John in OH
Well-known member
Lots of good advice already provided regarding torches and regulators. I agree there is nothing wrong with "old" torches and regulators provided they have not been abused. Name-brand units can usually still be rebuilt even if the OEM is now out of business. BUT ... be wary of the older Craftsman torches & regulators as they were manufactured by several different companies and some of the older Craftsman stuff is not rebuildable (or so my local welding supply tells me).
Usually, it pays in the long run, to own your own tanks unless you are really doing a LOT of gas welding/cutting. Yeah, it's expensive to buy tanks, but the rental adds up over time and in either case you still have to pay for the gas. A word of caution regarding old tanks ... In Ohio, the tanks are stamped with a date code and if the date is expired the LWS will not exchange until the old tanks are re-hydrotested. Locally, this takes several weeks and costs $75-100. If the tank fails the hydro, it's scrap and you have to buy a new tank, or find another used tank that isn't expired.
+1 regarding use of flash-back arresters at the torch and the regulators.
Last suggestion ... take a gas welding class at your local community college or get a really good book on gas welding and read up on the subject. There are lots of little steps/tricks that you need to know to safely and properly use gas welding equipment. For instance, never use the tanks unless they are sitting upright; never exceed a acetylene pressure of 15 psig, completely back-off the regulators before opening a tank valve, never open an acetylene tank valve more than 1/4-1/2 turn, etc. etc. There's a pretty good list of "do's and don'ts" at this site: http://www.aee.vt.edu/teacher-resources/lab-safety-resources/oxyfuel.pdf but it isn't a substitute for a good book or class.
Lastly, don't use coat hangers for welding. Yeah, they may work in a dire crisis, but you have no idea what kind of **** steel was used to make the coat hanger and crappy or contaminated steel will weaken your weld. Buy regular gas welding rod at your LWS.
Usually, it pays in the long run, to own your own tanks unless you are really doing a LOT of gas welding/cutting. Yeah, it's expensive to buy tanks, but the rental adds up over time and in either case you still have to pay for the gas. A word of caution regarding old tanks ... In Ohio, the tanks are stamped with a date code and if the date is expired the LWS will not exchange until the old tanks are re-hydrotested. Locally, this takes several weeks and costs $75-100. If the tank fails the hydro, it's scrap and you have to buy a new tank, or find another used tank that isn't expired.
+1 regarding use of flash-back arresters at the torch and the regulators.
Last suggestion ... take a gas welding class at your local community college or get a really good book on gas welding and read up on the subject. There are lots of little steps/tricks that you need to know to safely and properly use gas welding equipment. For instance, never use the tanks unless they are sitting upright; never exceed a acetylene pressure of 15 psig, completely back-off the regulators before opening a tank valve, never open an acetylene tank valve more than 1/4-1/2 turn, etc. etc. There's a pretty good list of "do's and don'ts" at this site: http://www.aee.vt.edu/teacher-resources/lab-safety-resources/oxyfuel.pdf but it isn't a substitute for a good book or class.
Lastly, don't use coat hangers for welding. Yeah, they may work in a dire crisis, but you have no idea what kind of **** steel was used to make the coat hanger and crappy or contaminated steel will weaken your weld. Buy regular gas welding rod at your LWS.
