My acetylene bottle is standing up. If you lay your acetylene bottle down, make sure and stand up up for at least 45 mins before you turn it on and start cutting.
GOOGLE: Why is acetylene cylinder filled with porous materials? Acetylene gas is mixed in liquid acetone for safe storage and usage. Acetone in acetylene cylinders helps stabilize the gas making it non-reactive within the cylinder. ... The cylinder is then filled with porous material like firebrick. This keeps the acetylene in liquid form making it easier to transport the cylinders.
@@fraterjr it holds porous material due to its volatility but if your bottle has been on its side for over 2 hours then as Austin stated it much stand up for ATLEAST 45 minutes to help the acetone settle. Acetylene is a volatile gas and Oxygen is an excellerant
@@WardWeldz You’re spot on regarding acetylene. Remember oxygen is an oxidizer. In the video Austin says it is flammable, technically this is incorrect but the reaction to an existing fire when an oxidizer is added is such that well your term, accelerant, paints the perfect picture. Oxidizers can be a little peculiar and are given their own classification pertaining to their storage, transportation, use but to keep things simple they could be thought of and should be treated as if they’re flammables.
gravity keeps the acetone near the bottom of the tank. If the tank is used on the side you will burn off acetone and the pressure of the acetylene tank will rise beyond the normal tank pressure!
I've watched several RUclips welding channels looking for exactly what I have found here. Your presentation is on point, no goofy jokes, no profanity, excellent camera work, great Play by Play. WHAT A RESOURCE FOR A ROOKIE! Thankyou so much for taking the time to do such a great job!
All bottle are to be opened all the way open. The design of the packing are made to operate all the way open or closed Bottles are to be f acing up when transported or used as per OSHA.
So I was reading the comments about using acetylene tanks laying down. My Dad has done this for years and I have too from time to time found the need to throw the tanks on the back of the truck and run out on the farm somewhere and fix something. Then I realized what a wonderful tool RUclips is and if you have a question, someone has already asked it. So I looked up what's inside an acetylene tank. After several videos and a few thanks to the Boss upstairs for not letting me blow myself up, I'm smarter now than an hour ago. You can bet your backside I will never hook a regulator to another acetylene tank laying down. It's not designed for it.
I'd like to hear from you why you didn't know? I've encountered so many people who seem never to have had formal training, and expected me to put up with them being a hazard to me, others, themselves, and the building... Acetylene on its side, no flashback arrestors, acetylene pressure far too high (unnecessarily high) over 14psi, a pressure beyond which acetylene can become unstable, decompose, They don't have a plan to deal with a cylinder that's been overheated, they don't realise that acetylene and copper or silver can form explosive compounds... copper / silver acetylide, that fixed oxygen pipes, though you can fabricate them from copper, you'd best not use silver solder, and you'd best double degrease them before use... (oil + oxygen = bad) and so on. And then, when they cut, the cut's RAF (rough as...) so needs a lot of grinding time... With my track cutter, I could cut within, perhaps 10 thou of size, and just flick the sanding disc over for a satisfactory finish, no wasted time. Other guys? their cutting was truly awful. Right nozzle, right pressures, right flame character, right flame relationship to plate, right speed... Nice job... Some guys see O/A as a demolition tool... They're wrong...
@@robertlawson8572 You guessed it in the first five seconds. No formal training. I was taught by my Dad, who will tell you that he has had no formal training. You either learn by going to school or experience. And RUclips of course.
