hey guys, I'm looking to pick up my own set of torches. i've been borrowing torches whenever I needed them for the last 10 years and finally decided I need my own set for my new garage. I don't use torches that often so I don't know how big a set I need. I generally use them for the every once in a while bending type jobs like a set of steering arms or extremely stubborn hardware. I'm only expecting maybe using them half a dozen times a year MAX. would the portable $2-300 sets that are offered by harbor freight, victor and lincoln be enough for me?? My brother is building a car as well and since we don't use them we could easily share them between the two of us if they were portable. I've never actually used a set of torches for cutting or welding. thanks for the help thanks for the help!
Its been my experiance that the small bottles cost almost as much to refill, so if you have the space go with a bigger set
woops, Wally beat me too it,lol keep in mind that they charge the same for filling the bottles big or small,they do here anyway,just my 2 cents,good luck
go with the small victor torch and guages, they are great for home use and wont break the bank, and definitely go with the big bottles and put them on a 2 wheel dolly cart so you can secure them.
There are sets that pop-up on Craigslist all the time. I have a set with Victor gauges, the bottles are about 4'tall with an extra oxygen bottle that were my Dad's that I am going to put up for sale for $200.00, along with alot of old tools and stuff starting this Saturday 7/17/10 in San Mateo,Ca at the first of many garage/estate sales since he p***ed away. The house has been in our family since 1929. If you had a way to get them home it would be a great deal. I'll post some pictures if anyone local is interested.
I've been using the Harbor Freght torches and gages for the last few years no problem. But you want at least the 40 cubic foot bottles ,usually called the "B" size, about 3' tall and readly portable.
Around 1970, for auto body work, I bought the smallest set of Smiths torches. Came with 2 heating tips plus the cutting head. I wanted small for light weight when doing gas welding before migs came out. I still only have that set, but bought a rosebud heating tip. This small setup with the rosebud was hot enough to drop Ford I beams !! Anything over a B tank will likely be a lease type rental. B's go quick if heating dropped axles, but will be plenty for your uses.
Kev, I think you'll appreciate finding a set of the Victor, and if their small hand torch set is available, it can fit in anywhere when doing body work or loosening rusted fasteners, heating and bending, welding.
thanks for the input guys! I just checked the tank size on the set I have borrowed from work in the past for a couple jobs (they don't allow it anymore unfortunately) and It has 40cf tanks on it. I did two sets of spindles and a headlight bar when I borrowed it last and although I don't remember how much gas I used, I know I had plenty left. Anyone have a good place to pick up the recommended "small" victor torch set?? what about the (gasp!!) harbor freight sets? I have a tractor supply store near me that will exchange a tank that I own so that doesn't seem to be a problem. I found some decent prices on the web for tanks too. 40cf acetylene for $87 free shipping 40cf oxy for $88 free shipping trying to get into this as cheap as possible because it's really not something I will use often, but it is a requirement.
E-bay is a great place for the small Victor set your looking for, and if I may, consider buying a set that includes the rosebud tip, if you add it on later, they can get pretty pricey, just my $.02. Just to clarify, I am NOT recommending Chinese.
I've seen the cheapy chinese sets listed on Ebay that include a rosebud for less than $100. seems that a basic victor torch set goes for 2-250? none of the name brand sets I've looked at include the rosebud. I'm thinking I should stay away from the chinese stuff though? I've been looking on craigslist for a decent set of name brand torches but everything I found is pretty used and abused and not much cheaper than new!
The purchase of the bottles is usually more expensive than a good set of regs,hose and torches,,Before buying bottles,check your local welding supply.They will not fill just any old bottle. If you purchase used bottles,they will more than likely want to test them before filling. And buying bottles is still better than renting them
Over here in the UK we have to rent the cylinders and it gets damn expensive. Another thing that may or may not apply to you is your household insurance, and where you will be storing the cylinders. If there is a fire in a building and there are gas cylinders inside the fire service will not enter to rescure "stuff", but will do what they can to extinguish it safely and wait 24 - 48hrs or whatever to be sure things have cooled down. I'd love to have a set, and have torches and hoses, but haven't yet been able to justify the cost and h***le of renting the cylinders!
