Purox - Worth Fixing?

Gem99ultra · Apr 15, 2013

After not doing any welding or cutting for about 20 years, I upped and bought a Miller 211 MVP. Love it. But that's not my problem...

Along with any electric welding one needs an O/A unit every once in a while. So, I dug out my Oxy/Ac rig to cut some 1/2" plate steel to make myself a nice welding table. Welding on a woodworking table doesn't work very well. Long story short - All three of my Purox cutting torches are in unuseable shape. Stuck valves, rotted o-rings, oxidized, etc.

Question: What can I use to safely clean those cutting torches up with? I'm sure I can pick up some o-rings cheaply. But it comes to mind that the three Purox CW202's and a handful of welding tips may not be worth repairing. Or - should I toss them and go with another brand?

Thanks for any info you might offer.

Gary Fowler · Apr 15, 2013

Change out of O-rings and clean up of tarnished brass are easy enough to do, but if the regulators require rebuilding then that is a job for a technician and may cost as much as new regulators. I would suggest taking them into your local welding supply, get a quote to fix and then make the decision on buying new or fixing them. Likely you need new hoses also if the rest is rotting, then hoses likely need replacement. I think you may find that repair is not an option when you start pricing regulator rebuild, new hoses, new o rings for valves and torch head. There a several brands that are similar to Victor torches and use the same tips but are about half the cost of VICTOR units. Check them out at your welding supply or some of the big box stores like LOWES , Home Depot also sell an economy model.

Gem99ultra · Apr 15, 2013

Thanks Gary, for the info. Surprisingly, the regulators seem to be fine and I have a new set of whips and flash back protectors. It appears that just the cutting heads and mixing barrels are defunct. The controls on the torch head and mixing barrels appear to be jammed up with crud.

But - like you said, repair may be more costly than replacing with another torch. Good advice. BTW, there seems to be quite a number of Purox sets on eBay. The sellers seem to be wary of saying that they are in good condition. Would you advise to stay away from those? Or are they pretty much bullet-proof...?

Stimw · Apr 15, 2013

Sounds like you need to "Love the one you're with".
You know the over-all condition of your torch so getting an estimate for repair makes more sense than one you know nothing about from ebay.

yomax4 · Apr 15, 2013

I'm not sure there are parts for the 202's anymore. They went obsolete with the 275's back in the 90's. I would bet that with new o-rings, They would work. You may need to replace the plunger on the cutting attachment. I believe the part number is or was . 08M06 Purox o-rings are waaaay more expensive than the rest. Good luck.

Gem99ultra · Apr 17, 2013

StimW, I'm not sure that my torch has gotten much love in the last number of years :-( It did go through a flood and did not get proper attention then, or afterwards.

Yomax4, I'm surprised that parts 'might' even be available. Thanks for the p/n though. I will check today before giving up. Main thing I learned here though is that anything other than a simple repair should be handled by a trained technician.

Thanks to all for the info.

weldermike · Apr 17, 2013

You probably have spiders in them

Gary Fowler · Apr 17, 2013

O-rings in the torch high pressure valve are simple to replace. Your LWS should have some for less than $10 to replace the valve seats and the torch to mixing barrel o ring. A special non oily lubricant, I think silicone based, might also be all that it need other than taking apart, cleaning and lubricating. CAUTION: DONT USE REGULAR GREASE ON OXYGEN FITTINGS.