WordMan
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I am looking to buy a decent set of Oxyacetylene torches/regulators/hoses/set.
Any recommendations? Any brands to avoid?
Any recommendations? Any brands to avoid?
Oxyacetylene Set Recommendations
- Thread starter WordMan
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PopcornSutton
Well-known member
Victor is used more than any other brand I've seen.
Oh no! I just learned that Kent White passed away this year.
He was a master gas welder and had a fantastic website.
Website (snapshot):
His youtube:
www.youtube.com
R.I.P
He was a master gas welder and had a fantastic website.
Website (snapshot):
TM Technologies: Tools, Sheet Metal Shaping Machines, & Gas Welding Supplies for Better Metalworking
TM Technologies: Tools, Sheet Metal Shaping Machines, Gas Welding Supplies, Articles & lWorkshops for Better Metalworking
web.archive.org
His youtube:
tinmantech
Tools & machines for metal shaping & fab, oxy-fuel welding, brazing & soldering supplies, and hands-on metalworking classes & workshops. FREE CATALOG Call (530) 292-3506 or email us: [email protected] Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TM-Technologies-190948948689/
www.youtube.com
R.I.P
dr_clyde
Well-known member
I'm a big fan of Smith (Miller) torches. As far as I know they're still made in the USA and are very high quality.
I have medium duty and heavy duty outfits. I find that I use the heavy duty outfit more, the larger handle and ability to have bigger cutting tips is much nicer for what I do.
Victor is probably the most common style and the easiest to find tips for, generic or brand name. They're fine. Made in Mexico i think. I sold my Victor outfit, I just didn't like it as much as the Smith.
My dad has Harris and likes them a lot.
I have medium duty and heavy duty outfits. I find that I use the heavy duty outfit more, the larger handle and ability to have bigger cutting tips is much nicer for what I do.
Victor is probably the most common style and the easiest to find tips for, generic or brand name. They're fine. Made in Mexico i think. I sold my Victor outfit, I just didn't like it as much as the Smith.
My dad has Harris and likes them a lot.
Victor/Smith are excellent for that. I bought a Victor journeyman kit that came with gas regulators, hoses, torch handle, tips, striker, goggles, and instruction manual. I think I paid around $300 for it. Everything you need (minus bottles) to get you going.
Something like this:
Airgas - VIC0384-2126 - Victor® Performer EDGE™ 2.0 Medium Duty Acetylene Cutting/Heating/Welding Outfit CGA-540/CGA-300
Victor® Performer EDGE™ 2.0 Outfit can cut up to 6 and welds up to 1/4
ALLFAST
Well-known member
I’m
ALLFAST
Well-known member
If you ever stumble upon any good quality vintage gauges/regulators/torches for cheap, you can have them rebuilt for a very reasonable cost and you’ll be set for many years!
PopcornSutton
Well-known member
Around my area, Victor accessories are stock items I can get any time. To go along with the gauges, tanks are the next thing. I bought the biggest oxygen tank that can be exchanged by anyone. I don't recall the size of it. I use propane for fuel since that can be had anywhere. A different cutting tip is needed, but again, Victor tips are easy to get.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
I have used them all.
Victor quality has dropped significantly since they off shored them.
Victor cutting torches do better in scrapping type work where your sticking a head down in holes. They used metal to metal seals on their tips.
The seals in the head of a smith/miller can over heat and fail in that type of work.
In all other work smith torches are superior. It’s very nice not needing a wrench to change tips quickly, their valves are nicer on the bodies as well.
Don’t buy too large of a torch. The smallest smith/miller is an AW1A airline and its cutting head will still cut 2” thick steel. I use my Airline 95 percent of the time as it’s so svelte. The Mecco midget is an awesome small torch as well but due to the passing of Ken white I don’t think it’s available right now.
My medium duty 110FC victor will cut 6” steel but is not nearly as handy due to size as my airline. It ***** to braze and weld with in comparison.
A heavy duty 315FC victor is so over kill and huge for most anyone except an iron worker.
Harris is ok but not nearly as well supported.
Airco/concoa dual stage regulators are the best imho, followed close by smith.
