[Vwdiesel] Gas Torch Rant

[Val Christian]

Hagar,

I have a light weight Linde torch, a so called aircraft torch,
which I bought 28 years ago.  My friends all bought macho big
torches.  Mine fits in corners better, and I'm not gas welding
a battleship.  I even use it for silver soldering starter motor
brushes.  The smallest tip is 1 CUFT/hr, and the largest is a
rosebud 40 CUFT/hr tip.  One you can hardly hear, the other
sounds like a scaled down rocket.

See, I went to the guys in the materials lab, and asked the master
welders what I should get.  They pointed me small.  I chose to listen
to them.  Oh, and it cost more, so I got some flack for spending more
and getting less torch.  But I sure use it allot.

I'm on my second set of hoses, and I've probably gone through 100
lighter flints.  Still using the same tips.  Oh, and I got an air-
acetylene tip for plumbing work.  Comes in handy when working
AC for HVAC stuff around the house.  When I have allot of plumbing,
I take it indoors, in lieu of a propane.

I have a propane cutting tip, that I used for a big job cutting up
old farm steel.  Normally, I just use acetylene.

In my "welding stuff", there are allot of different silver solders
and flux, probably 8 different braze materials, some special solders
such as those which work aluminum.  I also have a mix of different
weld wire, although I seldom weld with gas.  I have 6 fuel/oxy tips,
1 fuel/air "Purox" tip, a cutting attachment with a propane and a
acetylene tip.  Tip cleaner, lighter and a cart.  Oh, and I have several
different tanks.  Locally, there is a dealer where you "own" your
tanks.  I bought a small pair (60 O2, ~60 C2H2), and later through
a swap sheet got a standard sized (125 O2, etc.) from an individual
for about 1/2 price.  I've picked up a couple of 02s which sometimes
get used in the airplane.

I'm explaining all this to show an end game.  I started with a basic
kit, and tanks.  Then someone gave me a cart.
Everything else is incremental purchases, gifts and the like.

If you're serious about fixing things, and you live in salt country,
a torch is a timesaver, and an arguable necessity.  Besides, filling
lunch bags with C2H2/O2 mix and detonating them is fun when you don't
break windows.

Val



> rings ---if you read my thread again '''the inner race was at issue '''on t=
> he front hub and back spindles. .Carbon rod is easy to control for beginner=
> s like Hagar and others. It heat up the race FAST -----so that spindle or H=
> UB has no chance to feel the heat.Mine goes red hot in NO time.Gas torches =
> do not compare here. The outer races should not be a problem for anybody --=
> --BIG hammer and drift ---will suffice.
> Arc welding --ME ? --I am a gobber --tacker --- then the the REAL guys are =
> hired.Has a ticket for Aircraft gas welding ---Chrome molly tubing.Love tho=
> se small Smith airline torches.
> For the propane torch -volks ? ---it CAN be done.          Hagar.