Gas Torch

[willymakeit]

Anyone recommend a good low pressure torch for welding sheet metal, say up to 16 ga.
I've looked at some but need ideas from someone who uses them a lot.
Goss is one brand, MECO and Smith airline. Just not sure.

 

[KenS]

Henrob/Cobra--pricey but soft, controllable flame at only 4 psi for both oxygen and acetylene.

 

[zkling]

Another thread just like this is going on in the general tool discussion forum.

Yes the smith aircraft series torches are nice for welding sheet. The Smith AW1A is very popular and highly regarded. Do a google search on the torches that bicycle builders and experimental aircraft guys use.

 

[theknurl]

best gas welding/brazing torch?

hands down the Purox 00.....

interchangeable mixers for different fuels, no silly O-rings
been using the same one since i was 12, I'm 65

it weighs 10.8 oz WITH 5 tips
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=puro...tbnh=180&tbnw=170&start=0&ndsp=10&tx=84&ty=73

the bottom one with 3 tips

also get a Victor J28 handle, tips, a J550 cutting head and a rose bud as a set with the regulators used off ebay

i've tried most of the others....
how are you going to weld/braze a tube chassis with a Henrob or MECO????

 

[shawnspeed]

Knurl, you use the Smith low pressure gauges (regulators)for that Purox?? An old timer showed/told me 20 years ago the secret to gas welding thin stock is more in good gas pressure than torch....he has a smith, henrob, and purox, and they all welded great ...as long as they were on the smith regulators, especially the oxygen...change them to the run of the mill "kit " regulators, and the torch performance suffered ....alot...Just curious...Shawn

 

[d_rock]

I like the aw1 aircraft torch for sheet metal work. I don't think they make them anymore though.

 

[machine_punk]

I'm partial to the Meco midget (been a lot of 'small torch' threads here lately).

Here's where I get my stuff:
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/meco_midget_torch.php

Kev

 

[theknurl]

Shawn;
no, i've always used big Victor 2 stage regulators

Kev;
ever try brazing all the way around a mitered tubing joint angled say 30deg with a MECO in one pass?
you can't because the torch is basically flat and you can't roll it in your fingertips

did you see where Kent at tinmantech holds his MECO with visegrips when it gets too hot
what a hack......

and the short screw on tips make a less focused flame and work on a narrower pressure range

you even think about picking my Purox up without asking......i'll beat you like i own you....
used the same one for 54 years, knurling is perfect, no scratches or dents, no bent valves, no wrench marks......just rub marks from my fingers

you hand me a Purox 00 blindfolded....
the gas valve is the forward one.....i want it on the left
i check the tip, i want it facing away' i crack the acet with my right thumb and index finger....pop the striker
add oxy with the same fingers.....i can get close by sound.....but give me a break

the Henrob is even worse on tube structures.....think about it.....you can't rotate it in your hand at all

 

[KenS]

the Henrob is even worse on tube structures.....think about it.....you can't rotate it in your hand at all

No question that a conventional small aircraft torch is the way to go on tubular racing and aircraft frames-- especially clusters.

But the OP specifically asked about sheet metal. The Henrob has a sweet, soft, self-shielding pinpoint flame that reduces panel warpage with minimal HAZ. The resulting weld is soft enough to be worked, unlike its harder MIG cousin. Plus you have the advantage of having about the lowest gas usage in the industry.

Here it is doing what the OP asked by a user who owns about all the above mentioned torches...

...And here is an interesting overview of oxyacetylene torches in general.

Like many things in life, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[theknurl]

Ken;
i don't think i'd call 12ga sheet metal, the OP wanted to do 16ga and lighter

in the 2nd video he has a collection of basically Victors

there really isn't a point in big torches, unless you're whacking up scrap steel

the small Victor 28J will take #17 tips from '000' to #7 with an ID of 0.086 a #44 drill
thats up in MIG, stick, or SIGMA territory

the same little 28J with a J550 cutting head will cut 8" plate, you just need a big oxygen regulator

in a Purox i've never used my #6&7 tips and rarely the #5
the #7 has an 0.073" ID or a #49 drill

i've used a Gas Saver for 42 years, so my consumption is very low

the owner of the Henrob i used, passed away and the family offered it to me....."thank you, but i prefer the torches i have, give it to someone else"

 

[KenS]

i don't think i'd call 12ga sheet metal, the OP wanted to do 16ga and lighter

16 ga and lighter...no problem.

Like I said, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Glad you love your Purox 00. But one question: Where would the OP buy a Purox 00 today?

 

[63f100eba]

+1 on the Meco Midget. You can put small tips on a larger torch body of course but I find the light weight and small size of the little Meco just gets in the way less. Also I really like the lightweight super flexible hose available from http://www.tinmantech.com. It's all a personal preference; some folks have a preference for a certain torch body and they probably wouldn't switch for any reason.

 

[machine_punk]

What is the smallest ESAB/Purox torch out of the current lineup? I got an old Linde/Purox cutting torch with my used OA bottles, but it is built to cut up to 12" of steel...that would be a sledgehammer...I need a tackhammer of a torch.

I do have a Meco Aviator...but it didn't come with the tip adapter. Anyone have a source?

 

[theknurl]

I do have a Meco Aviator...but it didn't come with the tip adapter. Anyone have a source?

here you go;
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/all_meco_related.php#neck

its at the bottom

 

[theknurl]

16 ga and lighter...no problem.

Like I said, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Glad you love your Purox 00. But one question: Where would the OP buy a Purox 00 today?

Ken;
those pipe welds hurt my eyes.....i made all the FMF prototype pipes for 20 years

i scored 2 almost unused Purox 00s with all the tips+ 4 extras and a box numbered to the torch in the last 6 months on Ebay, last one was $30 WITH the box and tips

there appear to be 4 serial number ranges

1Jxxxx i have #2544
A30xxxx i have #1437
W421xxxx i have #7870
W485xxx i have #771

so thats a lot of them out there



the tips are numbered 1-7 which is also the gas pressures used for each tip


just looked up the price of the Henrob 2000IV.....
http://www.cutlikeplasma.com/

i can do a lot of looking for that much money