|
|
Apr 26, 2018 22:36:00 GMT
|
weird, i got roasted in another thread for stating observable fact that disposables run out quick, anyway, this piece of kit plus hobby sized gas bottle was a real turning point for me, the real eureka moment.... good quality regulator which adapts BOC style gas bottles into push fit hobby welders. www.weldequip.com/argonmix-conversion-kit.htm
|
|
Last Edit: Apr 26, 2018 22:37:12 GMT by darrenh
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Burns eh, they are quite the 'boutique' guitar, much loved by some and hated by others. All mine are cheap second hand except the 6 string, and it's not strictly a bass, it's a squire VI and its a beauty. My fave guitar though is a mutant child born of an Antoria body and a Telecaster neck, with a bigsby style trem and various other bits on the wiring that make it howl feedback when I turn a dial ...and the drunker one is the better it sounds?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Is oxy-acetylene welding becoming a lost art nowadays? Pretty much all the welding I've done was with this although I've not picked up a torch in at least twenty-five years and my welding skill wasn't great then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It has its place but not really practical for the general public home restorer .
I would be bloody scared if half the people who attempt welding had a oxy set in there surburban garage !
Migs just much more practical , safer and easier and will no doubt produce a better result in unskilled/semi skilled hands .
I remember helping my neighbour fit sills to his mini as a kid with a oxy set and it was a right mess and took about two days !
|
|
|
|
lord13
Part of things
Posts: 536
|
|
|
...and the drunker one is the better it sounds? Alas I don't drink anymore . . . but the guitar still sounds good
|
|
]
|
|
|
|
|
Is oxy-acetylene welding becoming a lost art nowadays? Pretty much all the welding I've done was with this although I've not picked up a torch in at least twenty-five years and my welding skill wasn't great then. Not too many people know how to gas weld nowdays - it was commonplace when I was apprenticed - I still keep a set and smaller size bottles have been made available - It's great for warming rusted fittings up quickly - I also use it for brazing where I am replicating a factory brazed joint, and the brazing is great for repairing dinks in bumpers / overriders etc prior to sending them for rechoming - very rarely gas weld steel, but a low heat torch is good for lead loading - my main use of the set more than anything is repairing / welding alloy bodywork - yes you can use TIG - however in 60 year old alloy that is full of impurities TIG is useless - a welding torch set with a carbonising flame and a good flux works though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gas welding is a step down in difficulty still from watching my mate forge weld in his blacksmiths place, now that really is hard to get right!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
weird, i got roasted in another thread for stating observable fact that disposables run out quick, anyway, this piece of kit plus hobby sized gas bottle was a real turning point for me, the real eureka moment.... good quality regulator which adapts BOC style gas bottles into push fit hobby welders. www.weldequip.com/argonmix-conversion-kit.htmBAsically a one stop shop for the same kit I have which i had to buy in 3 parts!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 27, 2018 12:41:45 GMT
|
Is oxy-acetylene welding becoming a lost art nowadays? Pretty much all the welding I've done was with this although I've not picked up a torch in at least twenty-five years and my welding skill wasn't great then. Not too many people know how to gas weld nowdays - it was commonplace when I was apprenticed - I still keep a set and smaller size bottles have been made available - It's great for warming rusted fittings up quickly - I also use it for brazing where I am replicating a factory brazed joint, and the brazing is great for repairing dinks in bumpers / overriders etc prior to sending them for rechoming - very rarely gas weld steel, but a low heat torch is good for lead loading - my main use of the set more than anything is repairing / welding alloy bodywork - yes you can use TIG - however in 60 year old alloy that is full of impurities TIG is useless - a welding torch set with a carbonising flame and a good flux works though. Been there myself, bought a tig set up to repair the 50 year old landrover I then had, thought I had got quite good practising on off cuts of new alloy then turned to the landrover lets say I did eventually manage to stitch enough blobs of alloy together to make the repairs but it certainly was not pretty, I read afterwards that even when new birmabright was high in impurities, let alone after 50 years on a sheep farm! I have since used it on newer alloy successfully, even fixed a garden chair which would have got me some brownie points If I hadn't broken it in the first place by dropping a car on it ! I have also found it is great for sorting out pin holes in mig welding on things like sumps. I have always fancied a gas set up for the items you mention above but cost of gas and insurance issues have always put me off, some of the newer gasses available like MAPP seem to get fairly close for most of the requirements now anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 27, 2018 12:58:19 GMT
|
oxy butane seems a bit cheaper(safer) for non welding hotty hot stuff ?
