That is, until I was welding one time and SMELLED an unusal smell--like cloth burning. I stopped, raised my hood, to discover my frayed pant legs were on FIRE.

After the fire was out, I quickly replace the coverals and never wore frayed ones again.

Hope this helps.

ron

 

[AntrimMan]

For safety's sake here is what I learned the hard way.
Good fitting gloves may not offer the same feel as bare hands but they do prevent burns.
Sneakers and welding / cutting do not mix.
It is amazing how much panel sealer there is in a car and it does burn.
While you are busy welding away you will be oblivious to what is happening away from the flame.

All the best,
Martin

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I've been eyeing this set.
I like the angle grinders.Get my 7' disks from Grainger and when they get smallish,I run them in the 4". Harbor Fright cut/weld set

Just for the heck of it I clicked on this link found in a Google search posted 5 years ago and low and behold the same set of cutting torches are currently on sell for $89.

 

[lostcause]

i bought my torches about 15 years ago - also at sam's club. they are a harris set that i paid about $125~ish for, if i remember correctly. i always had a portable oxy & disposable mapp setup before that, so i just bought an acetylene cylinder to go with it then. those small tanks are great, cause you can take the torches anywhere at the drop of a hat. you wouldn't believe how often i got a call saying: "can you and your torches come over here...?"

i've since progressed to the largest size leased bottles (i dunno the exact sizes). it was about $350-$400 for a 5 year lease on both bottles and the first full tank of each type of gas. big bottles are much cheaper per hour of use, but those portables are awful handy if you're the handy sort of person who ends up going on adventures after pieces of machinery in strange places.

 

[wldrbob]

the cheapest way to go is probly take it to a welding shop if you only need a few cuts .they probly have a plasma cutter and an experienced worker so you get a neat job.if your sure you need torches get sombody to show you the proper way to operate them. i teach an adult education welding course and you wouldnt belive the amount of wrong information out there.

 

[j250trxr]

I just went in with my dad on the large oxygen and and acetyline tanks. 250.00 each with the gauges, 50' hose, torch, and 2 welding tips and a sunflower tip plus gloves and goggles. They were both half full. We were using my brothers small portable tanks but the tanks seem to run out sorta quick, we were running 7 psi on the acetaline and 30 psi on the oxygen. The new large tanks seem to last a lot longer and the price to refill them is not much more than th small tanks. I found them on craigslist might want to check that out, also the set we got is victor.

 

[joes_427_vette]

The problem is if you don't have a current lease for the tanks no one will fill them. Too many liabilities. They must be inspected on a regular basis. I haven't found one location that would just exchange cylinders. I have a lifetime lease for five hundred on the largest size tanks. I can re lease or give them back and get 70% of the price I paid. Best deal going.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The problem is if you don't have a current lease for the tanks no one will fill them. Too many liabilities. They must be inspected on a regular basis. I haven't found one location that would just exchange cylinders. I have a lifetime lease for five hundred on the largest size tanks. I can re lease or give them back and get 70% of the price I paid. Best deal going.

Airgas and Tractor Suppy Company (TSC) are the two places in town that will do exchange of cylinders for O/A gases if you own your own tanks. Actually TSC is a dealer for www.gaspony.com gases and they are in other farm stores in other areas. TSC/PonyGas will sell you a new cylinder but they do not have a lease program (at least locally).

My E-Bay ordered 20/10 O/A tanks are on the way to the office by UPS today and I will take them my TSC so see how smooth the exchange is for new tanks. On the larger tanks there is a one time $19 fee per tank that are not already in the Thoroughbred industrial cylinder exchange.

If one is going to use the weld supply stores for medical oxygen per my neighbor it is best to work with someone that does not ask why you never by acetylene from them.

I decided to go with TSC over Airgas who is a little cheaper just because I can exchange cylinders 7 days a week (nice when you do weekend projects) plus they are in the Taco John's parking lot.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Follow up on Ebay O/A tank purchase.

UPS delivered them today and I took them to Tractor Suppy Company and they exchanged them for filled ones with no questions asked. Well for a fee.

Sure I would like to have keep my new ones but exchange is the only affordable solution on welding gas I understand from a business aspect.

 

[Sunkistdds]

I have 2 sets, a craftsman/victor in the shop roll around and a meco on my portable trailer. I have a professional / dental practice so I have multiple, like 14, tank leases so the tanks are not a problem and I use medical as it just costs 3 bucks more ( actually the same stuff, but don't tell)...

Anyway, 2 suggestions. One look at the cutting torch from Harbor Freight. I got 2 at 50 apiece and I love them. Better than the Victor and not bad when compared with the gold standard cutmaster. For 50 bucks they are amazing. Second, it is possible to buy older ( probably smaller)tanks at a sale and fill from a bigger bottle. I have mid sized tanks on the portable for O2 and I just link them with a filler I got from my gas company and I get almost a full tank and not a lot less in the big tank... which I use in the shop and take back and forth from the office.

Not used a lot now that I have my shop plasma... but still a necessity.