Victor Torch Serial #/Year Manufactured

[Tractor Seabee]

Have any of you welding experts figured out or know if the serial # on Victor torch barrels indicate the year it was manufactured. Need the code breaker if it is relevant like a lot of stuff is.

Ron

 

[user.69169]

Not worth trying to figure out, Victor over 100 years in business when they sold to ESAB. Eduncficated kids in corporate see no value in keeping old info so it gets trashed if it did come in a box.

Best chance you check wid fellow who runs Regulator&torch repair if you can't find on his website.
888-343-6467
Parts Breakdown LIbrary is Now Avialable – Regulator and Torch Exchange, Inc.

Jim knows his torches and is great guy to work wid.
You buy parts, remind him to include de candy in shipping box. He forgets some times.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Thanks (removed), I will keep his link. I have a retirement gig of buying, selling, trading used welding equipment. Sometimes it is lucrative, some things like these barrels will not move fast, but not in any hurry. I bought a whole box of stuff for $100 and they were in it. They are still made and sell for $800 new. I can make someone a bargain and pick up at least 100%. It is more of a hobby, and I can help folks out. These things have never been used. The box also had a dozen large Victor welding nozzles (up to #12) and about 1/2 are new. New they range from $75-150 each.

I finally found a Customer service # for Victor. They were very nice and helpful. Serial # are not related to year of manufacture. If a Victor items (not all do) has a two letter cade stamped in the body they can provide the vintage. You have to call them. These were made in 2011 and 2015 so not vintage. The current model looks identical. I now have a complete catalog for reference.

 

[user.69169]

OK, now you got me confugled. Are you talkin bout machine torch barrels or hand held? Don't worry bout de confugle, I grew up wid 3 sisters.

Usta be shop in Rochester, Mahany could rebuild about any torch. When dey moved to new building dey scrapped over a ton of junk brass was under de bench. 3 foot high torch pile on top bench got rebuilt as Ted got to dem. Ted retired and his soninlaw took over repair. Insurance got too expensive so Dave gave up.

BTW, you gotta clean up brass or copper, Fast Orange from Dollar Store soaks it clean widout damage.

 

[yomax4]

I have to clear the air. ESAB did not buy Victor. ESAB can't buy anything. They don't even own themselves. They are owned by a company named Colfax who is part of the Danaher group. Colfax has the authority to make strategic purchases and they paid 4x more for Victor than it sold for 3 years prior. ( Nearly a Billion $) Fact is ESAB LOST 50 Million dollars the year before Victor was purchased ( by Colfax ) and Victor products were seen as a path out of certain bankruptcy by ESAB who really doesn't Make Anything other than some welding wire. Everything else is bought, repainted yellow and a sticker applied. The ESAB employees were thrilled to have Victor/Thermadyne products to sell and the Victor employees hated ESAB. Colfax fired 250 ESAB & Victor employees 10 days before Christmas and most of the Victor people that remained quit because of that. This has caused many product reductions like Plasma Welding and the other Thermal Arc products and more dependence on China. I was at the Florence SC ESAB plant and headquarters soon after the forced merger and the place was a ghost town. Nothing there but empty desks and cob webs. It blead out and closed soon after. Sorry, I despise ESAB. I'm glad to have been able to leave that crap hole company on my own terms.

 

[user.69169]

Funny how dem brilliant deals made by highly schooled people crap de bed.

25 year back, TD was a good company. ITW bought Hobart Bros and Lincoln sued. ITW had to shed engine drive and gave it to TD. Also Plasma welding Hobart pretty much figured out. All parts & draings too. TD scrapped everything, didn't fit der business plan.
TD gonna build all in Malasia and container to US. Few employees in US. Worked real well, TD became part of ESAB.

BIG CRASH COMING!

 

[deereman75]

As someone who really liked Purox torches I was rather pissed off about the whole esab/victor thing......

Still trying to decide what I want to switch to now that purox stuff is rapidly becoming unobtainable....

Also hearing this is making me even happier to have bought a Lincoln Invertec rather than that new little esab stick inverter everyone is pushing....