good point about safety, drop a mig torch and its instant off, gas, filler and source of heat
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 27, 2018 13:12:08 GMT
|
Gas welding is a step down in difficulty still from watching my mate forge weld in his blacksmiths place, now that really is hard to get right! Agree regarding welding in the smithy's fire . When I was 17yrs I had to take a trailer axle to the blacksmith on the tractor buckrake , it was a good three inches diameter . Amazing skill to watch him put those halves together , allbased on eyesight , colour etc plus the strong right arm.
|
|
|
|
MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,962
Club RR Member Number: 29
|
|
Apr 27, 2018 14:16:18 GMT
|
from my MX5 thread I ended up buying this lot for ~£330 (Machine Mart VAT free offer). Was hoping to start practising this weekend but the weather doesn't look good. Glad I bought the mask as the one supplied in the kit is useless. Depending on how much welding I end up doping I might go for a bigger bottle.
|
|
1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
|
|
|
|
|
Is oxy-acetylene welding becoming a lost art nowadays? Pretty much all the welding I've done was with this although I've not picked up a torch in at least twenty-five years and my welding skill wasn't great then. I want to learn this so I'm going to be getting mrs fps grandad to teach me the secret art, he is like a wizard with the gas bottles and well pretty much anything weld wise, it was his job for his whole life he went all over the world doing it
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
weird, i got roasted in another thread for stating observable fact that disposables run out quick, anyway, this piece of kit plus hobby sized gas bottle was a real turning point for me, the real eureka moment.... good quality regulator which adapts BOC style gas bottles into push fit hobby welders. www.weldequip.com/argonmix-conversion-kit.htmI've managed to get my bulkhead welded up, I used 4 disposable bottles! Other than that I'm really happy with the welder, its so easy to get decent results and set up. No problems getting it to arc or having to muck about with wire speeds or gas rates, the machine deals with all that after you set the gas type/material type and the thickness settings. I started with a straight CO 2 bottle then tried a Argon/CO 2. The Argon/CO 2 appears to give a more delicate/finer weld but the welder just drinks the disposable bottle, one evening's welding used a whole bottle. A CO 2 bottle lasts substantially longer (probably about 3 times longer), it gives a fatter/wider weld so I guess the machine changes other settings between the two gas types. Before I take on another big job I'll have a look at getting a proper bottle. The disposable bottle regulator I have just connects with a hose barb so wouldn't be difficult to just get a longer hose and reducer. The regulator is as good quality as the ones I used to use at work, it looks a bit better than the ones available in Halfords and that. Thanks for all the input, got the job done at long last!!
|
|
|
|
Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,704
Club RR Member Number: 39
|
|
Apr 28, 2018 11:07:28 GMT
|
Calculating gas use - If you use a 1 litre disposable at 60 bar - 60 litres/8-10l/min = 6-8 minutes of trigger time! - work quickly - Get a peashooter gauge to check you are only using as much gas as you need. Cost 21p/litre typically BOC size Y works out at about 3p/litre if you use a bottle per year - less if you use more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2018 11:39:42 GMT
|
weird, i got roasted in another thread for stating observable fact that disposables run out quick, anyway, this piece of kit plus hobby sized gas bottle was a real turning point for me, the real eureka moment.... good quality regulator which adapts BOC style gas bottles into push fit hobby welders. www.weldequip.com/argonmix-conversion-kit.htmI've managed to get my bulkhead welded up, I used 4 disposable bottles! Other than that I'm really happy with the welder, its so easy to get decent results and set up. No problems getting it to arc or having to muck about with wire speeds or gas rates, the machine deals with all that after you set the gas type/material type and the thickness settings. I started with a straight CO 2 bottle then tried a Argon/CO 2. The Argon/CO 2 appears to give a more delicate/finer weld but the welder just drinks the disposable bottle, one evening's welding used a whole bottle. A CO 2 bottle lasts substantially longer (probably about 3 times longer), it gives a fatter/wider weld so I guess the machine changes other settings between the two gas types. Before I take on another big job I'll have a look at getting a proper bottle. The disposable bottle regulator I have just connects with a hose barb so wouldn't be difficult to just get a longer hose and reducer. The regulator is as good quality as the ones I used to use at work, it looks a bit better than the ones available in Halfords and that. Thanks for all the input, got the job done at long last!! Happy that it worked out for you - sourcing a larger size - rent free bottle is the way to go and personally the argon / C02 is the better option - the inverter / synergic sets really are far superior to anything else out there and make the welding process so much easier
|
|
|
|
lord13
Part of things
Posts: 536
|
|
|
