Gas Welding and Cutting Equipment
By
User:LPNalini @timeAndDate(1272233074)
When speaking about gas welding and cutting equipment and supply we're mainly concerned with oxygenkit'>gas welding kit, which will include the whole assembly excepting the fuel canisters and some specialty torches you may want for cutting applications. You may also, with these kits, require an added length of gas hose. However, it is important to know about the individual elements of the gas welding assembly so we'll get into that below.
Elements of the Assembly
You could, theoretically, build your own gas welding setup by informing yourself and taking a little trip down to the local plumbing supply store. Here at ShopWiki, we aim to be a plumbing supply store too... among other things.
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Pressure Regulators
** You'll need at least two of these, to regulate the pressure of the gases exiting the cylinders.
** Some cylinders include this part of the assembly.
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Gas Hoses
** Again, you'll need at least two of these, and they are commonly sold in a double-hose design.
** Fuel hoses (usually red) are threaded differently than oxygen hoses (usually green) to prevent the hoses from being hooked up incorrectly, which can be quite dangerous.
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Gas Hose Reels are very useful for longer hoses, which will allow you greater mobility in your shop.
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Check Valves
** You may need as many as four of these each, to fit between the hoses and regulators, and between the hoses and torch.
** The check valve will prevent fuel from leaking backwards in the assembly, a very dangerous situation.
** A flashback arrestor prevents propagation of shock waves backwards across the assembly. This is commonly caused by allowing the flame head to get too close to the torch tip and may cause explosions.
* '''Torch'''
** You may need a number of different types of torches:
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Welding Torches
**** Primary and simplest, includes one inlet for each hose and needle valves to regulate flow rate for both gases.
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Cutting Torches
**** Similar to a welding torch but incorporating an oxygen-blast trigger.
**** The essential process of gas cutting is to heat the metal until it is cherry red, using the cutting torch as a standard welding torch, then use the oxygen-blast trigger which oxidizes and further heats the metal.
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Rose Bud Torches
**** Used for heating, bending, and shaping metal.
* '''Gas Cylinders'''
** Cylinders on the Internet are sold empty, with very few exceptions. You'll have to find a local supply company to fill them for you. The process is similar to buying fuel for your gas grill and some supply companies rent their cylinders out the way garden stores rent fuel cylinders out.
** Transporting gas cylinders is risky business and most states and municipalities have specific laws about how it must be done. You definitely should not just drop an acetylene tank into your backseat and try driving real slow.
** Cylinders are manufactured to be specific to a particular gas. For instance, an oxygen cylinder is manufactured to resist the highly corrosive properties of oxygen, whereas an acetylene cylinder is manufactured to resist the extreme reactability of acetylene.
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Oxygen Cylinders are essential; oxygen is the combustible element of the equation.
** Fuel Cylinders
*** Fuel is the flammable part of this equation.
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Acetylene
**** In metalwork you'll almost exclusively be using acetylene.
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Gasoline
**** More portable and safer than acetylene, in some cases just as effective.
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Hydrogen
**** Good for cutting aluminum and used in underwater welding as hydrogen can be fed at a higher pressure than acetylene. Also, hydrogen burns at a higher temperature than acetylene and can be used well for heating up large amounts of metal.
**** Hydrogen is highly volatile and corrosive; probably the most dangerous of the three fuel types to be transporting.
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Propylene
**** Commonly used in production settings, propylene burns cleaner than just about anything else on earth, and will help keep your equipment in good condition.
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MIG Welding Equipment
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Spot Welding Equipment
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Welders
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Welding Helmets
