New welding machine plus other stuff

[ejb]

Just had to share with someone and couldn't think of a group of guys that would be more interested than this one:

Finally got a welding machine, I have been wanting one for years and my dad (who is at that age that he wants to get rid of some of his "clutter") ask me if I wanted a bunch of his old "stuff". (He is a pack-rat and worked in heavy construction until he retired).

Best thing so far is a Lincoln Arc Welding machine..having a lot of fun learning the basics. My dad gave me a quick lesson and actually seems pretty easy so far. Got a book with it as well so I'll read thru that too.

Not too wory, I won't be doing any welds anytime soon that would cause harm if the weld did not work, mostly small repairs etc.

Gotta say that, it is an awful lot of fun...if anyone is wondering if they should get one...I vote yes.

Got lots of other tools that I would never have gone out and bought if I had to pay for them (i.e. 2 *massive* come-a-longs) that could probably pick up my JD5410 and hang it in the air if needed, several cuting torches, gaulges, hoses etc. Lots of welding supplies (full-masks, chalk, hundreds of rods) and a 3/4inch ratchet set, several heavy duty chains and pulleys, hundreds of feet of cables, turnbuckels, 8 5 gallon HD gasoline cans, several 16-18 inch adjustable wrenches, shovels, ropes, very big monkey wrenches etc...the list is endless...all nice things to have around..like I said, just had to share it with someone../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Need to make a few more trips, but I know he has 3 Stihl 026 saws (almost new), sawzalls, grinders, routers etc that he is packing up for me. Nothing more fun than new toys...especially those you do not need to pay for/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

 

[pajoube]

Lincoln welder, boy you sure it it great with that gift. Is that a 110 or 220 unit? Will be interesting what projects you take on and how they turn out. This is something that I have alwasy wanted to get but at this point I am looking more towards a MIG welder.
PJ

 

[RocketJSquirrel]

Sounds like someone is going to be needing a new storage building, or a bigger one.
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Christmas in May!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

 

[budman72]

Does he want to adopt a son to share these goodies with?? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Argee]

I'm so jealous./w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif The welder and cutting torches are gotta haves for everybodies shop aren't they? And the prospects of a Stihl 026. I'm drooling on my keyboard just thinking about it!
I think I'll go out to the shop and kick my 40 pull Mac./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[ejb]

>>Is that a 110 or 220 unit?

Its a 220, so it took me a couple of trips to Home Depot to get all the parts I needed to add a new 220 circuit and plug to my shop, but its all set now.

Gotta get my hands on some more scrap metal that I can turn into useful tractor attachments...first project would probably some sort of fork attachment for scooping up logs.

I already told my wife I am going to start building scrap metal sculptures from old auto-parts and putting them out on the lawn/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif!

Let you know how my (real) projects progress.../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[ejb]

I agree, both will be useful.

I got about 6 proffesional grade cutting torches, about 3-4 sets of hoses and about 2 dozen cutter tips (do these wear out?).

Only think I need to add is the acetlyne and oxegyn tanks which I don't have yet.

My dad has these but since it had been about 5 years or so since he had them filled (they are empty now) he wasn't sure if they could still be filled?

Anyone know if you need any special permits to get these gas tanks (in Mass), or if you are even allowed to actually *own* them anymore? (as opposed to renting them).

Any guestimates on what it costs to get a tank of each?

 

[EdKing]

<font color=blue>I already told my wife I am going to start building scrap metal sculptures from old auto-parts and putting them out on the lawn!</font color=blue>

When I said that after I got my MIG welder, my wife started muttering threats to my person that I can't repeat here./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[bgott]

I don't know about the laws in Mass., but I do know you'll need to check the stamped dates on the bottles. If the bottles are past the dates the bottles will need to be hydro tested. Your welding supply will be able to get this done. Of course, it might take forever and they might lose one or two of your bottles in the process. If there is a company name cast or stamped in the ring around the bottle below the valve they won't fill the bottle and might keep it to return to the company. I'm not saying your dad boosted the bottle, mind you, But I bought a set of used bottles once and had that happen. If you have any problems out of the welding supply try another one if possible. We have welding companies around here that are durn near impossible to do business with and some that are really easy to get along with.

 

[Thomas]

Yikes..you did darn good getting all those goodies. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

By the sounds you need a BIG rolling tool box w/a lock. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[ejb]

>>By the sounds you need a BIG rolling tool box w/a lock.


Oops, forgot to tell you, all this stuff did come in a BIG metal tool box with locks...not rolling though!

 

[kevinro]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

I don't know about the laws in Mass., but I do know you'll need to check the stamped dates on the bottles. If the bottles are past the dates the bottles will need to be hydro tested. Your welding supply will be able to get this done.

<hr></blockquote>



In WA state, when you get your bottles 'filled', you actually turn in your used/empty bottles and they give you a different pair of bottles that you keep indefinitely. Chances of seeing your original bottles again are really really low! There is a large rotating stock of gas bottles in the state. You don't actually own your specific gas bottles, you merely own the rights to two of the rotating stock. As such, the tank testing is done by your gas supplier and they determine if the bottles are suitable for continued use.

I thought it worked like this all over the country, but perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Kevin

 

[JonLeonard]

I believe the filling of these is controlled by the Department of Transportation (federal). You MUST have the originaly papers to get them filled if they are bigger then the little ones you can buy at Lowe's etc.

Some cylinders are leased, some are purchased. If you take a cylinder you own to a place other than where you bought them, they will refill your cylinders. If you take them to where you bought them, then they might just swap them out for filled ones (depends on the dealer). I dont believe you can get a leased cylinder filled/swapped anywhere, except the dealer you leased it form.

The thing to know here, is those cylinders you see for sale at flea markets, etc are absolutely useless unless they include the original paperwork. Noone will fill them. I speak form experience /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

Jon

 

[ejb]

I suspected that it wouldn't be as simple as showing up with two empty bottles, with no proof of ownership and trying for a re-fill.

Any ballparks on what it will cost to get a set of new tanks, pluss have them filled?

 

[Bird]

Kevin, my brother and I bought our bottles and they were new when we bought them, but like you, never saw them again after they once ran out, because every where we ever went to have bottles filled, they simply took our empty and gave us a full one.

I do know that some people (usually only shops that use a great deal of gas) rent the bottles and I checked into that quite a few years ago and it is far too expensive unless you're buying a lot of gas.

 

[JonLeonard]

I just bought a set of bottles a few weeks ago. A small oxygen and acetelyne setup. The two of them filled were about $260. Each is about 2' tall, about 12" in circumference.

Hope that give you an idea. They are pretty expensive.

Jon

 

[DavidH]

ejb: I bought a used cutting torch six months ago. Before I bought them I checked a local welding supply store to see if it was worth the price. They told me that if I bought tanks it would be $225 or they would fill them for $32. I finally ran out of gas last week and took them to the store. They swapped them out for different tanks for $32 with no paperwork. They did say if the tanks were expired there would be a $15 fee extra, but both tanks were in date.

 

[bgott]

I did that, went to Home Depot and bought the little cutting rig for doing my A/C work and other small jobs. I took my shiny new bottles down to get them filled and durn near cried when they swapped them out for two bottles that were all beat and scratched up. When I bought some used bottles for back up at a yard sale they wanted to charge for a hydro test but I found out that my A/C supply will swap them out, no questions asked. It costs me about $8 a pop to get my cylinders swapped out for full ones. Not bad for a set up I can carry anywhere.