Dual stages are not necessary for large heat output but if your brazing/welding thin gauge metal it can save you a lot of money and frustration as it can withdrawal more gas and keep pressures more stable to the end where a single stage will need constant adjustment at low tank pressures.
Victor quality has dropped significantly since they off shored them.
Victor cutting torches do better in scrapping type work where your sticking a head down in holes. They used metal to metal seals on their tips.
The seals in the head of a smith/miller can over heat and fail in that type of work.
In all other work smith torches are superior. It’s very nice not needing a wrench to change tips quickly, their valves are nicer on the bodies as well.
Don’t buy too large of a torch. The smallest smith/miller is an AW1A airline and its cutting head will still cut 2” thick steel. I use my Airline 95 percent of the time as it’s so svelte. The Mecco midget is an awesome small torch as well but due to the passing of Ken white I don’t think it’s available right now.
My medium duty 110FC victor will cut 6” steel but is not nearly as handy due to size as my airline. It ***** to braze and weld with in comparison.
A heavy duty 315FC victor is so over kill and huge for most anyone except an iron worker.
Harris is ok but not nearly as well supported.
Airco/concoa dual stage regulators are the best imho, followed close by smith.
Dual stages are not necessary for large heat output but if your brazing/welding thin gauge metal it can save you a lot of money and frustration as it can withdrawal more gas and keep pressures more stable to the end where a single stage will need constant adjustment at low tank pressures.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Something to remember about heavy duty torch handles is the physical size is bigger.
While the ability to cut seriously thick steel is almost never utilized, the handle being longer and larger in diameter makes it easier to hang on to and manipulate while cutting, as you can keep your hands farther away from the cut. It also stays cooler easier having more thermal mass.
The big cutting tips also preheat faster, even if you’re still using a small oxygen jet orifice, the preheat flames will be more intense on a bigger tip allowing you to get cutting faster. They also allow for more intense localized heating which is beneficial in flame straightening applications.
I personally only would want a small torch if I was doing a lot of light brazing or welding where I needed to manipulate the flame constantly and am working a puddle.
While the ability to cut seriously thick steel is almost never utilized, the handle being longer and larger in diameter makes it easier to hang on to and manipulate while cutting, as you can keep your hands farther away from the cut. It also stays cooler easier having more thermal mass.
The big cutting tips also preheat faster, even if you’re still using a small oxygen jet orifice, the preheat flames will be more intense on a bigger tip allowing you to get cutting faster. They also allow for more intense localized heating which is beneficial in flame straightening applications.
I personally only would want a small torch if I was doing a lot of light brazing or welding where I needed to manipulate the flame constantly and am working a puddle.
Yep, get a cutting torch if you plan to cut. You can completely shut off the acetylene once you start burning steel!
General brazing and heating can be any small handle with a good tip.
Here's my medium duty Victor set up that I've had for forty-five years. It's a "B" acetylene tank and 80 CF ox. about the right ratio for general work around home. You'll need larger tanks to support a rosebud tip, but the cutting head is OK on those tanks.
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
It’s called a leather welding glove. If you’re cutting big beams, scrapping, or lots of heavy 3/4”+ plate, sure, you should get a large torch. At that point you should probably step up to a dedicated cutting torch with 18" body instead of a welding handle with a cutting head.
But that is not your average user cutting off bolts or using rosebuds to heat frozen bolts and rusted parts and brazing.
This is not correct. A size 0 tip for cutting 1/2” thick steel has the same size outer ring preheat orifices no matter the torch size. A victor 3-101-0 tip for a 100FC/CA1350 has the exact same orifice size/settings/heat output that a 1-101-0 tip for a 315FC/CA2470 does.
The only way to get more preheat is to get a bigger tip (in either body size) and will have larger oxygen jet orifice and larger kerf/more slag.
Its like suggesting only 3/4" ratchet to drive all your 1/4"-3/8" and 1/2" sockets via step down adapters even though they are just working on cars
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tiredoldironworker
Well-known member
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- Jun 14, 2024
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If you are toting them around a jobsite or up in a manlift, then the 80cf O2 and a B size acetylene are much easier to manipulate. Just don't expect more than about 30 minutes of cutting.
