Need opinions from our resident welding experts!

[Z-Dreamer]

Has anyone used one of these?

 

http://www.cut-like-plasma.com/index.htm

 

I ask because I'm fairly good at Oxyacetylene welding and since I already have access to one, this setup, if it works, would allow me to cut and weld steel and aluminum like a Tig.

 

Opinions please...

 

Mark

[Lunar240z]

my teacher told me you can weld alum and stainless with regular oxyfuel welding. he's been welding for like 50 years.

i haven't seen it or done it yet though.

you won't need a special torch to do it, just a regular victor style cutting/welding outfit.

[Pop N Wood]

That is just a regular oxy-acetelyne torch, albeit a supposedly very high quality one. I have been on metalworking sites that talk about how the Henrob is the only torch to buy for precision work.

 

As far as gas welding aluminum, watch some of Jessie James TV specials. He gas welds aluminum tanks all the time.

 

A good link on why to buy a torch. Also mentions the Henrob set up.

 

http://metalshapers.org/tips/fournier/

 

Actually the whole web site in the link above is excellent.

[Z-Dreamer]

I'm also looking at this, http://www.tinmantech.com/html/meco_midget_torch.php

 

Mark

[5foot2]

I own a Henrob. It's a great setup. I mostly used it for fine cutting and welding thin steel sheet. I gave alum a try with it and never got the hang of it.

 

I have a tig and mig machine that do most of the welding in the shop so the Henrob is not used much anymore. It does do really clean fine cuts on material, but I'm going to be ordering a plasma cutter soon, so that's one more thing the Henrob will not be doing much anymore. The O/A rig is mostly just used as a heat source in my shop.

[ZROSSA]

My first welder was a henrob. I seem welded my race car with the damn thing. After that I bought a mig. Much happyer now. The local distrubuter of the henrob offered classes so i took soom. I could do some neat stuff with his set up but I never seemed to get mine to function the same way which frustrated the hell out of me. It might have been that at home i was always working on rusty old cars instead of new metal. I am a hell of a lot faster with a mig and get less warping. Mind you, I am not a good welder.

 

Douglas

[AK-Z]

I've "tried" welding aluminum with oxy before. The problem is the surface of the metal is usually covered with aluminum oxide which melts at a higher temp than the base metal, so you have to wire brush it or sand it.

 

Cutting aluminum with a oxy cutting torch uses the same principle to cut as it would steel. It heats up the area with a balanced flame and then hits it with oxygen to excellorate oxidizing (rusting for steel) to weaken the metal and help push it away. the problem is that alluminum distorts faster than steel.

 

I have a victor setup at home because I get everything cheap for it from my dad's work.

That equipment looks interesting I have to ask the local welders to see what they think about it.