Oxy/Acetylene welding kit

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
Is this O/A kit good enough for a "beginner"? I just need it for cutting blanks out of that crazy L6 I got from Dan Gray.

What else do I need with it?


Thanks!

Dan





[edited to add]

What would be a good price for such a kit?
 
You need the tanks of gas which these days are expensive, though you should be able to find other uses for the torch to justify the cost.
 
How much are the tanks and where do I get 'em?
 
I actually need it for two reasons: to cut out blanks, and to draw back the spine/tang to make it easier to work.
 
keep looking. I gt a set of these with the small portable tanks for $110. I used a borrowed set to HT blades about a month back. Worked awsome! Chopped through a 2x4 and still shaves :)
 
dumb question....will I need a helmet/mask as well?


Guys...I'm strugglin' here...last time I welded was in shop class in 7th grade!

Help!
 
Take a look in the yellow pages. Welder's Supply and National Welding are big suppliers in my area. You get the tanks on an exchange basis. For Oxy work a good set of googels is adequate. My arc helment's shield is to dark to work efectivly with gas. A good apron is a must too as gas work tends to be a bit messier than arc. Check pawn shops too as lots of welding equipment shows up in them. You can get better stuff cheap. Hope this helps.
Patrick
 
go by lowes and read the book near the welding stuff. You should get a pair of goggles and LEATHER boots for sure. I didn't use goggles just to HT but you will need them to cut with.
 
Dan, since you're going to have a forge in the not too distant future I'd do this. Go to the big box hardware stores and buy one of those 100# propane bottles to use with your forge. It costs something like $80, but is cheaper to get filled than the 20# bottles in the long run. When you get the torch, ask the guys at the welding store how to convert it to run on oxy/propane instead of oxy/ace. Convert it, and rent an oxygen bottle to use with the torch. Then either put a manifold on the propane bottle or I suppose I'd use quick disconnect fittings. Now you're set, you've got a big propane cylinder that will not only save you money on refills and be a lot longer in between needing them, but you also save money on renting an acetylene bottle too.

Now, someone will undoubtedly chime in here and say "but oxy/propane doesn't burn as hot as oxy/acetylene does!" True, but the scrap yard I use here in Knoxville exclusively uses oxy/propane just as I mentioned above and I've sat there and watched them cut through 1 1/4 inch steel plate without problem for the air hammers we're building...so I'd say for most home uses, it's darn good enough and knocks out several birds with one stone. :)

-Darren
 
Dan,

Tanks can be rather expensive. A "medium-sized" set runs close to $400 locally. The tiny "pony" tanks run about a buck and a half, and the oxy tanks exhaust relatively quickly when cutting.

Something to bear in mind about gas bottles: most welding supplies like to sell a "lifetime lease" on bottles, and then just exchange with you for the gas cost. If you buy bottles "outside", say used, then they will often require they be re-certified before filling. You may also find they are beligerent and sort of "wait" awhile to fill your "privately-owned" bottles. :( That may not be everywhere, but that's how the weenies at the local national chain operate.

When cutting blanks with a o/a torch at about 5600F, there will be some decarburization at that high a temp, so cut sufficiently oversize to grind away enough to get to good steel.

Enjoy! Burning stuff with a torch is as addictive as forging! :)
 
Just got off the phone with a local welding supply outfit. There's a deposit on the tanks of $65 ea. and then you pay for the refill, around $10 each.

He asked me if the regulators are for MC or B tanks....? I have no idea. Any help?
 
You will need a #5 (shade five) lenses system, either a pair of safety glasses a pair of goggles or even a #5 lenses in a hood. What ever you like. Some people use shade three but it is not suggested. I live in NM so I don't have any idea about where to get bottles. I rent an oxygen bottle and use Propane instead of acetylene. All you need to use propane is the propane tip. It is a two-piece tip and should be around 15 dollars. The advantages of using propane are numerable. One it has a higher btu with a lower temperature. Two it doesn't require another bottle to rent or go pick up, and three does about 20 times the work for the dollar spent. The temperatures in my textbooks say the temperatures of the flames (neutral flames) are 5,600 to 5,800 degrees F for the acetylene/oxygen flame and 3,600 to 3,800 degrees F for the propane/oxygen flame. Yet the BTU (British thermal unit) is slightly higher for propane. (I still don’t' understand how that can be) And the temperature of most steels when they will react to the oxygen and cut well is 1,800; well below the propane flames temp.
To make it simple the propane will be less likely to burn the steel when heating, it will cut the steel very well, it is easier to get, it is cheaper to use, and you don't have to rent or buy another bottle and pay for the hasmat crap that comes with it.
I have welded for 30+ years and have used both. All things considered I go with propane.
A hint when cutting with either. The carbon blade steels don't cut like mild steel. Mild steel just needs to be warmed up enough for the cut at the spot you are starting and it will cut easily as the torch is moved along at the right speed. But high carbon steel will blow back and resist the cut at the same rate as mild steel. (at least that is my experience) When I torch cut blade steels I clean the surface well (even new steel) and heat the steel over the entire cut to about 400 degrees then I go back to the start and cut like I would mild steel. The blade steels don't spit back and fight the cut nearly as much.
 