Not really. You can get " heavy preheat" tips in the common sizes for the popular brands( Smith, Victor and Harris). Typically those tips will require slightly more fuel than normal preheat tips .It’s called a leather welding glove. If you’re cutting big beams, scrapping, or lots of heavy 3/4”+ plate, sure, you should get a large torch. At that point you should probably step up to a dedicated cutting torch with 18" body instead of a welding handle with a cutting head.
But that is not your average user cutting off bolts or using rosebuds to heat frozen bolts and rusted parts and brazing.
This is not correct. A size 0 tip for cutting 1/2” thick steel has the same size outer ring preheat orifices no matter the torch size. A victor 1-101-0 tip for a 100FC/CA1350 has the exact same orifice size/settings/heat output that a 3-101-0 tip for a 315FC/CA2470 does.
The only way to get more preheat is to get a bigger tip (in either body size) and will have larger oxygen jet orifice and larger kerf/more slag.
Its like suggesting only 3/4" ratchet to drive all your 1/4"-3/8" and 1/2" sockets via step down adapters even though they are just working on cars
fourjeepin
Well-known member
I have a set of Firepower brand regulators. New in the box but one of the gauges is missing the cover. Unsure if this is allowed here, so please DM me for pix. Low ball offer as I want these gone.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Dr Clyde didn’t say anything about heavy preheat tips, he made the statement that the larger heavy duty torch body/head size in itself gave more preheat and that is simply not true. The standard heavy duty tips give the same performance as an equal size medium duty tip as they have the same size orifices.
In Victor heavy preheat tips (HPN tips) are only oxy propane and this thread is about oxyacetylene.
Harris has heavy preheat tips as an option but they work on their medium duty heads as well. They are not limited to their larger body size as there is no difference in the hand and light duty machine torch tip outer dimensions in the Harris line.
Smith does offer a heavy preheat tip on their large SC cutting head an not the MC. The regular SC tips give the same pre heat as equal size MC tips
But it’s really crazy anyway. While heavy preheat might be really nice on a oxy propane machine torch or scrapping heavy iron. However cutting bevels in a 2” plate is not hard with a medium duty torch with oxyacetylene gas. And what hobbiest is going to need even that capacity?
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I'm well aware of all that after using torches for over 40 years. I was correcting your statement about the only way to get more heat was to up your tip size. BTW a #1 tip isn't necessarily the same throughout all manufacturers.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
It's very possible I have the heavy preheat tips and didn't realize it, but my heavy duty torch preheats significantly faster than my medium duty torch.
That's just my experience. And you're free to dispute it as you like. I also have been using a torch for my career as a fabricator and have a lot of hours behind a torch handle.
I find the heavy preheat a HUGE benefit, as I don't need to use a heating attachment to get more intense heat in a small localized area. This is exceptionally useful for flame straightening and heating bolt heads. In this instance, I run as large of a tip as I have because I'm not cutting and want a very intense preheat flame without having the giant fireball of the rosebud.
Most of my cutting is well within the range of a medium duty torch and I still will reach for the heavy duty every time. I like the fact that it is bigger and has larger levers, knobs, and length. I have big hands. I don't wear gloves typically with a torch unless I'm cutting overhead or in a joint where the slag will blow back into my hands. On the track torch or machine head it's a different story, but in general, the HD torch fits me better, even for delicate work on small parts.
The cool part about torch handles is you are allowed to have more than one. If you like to have a variety, there's no law saying you have to commit to a single size forever. Once you have the cylinders, regs and hoses you can mix and match what you like best for a given situation. Torch handles aren't that expensive, and you can get them used and have them refurbished for not much cash.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Touché I guess for at least for Smith SC and Harris torches.
Larger welding tips also work well for pin point heating.
Yes, I have 3 hand torches and one machine torch myself and at least once in my adult life I have borrowed my dads 24” victor(operated it a lot as a teen)
But I have taught quite a few apprentices and journeyman industrial mechs torch skills over the years and have seen many struggle with oversize heavy duty torches especially welding/brazing.