I'm looking to buy an acetelene torch kit soon. I think someone on the FTE site called it an acetelene wrench.

What should I be looking for?
What accecories should I get?
How much should I pay?

John
NNY

 

I opted for the plasma cutter rather than an oxy/acetelene setup. Much cleaner cut but I will admit it is no help when it comes to heating and bending metal. The way I look at it though is that I do much less bending than I do cutting and it does such a nice job so fast with such a narrow heat affected zone around the cut. I'll Post some pictures to show some of my recent cuts.

 

There are few things to think about when looking for a torch set.

Plasma cutters are great tools but a "gas wrench" has a lot more uses and is cheaper. You should be able to find a decent set up for home use at a local farm supply store or check out a welding supply store. The farm store will be cheaper but you'll still have to find a welding supply store to buy a tank of acetylene and oxygen. Plan to pay $200-300 for the torch and about $25-30 for a tank of acetylene and oxygen. You also have to decide whether you want to buy or rent your tanks. Laws vary from state to state on whether you can own certain sizes. In WI you can buy the smaller tanks but can only rent the larger tanks. Buying a tank can cost around $100+ apiece. I am not sure of the exact prices but I think this is what I paid for my tanks, it's been a while.

Also, make sure you get proper eye, face and body protection. I like the cutting glasses that look like big sun glasses. They aren't sun glasses, they have lenses for cutting. A good set of heavy welding gloves are a must, you'll be glad the first time you accidently grab a freshly cut piece of metal. Long sleeved welding jacket. A good ABC rated fire extinguisher is also a very good thing to have, along with a large bucket to hold water to cool metal and douse fires.

 

Don't go cheap on the torch set. Victor sells a "starter level" set for around $200 I think. Don't shop at Lowe's or Home Depot, go to a real welding supply store.

Cheap chinese units have hoses that are inferior, sloppy fit, regulators that are "iffy", etc. There is a great deal of risk to using inferior stuff.

 

I have a lifetime lease on my tanks in MN. I also use Victor, which i got through Harbor Freight. I then went and bought a bigger cutting torch from the local welding supply store. All in stages as money allowed.

Aside from what was already mentioned....they work in doing bodywork, these torches can be used to weld, and be used for tinning in body soldering.

 

One word...HENROB!

Buy a set of the small O/A tanks and a $339 Henrob kit and you are good to go for almost anything. Not as fast as a MIG but will weld aluminum and stainless like a TIG without the need for inert gas or electricity. Kit comes with two cutting tips that will cut so fine that you can write your name in 1/2 inch steel plate...the guys who demo them can cut slivers off a 1/2 inch plate that fold over like peel off a banana. There are plenty of videos on the web, find some and check it out...you won't be sorry.

 

I bought a "Proline" torch set from an ebay vendor last year. Proline is marketed as Victors chinese import line, to compete with the harbor freights, etc. About $100 plus shipping, and Victor compatable for parts. In Colorado Springs, leasing the tanks for 2-3 years is about the price to purchase them, so that's what I did. I don't weld with it much, use the mig for that, but it's handy for cutting and heating. Charlie, I've heard neat things about the henrob, and I've seen those guys demoing at rod shows and have never looked very closely. I'll check it more carefully next time. I'd like to have a tig setup, but I really can't justify the expense. The henrob sounds like a great alternative.

 

yeah, I'm looking at getting myself a Henrob for Christmas, looks like a great tool. Thanks Charlie.

 

I bought my oxygen-acetylene torch and tanks because it gave me a cheaper start on both welding and cutting. A MIG and a plasma cutter are way more expensive that an O-A torch and tanks. I can also learn to do hammer welding for body panels. Its a body shop technique where you weld up a seam and then hammer it flat and smooth while the weld is still hot. Can't do that with a MIG.

I bought my tanks locally from my favorite welding supply store. Both tanks, filled were about $400. I bought my Victor torch kit from Cyberweld on-line for about $220 with shipping. The extra "rosebud" heating tip and welding tip were another $110. Gloves I already had as a freebie from a friend. Welding jacket with leather sleeves and treated cotton front and back, another $45. I bought a Jackson Adjust-o-Lok face shield and a visor shade 5 face shield for another $45. Right now I'm welding up a cart for the tanks with steel tube, angle and pipe from the steel supply store.

I bought the face shield with the shaded visor because it provides protection for my whole face when welding/cutting and it gives me a wider field of view than goggles. No cheap Chinese junk for me, I only considered Victor as every professional shop I know uses only Victor. I bought the Victor Performer as it is plenty big enough for the truck rebuild work I'm doing. The Victor kit includes everything even the spark lighter and guards for the regulator gauges.

Buy your tanks FIRST making sure you get them big enough so you don't have to truck them off to be exchanged for full ones too often. The little portable kits with the smallest tanks don't have enough gas to do any significant amount of work. Buying the tanks first defines the acetylene tank connection you'll need for the regulator. There are two different acetylene regulator connections so make sure you have the tank first and then get the correct regulator connection to go with your tank.

Oh yeah, I forgot the other purchase from Home Depot, two fire extinguishers. One for the wall by the door and a second to attach to the cart for the welding tanks. Victor includes a good book on welding safety with the kit. Get another book on gas welding from your local Barnes and Noble, or from Amazon.com. Make sure you have a place where you can store the tanks chained to either the wall or to your cart. That keeps them from falling over. Store them with the steel, screw-on caps in place when you aren't using them. If a tank falls over and breaks off the valve, you will have a gas-powered rocket projectile flying through what ever is in its path. With the acetylene cylinder, do NOT store it or transport it laying down. Acetylene is a pressure-senstive gas and the cylinders are filled with a porous material with the acetylene dissolved in acetone inside. It is very unsafe to lay them down as the acetylene can come our of solution inside.

I hope this helps.

Phil

 

has anyone checked into that cobra kit. i seen a demonstration at a car show. it cuts up to one inch steel and welds aluminum. price is around 350 i think. but i know how demontrations are different from when you actually get the product home to use. i just havent heard much about em.

 

Cobra = Henrob

 

I'm using Victor in class right now and even all the old timers say Victor. It puddles great and cuts even better.

Everyone else has moved up to TIG/MIG but that's not what I want to learn. My teacher has even taken his time with me and shown me more and more techniques. As soon as I'm done I want to work with Bill Hines and learn from him.

 

My son finished body work and welding classes this last summer, works in a resto shop now. They hardly teach oxy/acet welding anymore. Plasma to cut, tig and mig to weld. The torch is mostly there to heat stuff. Shame.

 

The O/A set up should be in any craftsman's shop. Weld, cut, braze, silver solder, soften old undercoating to scrape, bend, shape, body lead--its the way to learn how metal behaves and what can be done. Its too bad that it isn't taught. Learn O/A to its max potential and you've rally got a skill. Its just not for the instant gratification type in high production.

I have a Henrob set-up besides my Victor--that I wouldn't trade for anything. Henrob is great because of the low pressures used. Its great for the thinnest of sheet metal and aluminum.

Don't scrimp, it'll need to last a lifetime.

 

It is a shame, I agree. You have no idea what I had to do to find a place that still teaches O/A. Not a single college even has that set up anymore. Which is such a surprise because if the ***** hits the fan and there is no electricity how are these people suppost to cut metal???