Those regulators appear to be for the large tanks not the little tanks the plumbers use. Get a lease on a 200 oxygen bottle and buy a 100 pound propane tank (the connection should be the same) a tip for propane and go for it.
 
Do I need an adapter to go between the regulator and the propane tank?

Ocy/propane is sounding better and better. I have a nice supply of lil' propane tanks.....would those work? (even if it's only a few minutes...)
 
Dan,
A cutting torch sounds good right about now.

Last night I got tired of studying and pulled out my dremal and its reinforced cutting wheels. It took me an hour to cut a strip of this stuff off! I carved a shallow groove, then using the cutting blade cut through the steel plate in 5-6 places and finally broke the piece off.

Thats alot of work for one knife sized blank. But, being who I am I could not wait to try to shape it into something resembling a knife. However, it was too hard to do anything.

Well, I have gone out and bought a thermometer for my oven. (The oven, as in the one that came with my apt., not something fancy.) I found out that I am burning things (lasagna) because the thermostat on it is 100 degrees off. So I put this little blank in there, and turned the oven on to 450 degrees F (According to my thermometer it was really 550 in there). After an hour I turned off the oven and let it sit overnight.(It takes several hours to cool)

I figured that this might make my files bite the steel a little more, that it might make shaping a little easier. But it just shows me that I need a forge. According to my files this little piece is a tiny bit softer than it was origionally... but it is probably wishful thinking on my part.

Yep, I need a forge or a torch... preferably both. :)
 
Regarding the kit in the picture: It looks like a HF or ebay kit--runs about $80.00. If it ISN'T then no need to keep reading my post.

But if it is, IMO it would be best to avoid it. I bought one a year or two ago and the cutting torch just plain sucks. Got so tired of it losing adjustment, that I finally bought a good Victor set and never looked back.

One problem with those kits is that it is hard to find tips and there is little if any published info on pressure settings, depth of cuts, inches per unit time, etc. for those tips. With a Smith or Victor, tips are plentiful and there's a ton of info available. Also, Victors come with a built in flashback suppressor. A person does need flashback suppressors.

With that said, the HF/ e-bay kit torch barrel and the tips that come with the kit are actually pretty good for light welding and brazing. However, I pretty much don't use mine anymore at all and if you want to give it a try, I will let you have my torch, cutting head and tips and plastic case. Then all you will need is hose and regulators. That way, if you don't like it, you won't be out any big expense. If you are intested, I'd just ask for re-imbursment on the shipping.
 
hmmm...slightly different than mine.

Here's the one I bought:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34099&item=3812901801&rd=1

But, a 25 foot hose is at least $20 and 2 good regulators are certainly more than $25, so it seems a good buy as it is. That rose bud is kind of a nice thing to have.

Hard to see much detail on the cutting torch.

Just for some heads-up info for those who are considering similar: The problem with mine is that there are two adjustment screws where the cutting handle depresses. One is a button that the handle presses in as a valve to release the cutting stream and the other is where the same head valve is installed (not the pre-heat valve). If either of the screws comes loose, it's a really a booger to get it all back to good working condition.

That strange feature might be due to the Harris-Likeness of it and not the Victor-Likeness of it. However, I briefly owned a Smith Lifetime torch and do not remember it being built like that.
 
This is a better bargain for your money.

VICTOR

The knockoffs last generally a year or so.
With a victor you can get service if you need it. They are just better quality.

Next take a look here, since you sound like you haven't used one before.

I like to keep my friends all in one piece. :D

ARMY Training Manual

Oh yeah, propane doesn't get as hot as acetylene! :p :p :p

Which is a good thing if you are indecisive.

My take on cutting up saw blades is to use cutting discs in you 4-1/2" B&D

You won't get that POP<>DAMN<>OUCH thing going.
 
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