Meco Midget! The same great tiny flame as a Henrob without the 5lb weight or high cost. I can hold a puddle on 18g almost indefinitely with mine and I'm fairly new (2 years) to gas welding. Only $115 at tinmantech. You need to buy some adaptors to put it on a normal hose and use decent regulators, but my local welding supply store got me the adaptors for $10 or so... http://tinmantech.chainreactionweb....rch.php?cart=d413412cb06d43214f8d1a814399c306 And a thread of what a motivated HAMBer can do with one with a little practice... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145993
Meco Midget, like Redneck said. Get the superflex hose set and a 2 stage regulator set and you will be in control. Mike
The Dillon/Henrod is weird to hold but it has less flame pressure, since it mixes the gas and oxy in the handle rather than the tip. Try both and see what works for you. Good luck
I've got a Henrob, never tried the Midget. If you don't have a plasma cutter, and don't plan on getting one in the future, get the Henrob. The Midget doesn't do cutting, the Henrob is excellant at it.
I have a Victor, a Henrob, and a Meco Midget. I like the Meco the best. Small, really light, very easy to handle. The Victor is just your run of the mill torch. The Henrob does everything that it's advertised to do, but is awkward because of the shape (IMHO), and is also very heavy when compared to the Meco.
With a Victor you will never be limited,I can use mine to braze your sun gl***es or cut 1 1/2" plate.Victor is the industry standard
I have a victor as well as my Meco. Industry standard or not, they don't make a tip small enough to do sheet metal as well as the Meco. I agree that they make quality stuff though...
Well I was hopping you guys like the Victor one b/c I been working up a trade with this guy, he's giving me a brand new set up (Victor Brand) for some hydraulic pumps I have in my garage. Should I just tell him to give me the cash and get a Henrob?
I also have the victor j48 (I think that is the umber) it is the aircraft torch. It works great on sheetmetal with a OO tip. It has the valves up at the top of the handle. It is just a little heavier than the Meco. Mike
I have a bunch-0-torch collection Yes they are heavy and dumb but nothing welds sheet metal like a Henrob
Meco Midget. Get the small hoses too. Caution: the meco doesn't use gaskets on the tips. If you don't tighten them down with a wrench, then you will get a big surprise. Ask me how I know --- YeeeooooWW! I have a Henrob and a Victor as well. I like them all, but love the Meco.
Get the cash, buy a Meco, the Hoses, and the TM2000 lens in the headset, and some flowers and dinner for your girlfriend. ...or spend it all on a Henrob.
get a small tip and make a new screw on tip for it and drill your own small hole.ten dollar tip five dollar fix
I guess it depends on your regulators, see other threads. But, honestly, I've used mine with both good regulators from Harris and cheap chinese ones from Harbor Freight (second hand, I know better at this point than to spend money there) and it works fine. I just needed a pair of adaptors from my welding store. Cost less than $10. The hoses are nice because the torch is so tiny that big hoses make it feel kinda off-balance, but it works for me...
I don't understand what you're talking about here. How do you drill your own small hole when all the tips they sell for that torch have a bigger hole than the one you need to easily weld thin sheet? I think I could weld up a pop-can with my Meco...
On my tiny torches I use TIG water line for hoses. been doing that for years...... you can't step on them but they are light and work well The smallest torch rig I have is a Victor jewelers rig with it own hoses There is a Smith rig even smaller than the Meco but I still go back to the Henrob.
1/4" is plenty strong for any bracket I'd be welding on my bike (jumping over here from the Jockey Journal). Thanks for the info Creepy.
Just come inside for a break (chopping a '51 Merc 4 door) and noticed this post. I have to say personaly I like the Henrob/ Dillon/Cobra. I'll admit I haven't used a Meco. The size, and weight ? of the Henrob isn't really of concern tor me, you weld an inch, then hammer and dolly anyways. I like the fact that the torch has an incredible mixing chamber compared to Victor, very little unburnt acetylene, resulting in a flame comparable in size to a pinstipe brush quill = LESS RADIANT HEAT. I invested in a Gas Saver shut off valve. I mounted it on a microphone stand bought at a garage sale. Weld a little, hang the torch(torch shuts down), hammer & dolly, pick up the torch (gas flow starts up again), light the torch with the pilot flame, and "Bob's your uncle" . My two cents worth.
Awesome, I've got my Meco on a cymbal stand. Same thing basically. The gas saver's the best $50 someone who wants to O/A bodywork can spend...
all of my tips have a screw on end that can be removed,a replacement tip fabbed up with a very small hole I started at .050 and reamed it out until I got an even flame about the size of a pencil lead and 6" long