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oxy acetylene welding kit recommendations....

 
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Dee J



Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon
PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 14 8:28 pm    Post subject: oxy acetylene welding kit recommendations.... Reply with quote
    

Quite fancy having a go at some gas welding... I can arc ok. And I use mig for some jobs - but never used gas. Typical uses - welding thin sheet (only a mm or so), cutting thicker stuff (say 50mm) plus some localised heating to help with wraps, rivets and tenons when forging. Is there a complete kit anyone would recommend, rather than collecting separate parts... and any brand of contract-free gas?
Dee

vegplot



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd
PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 14 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Regarding gas I found Air Liquide about the most cost effective.

https://www.uk.airliquide.com/

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 14 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

tis ages since i used gas kit so im no use for makes etc but a few things to consider ,have you got a space that is safe to work in and has a flat floor for moving cylinders on a trolley ? the small cylinders dont last long especially if you do gas axe as well as sticking.

as to kit

a torch with a selection of nozzles for sticking different sizes is useful,

a good gas axe torch is much nicer to hold all day than a badly balanced one

good mickey mouses dont jam in the threads and stay at the set pressures rather than wandering as cylinder temp etc changes.

good ppe is better than brushing hot metal out of your hair

i think i saying get the best kit you can afford .

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 14 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

ps be very careful ,o2 and gas is a very explosive mix and o2 will make many things burn rather well.

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 14 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

BOC are doing some very good cheap rent deals for DIY users.

Re the kit, ask on HERE Oh & you will find the BOC deals on there as well. Dont ask at a local dealer as they cant offer the cheap rates.

Dee J



Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon
PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 14 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks all. The kit would likely be permanently sited in the well ventilated forge 100feet from the nearest house. Dee

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 14 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

it can be a good idea (if in a secure area) to have a cylinder rack with a little roof on the outside of the wall and only the pipes/torch inside.

ie no cylinder trolley inside to take up space/fall over/get "hot" etc etc

if there is easy access to the rack that is even better.

thinking of ppe ,foundry boots with proper tops are ace if using a gas axe cos the splatter does seem to get everywhere it shouldnt

Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 14 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

RichardW wrote:
BOC are doing some very good cheap rent deals for DIY users.

Re the kit, ask on HERE Oh & you will find the BOC deals on there as well. Dont ask at a local dealer as they cant offer the cheap rates.


I'm talking about something I don't know here but do your local dealers also service and find bits for you? Will not using them and going nationally risk them closing and you losing them?

It's the high street v tesco, or amazon discussion again. Cheap price often isn't the best deal.

Dee J



Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon
PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 14 6:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well it turns out the local Motor Parts store is an agent for SGS rent free cylinders and Sealey welding kit - so that gives me local supply and support. And they can supply Sealey's online discounts. All round win I think. Dee

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 14 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nick wrote:


I'm talking about something I don't know here but do your local dealers also service and find bits for you? Will not using them and going nationally risk them closing and you losing them?

It's the high street v tesco, or amazon discussion again. Cheap price often isn't the best deal.



In my case the local dealer is a hire centre. I dont use them for any thing apart from bottle exchanges. However if your still going in to collect & exchange the cylinder then you can still use the sales side of the dealer if you want to.

No it wont be the same as high street V Tescos as you will still get the product from the local supplier. If you go direct to the local dealer you will still get the exact same product but pay more for it. The saving is in the region of £100 per year in rental costs.

You will still use the local dealer once the account is set up. Think of it as negotiating a discount. The dealer will still get their cut. A big saving is that low users now dont pay the handling fee each time they exchange a bottle.

Dee J



Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon
PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 15 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Dee J wrote:
Well it turns out the local Motor Parts store is an agent for SGS rent free cylinders and Sealey welding kit - so that gives me local supply and support. And they can supply Sealey's online discounts. All round win I think. Dee


Well that turned out to be a bit of a blind alley... SGS only sell Pro-fuel - an acetylene substitute, which also requires special welding nozzles. Research suggested this was not a good way to go.

So thanks to a very generous input from my dearly beloved I've got this welding kit https://www.weldequip.com/hd-gas-welding-set.htm
and proper acetylene from https://www.hobbyweld.co.uk/products/acetylene/
Not cheap, but it's an absolute joy to use - welding, brazing, heating & bending. I've arc and mig welded previously, but this is just so much more controlable. Even welding thin sheet and using scrap mild steel wire as a filler. Even welded thin copper (didn't know that was possible) using old copper wire as a filler.

Brilliant

Dee

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 15 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the torch kit looks very nice ,re sticking copper etc such things are fun to play with ,beware stuff like galvanised steel as the fumes are well nasty but it can be used with a wind .


have you tried "drawing" with the axe and "painting"with the torch and "pigment"metals yet ,on a fairly solid base the axe can be used for textures ,grooves etc and the torches for adding contrasting metals

if i had a safe place to work big i would expand from light silver work etc to heavy metal

i got to play with this kit when i was restoring ancient textile machinery and hot metal is fun

Dee J



Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon
PostPosted: Sun Jan 18, 15 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

dpack wrote:
the torch kit looks very nice ,re sticking copper etc such things are fun to play with ,beware stuff like galvanised steel as the fumes are well nasty but it can be used with a wind .


have you tried "drawing" with the axe and "painting"with the torch and "pigment"metals yet ,on a fairly solid base the axe can be used for textures ,grooves etc and the torches for adding contrasting metals

if i had a safe place to work big i would expand from light silver work etc to heavy metal

i got to play with this kit when i was restoring ancient textile machinery and hot metal is fun


Mmmm, more inspiration, Thanks, Dee

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