I've managed to get my bulkhead welded up, I used 4 disposable bottles! Right I don't understand this... Everyone says the disposable bottles don't last long at all, and you say you used 4 bottles welding up your bulkhead... I built a chassis pretty much from scratch using 1 and a 1/2 bottles.,. project was abandoned in the end but even so.I find the bottles last quite a long time, I only have a little brass on/off regulator with no gauge, I wind it full open as I was told ( and have found) that half open or anything other than full open will cause the seal between the bottle and the reg to leak, I don't know why, but it seems to do this. So I wind it open fully, do a run or two then close the valve. It doesn't take any longer to do a run, and the gas lasts quite a while.. I do a lot of 'patch repairs' and such like for people ( friends and family) at their home addresses, and the disposable bottle makes my little welder very portable, I can carry the whole set up in one hand, very versatile kit. But on the other hand, my old sip portable used to eat the gas, a bottle would not last very long at all, about a sill's worth of welding and no more. But back then i did only open crack the valve or maybe open it half way, so I believe that what i was told about the regulators is true, open fully or it will leak...maybe, I don't know. all I know is my little portable kit uses very little of the disposable bottles, the one I have on it now has welded up 4 inner wing repairs, 2 sill repairs, 3 outer wing repairs, 7 gates and 1 chair base, and it isn't empty yet. But yes get a big bottle if you find your welder eats the gas, the hobby weld stuff sounds great and a friend of mine who I gave my old sip to uses it with that machine and it lasts quite well....the sip welder is rubbish but the gas lasts.
|
|
]
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018 13:35:13 GMT
|
I've managed to get my bulkhead welded up, I used 4 disposable bottles! Right I don't understand this... Everyone says the disposable bottles don't last long at all, and you say you used 4 bottles welding up your bulkhead... I built a chassis pretty much from scratch using 1 and a 1/2 bottles.,. project was abandoned in the end but even so.I find the bottles last quite a long time, I only have a little brass on/off regulator with no gauge, I wind it full open as I was told ( and have found) that half open or anything other than full open will cause the seal between the bottle and the reg to leak, I don't know why, but it seems to do this. So I wind it open fully, do a run or two then close the valve. It doesn't take any longer to do a run, and the gas lasts quite a while.. I do a lot of 'patch repairs' and such like for people ( friends and family) at their home addresses, and the disposable bottle makes my little welder very portable, I can carry the whole set up in one hand, very versatile kit. But on the other hand, my old sip portable used to eat the gas, a bottle would not last very long at all, about a sill's worth of welding and no more. But back then i did only open crack the valve or maybe open it half way, so I believe that what i was told about the regulators is true, open fully or it will leak...maybe, I don't know. all I know is my little portable kit uses very little of the disposable bottles, the one I have on it now has welded up 4 inner wing repairs, 2 sill repairs, 3 outer wing repairs, 7 gates and 1 chair base, and it isn't empty yet. But yes get a big bottle if you find your welder eats the gas, the hobby weld stuff sounds great and a friend of mine who I gave my old sip to uses it with that machine and it lasts quite well....the sip welder is rubbish but the gas lasts. 4 bottles isn't correct now that I think about it as I still have >40Bar left in the second CO 2 bottle. I emptied 2 Argon/CO 2 bottles very quickly and 1 CO 2 bottle lasted a good 3 or so evenings of welding (this included a bit of practice) and I needed a 4th bottle to finish the job. I turned the regulator 8 to 10 half turns, any more and a pressure relief would open in the welder if I stopped for more than a few seconds and less than 6 half turns wouldn't allow enough gas to flow. This welder must have some control over the gas flow though as there was clearly more used between the different gasses. With Argon/CO 2 there was always a noticeably louder "psssshhh" of gas when the trigger was first pulled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018 14:25:28 GMT
|
Just to add some data to the debate , a short rent free Argon bottle is about £60 with VAT and a refundable £55 deposit .
Its filled to 137 bar and states its contents is equivilant 21 600ml bottles which are £14 each or 13 of the bigger ones .
So a big bottle will cost you £115 to start with but to do the same work with small bottles might cost you up to £294 .
And the fact you get the £55 deposit back if you want .
Not taking sides as both have there merits just some money based facts as its often discussed but not shown .
I prefer big bottles but then again if your stuck you have more chance of getting a disposable on in town on a Sunday afternoon .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018 17:53:38 GMT
|
I always found that with the disposable bottles, they'd lose pressure / content when left unused, which I put down to the decreased pressure in the bottle doing less to hold the internal valve closed. So I'd start one, leave it a week or two, then come back to an empty cylinder.
|
|
|
|
|