For the tanks, like I said, at the least I can go to tractor supply to swap whatever tanks I buy (new) for full ones from them. I haven't called the local gas supplier to see what they charge, but they are even closer to me (if they are still open!) tanks will be about $180 for the pair plus the fill. torches? I don't know yet.
I got a big ol knarly Victor in my garage. No tanks yet. But I got it used cheap and when I need a torch I really need a torch. Suffice to say I don't weld up jewelery. A lot of the fellas use those little portable sets with good luck. Most of the time for stuff around the house if it will cut 1/4" steel its all you will ever need.
I have a rear junkyard set up, huge acetylene bottle and regulation oxygen bottle. I swapped my small tanks with a stock car sponsor many years ago, he's out of business, no idea where my registered bottles wound up. I have a buddy in the fabrication business and get my oxygen there, haven't had to fill the acetylene bottle in years. But what a h***le if you do it the right way, much easier to score a MAC10 with the serial numbers ground off, a kilo of heroin and a blue-eyed blond white slave virgin on the international market. Bob
With the Victor torches you can get parts and pieces just about anywhere. Not so with some of the other stuff. I have a big old Harris torch set and while the cutting head is up to cutting just about anything the welding torch part of it can be a pain and it's a bit heavy to use for long periods of time. I picked up a setup a while back off Craigslist that has tanks, cart gauges and torch for 200.00 I ended up using my hoses and torch with the gauges that came with the set though. The tanks were even full. With that I am saying don't forget to look for used stuff in the little nickle paper and on Craigslist. You usually have to have the cash in hand and be able to get there quick when those deals pop up though. The only guys I know who have the little portable sets use them to pack along when they go parts scavenging and need to cut a piece off a car. Both of those guys have larger sets for home use.
rev, FWIW, The bay has item #180512464893, $369 FREE ship, Victor Perf. claims it comes w/ rosie too. As w/ anything on the bay, send him a e-mail an verify what comes w/ the set, then you have it in writing. Hope that helps. The bay has really dried up as far as Oxy/Acet welding gear goes.
I have a small portable set and they are great to have around. Not the best for heating big items but they will cut 3/8" and 1/2" steel no problem (get some big tips) and i can drag them all over the salvage yards! I do want a full size set for home but the portable has never let me down!
I took a trip to harbor freight last night to see what they had in stock for torch sets. I found a Chicago Electric brand that's on sale for $99 and with a 20% off coupon could be had for $80. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oxygen and Acetylene Welding Kit[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Medium duty Oxy-Acetylene Welding Outfit helps you complete a wide range of metalworking jobs[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Here's a complete oxy-acetylene welding kit you'll use to handle a broad range of cutting, welding, and heating applications. Comes with 1/4" x 12-ft. R-grade oxygen and acetylene hoses, VM-W #0 welding nozzle, 3-101 #0 cutting tip, cutting attachment VM-222, #5-shade goggles, VM-221 torch handle with built-in flashback arrestors and check valves, tip cleaners and striker, all packed in a heavy duty molded storage case. [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [*]1/16" welding capacity [*]1/2" cutting capacity [*]Solid br*** torch handle and regulators[/FONT] Here is a kinda hokey vid of a guy reviewing it: they also sell a #6 size rosebud tip for this for $13. I called my local tractor supply and they get $40 to swap out 40cf acetylene tanks and $25 for the same size oxygen tank. still have to call my local welding supplier, they were closed when I got out of work.
just called my local welding supply house (Airgas) and they will swap out my tank for a full one. for 40cf tanks the price for a swap is: acetylene $35 oxygen $23 by going with this setup listed above, I would be into a set of torches that would do everything I need for $313 including full tanks
If you're not in a hurry, keep a close eye on Craigslist. Be warned that good deals on torches go QUICK, or at least they do around here. I've got less than 200 bucks in my set. You can't see my torch, but it's a small Victor. In addition, I also have a larger Victor that I leave the cutting head on, and a spare set of regulators. I have a medium size torch with several heads, but that was a gift from a friend. He also gave me the s**** metal that I made my cart out of- the cart that came with the bottles was as lousy of a torch cart as I've ever seen. But-I didn't put this set together this cheaply overnight. I waited for good deals to come my way. I'm not rich, so I have to be patient.
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