If you plan on using oxy-acetylene a lot they are interesting tools. A very high tech torch design. It pushes gas welding a bit further than before. The have been around for many years. They used to be called the Dillon torch.
Useful for light gauge work, solder, brazing and welding.
You still need a BIG torch for larger heating jobs. Like a Victor 315 handpiece with a rosebud tip.
Ahhhh so I should still invest in a good torch for my blacksmithing endeavors and use this for gas welding? I'm learning to forge weld and have completed my first successful weld the other day. I'm very psyched! Also, I guess the rosebud tip will help in heating up the steel in a specific area such as when doing rivets or bending bar stock for basket twists and the like?
I am going to augment my skill set with gas welding sometime in the near future. Then Stick, then MIG, then TIG.
By the way, Ernie. How's the hand? I hope your recovery is going well.
Also a follow-up question, have you heard of something called an economizer for torches? From what I understand it is a cradle or something on which you can lay the torch and it turns the gas off. So, when you're working alone you can heat your piece, hang the torch on the cradle and not worry about an open-flame or taking time to turn off the valves on the torch wasting precious heat.
Any brand names? Do you know where I can get one of these? A smith in England told me about them, but I haven't seen one yet.
That is a good combination. A Victor 315 handpiece is the largest handpiece they make. Get a cutting head for it and a medium sized rosebud, and just use oxygen and propane.
use oxygen and acetylene on the Henrob for welding.
Propane is cheaper and better at heating and cutting, but can't weld.
Exactly. Also useful; if you decide to do any dishing of 1/8" steel.
Oxy-acetylene works really well in concert with blacksmithing. demonstrated to a blacksmithing student who was also taking my welding class how to turn burnt oxided steel back into workable iron by using a carburizing flame. He had forged some iron leaves and got the stems to hot. After de-oxidizing them wity a reducing flame they became maleable again. Saved him many hours of forging new ones.
Sore, stiff, unhappy. My TIG welds suck since my right hand is so shaky with the torch and can't manipulate filler rod. I saw the hand surgeon today. He said it is healing fine, just give it time and keep excersizing it as much as I can stand.
These don't really exist in the US anymore. They are very common in Europe for jewelers. They even have foot pedal valves for torches in Europe.
You might find one from a jewelery supplier that carries torches. You check this list of companies for a supplier of the european style gas mizer.
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Here is a ink to a Harris torch handpiece with a neat gas mizer feature. It has a switch on the front of the handle that reduces the gas flow down to just a pilot light.
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It is basically a Harris 2000 handpiece with the added feature. They used to sell this one through Sears. A Harris 2000 is a very good handpiece. Add a cuting attachment and a rosebud tip and there you are.
BTW to run a BIG rosebud you have to have BIG regulator, BIG tanks and
3/8" hoses. A medium sized rosebud will work with 1/4" hoses and a smaller tank set.
And do I need to get low-pressure stuff for use with propane? Could I use on of those Bernz-O-Matic torches you get at the hardware store for heating rivets and stuff until I get a 'real' torch?
BTW, is there an archive for this newsgroup? I know a lot of questions I have must have been answered before. Is there an archive on which I could search for answers?
Er...nevermind. I answered my own question. So, for anyone else that didn't know this (and for the archives) you can search this newsgroup for previous posts by going to:
I have one and bought it primarily for welding chrome moly for airframes and some gokart stuff. It works as advertised..the cutting function can be done just like the videos and really can cut like plasma if you practice. I don't use mine very much anymore since I got an inverter tig unit.
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