@@bigchuckyinkentucky6267 Thanks for your honest reply. I had a long reply largely drafted, but it disappeared... So, a short one must do... In military service, I asked a fellow corporal in a different trade (he was a joiner) what his medal was for... The story he told was fascinating. Serving in Singapore, a junior rank came to him (the nearest NCO to where the junior was working) in a panic, having realised his acetylene cylinder was heating up... (the contents were decomposing) for whatever reason. The Joiner had no idea what to do, the junior rank knew, but was afraid. The corporal performed all he actions the junior rank told him were necessary. Shut the plant down, remove the regulators, discard the Oxy cylinder to minimise weight, get the acetylene cylinder on its trolley, into the open, ideally 200 yards from any buildings, open the acetylene spindle valve to let the gas escape to atmosphere and either spray with water or immerse the cylinder in water. Never use a jet of water, you may topple the cylinder, it may roll in a direction you'd prefer it not to..., and, horizontal, with an open valve, the acetone in which the acetylene's dissolved, escapes... Anyway, the Joiner saved the day, and was decorated for it... I told him that, since my early teens, I'd viewed welding plant with respect, because, when a local car repair garage had a fire, (in the mid 60s) the explosion of the acetylene cylinder had been spectacularly noisy, and caused considerable damage to the building. And when I trained in the use of O/A I understood better what I was dealing with... A potential bomb... I said I thought he was brave, and deserved the medal (Queen's Commendation) He said he'd just have evacuated the area, had he known the possible results... Modest?
The only problem with laying the tank on its side is you get liquid fuel instead of gas! You won’t blow up or catch fire you’ll just get a big flame that won’t cut!
Can't tell you how long I've been looking for a video that covered a good, strong set of basics for cutting in a straight forward, clear manner without going off the rails and stuck in the muck on one topic. Thank you.
Many years ago I made my living as a welder. I appreciate your videos now because it reminds me of what I had forgotten over the years, and provides new ideas I wish I would have known back then. Thank You Austin!
Austin, I am also a retired USAF crew chief (mechanic) on F-4, A-7 and F-16 fighters. I have been welding for about 40 years and am sort of self taught, the guys in the welding shop on my base let me use their MIG and TIG welders and were teaching me things until I got hurt and was retired. I found your video this morning at 0430 and was very impressed with your teaching methods. I tried to take some courses at my local college where I am an instructor and the welding instructor told me they now pretty much teach CNC and automatic welding and I didn't see that helping me. I subscribed and learned a lot from your torch teaching. THANKS!
BEGINNERS MAY NOT FLOW ACETYLENE ENOUGH! TOO LITTLE ACETLYENE GIVES REPEATED SNAPS! POPS, CRACKLES. CLOSE THE FUEL, THEN O2 AND BEGIN AGAIN. FLOOR MAT ALUMINUM CASTERS.....SOOT 100% THEIR DIES AND ALSO BITD GM TORNADO STEEL STEERING CASTINGS DIES WERE WATER COOLED, AND SOOTED BEFORE FILLING WITH 2800*F STEEL.
Secondly am awelder but I have my brother in America he told me to watch your RUclips welding channels to improve my carrier so that he will look for me ajob in america that's my dream to improve my carrier abroad
I really appreciate how detailed your explanations are on why you do things the way you do. It helps me understand not just how, but why you do it your way. Thank You.
I was taught many years ago that high pressure bottles (oxy, etc) need to be open all the way and back seat the valve to prevent it from leaking at the stem, and only turn on low pressure bottles enough for gas flow in case something happens you can quickly turn it off. Thanks for another great video
My college instructor also said to backseat the oxy tank Valve. However, as a diesel mechanic, most of my torch work is small or quick jobs and loss from a small leak is negligible if any, i usually open it about a full turn and i get all the oxy my torch will use.
all you people arguing over whether O bottles are double-seated: you can look it up. It's an industry standard. There are no variations from this standard in the USA. GO LOOK IT UP. LEARN HOW TO SEARCH THE WEB. STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION.
so awesome that we are able to learn from the best through this platform no matter where in the world we are! thank you for making these videos, you're the best!!
I was a millwright for some time and we had to train with welding and torch use. I stumbled on your videos from your video on "dont strike it like a match" Its ironic as the trainers used that phrase "strike it like a match" but I found I had a hard time doing it that way. It would stick. And when your video popped up in my youtube feed I was like wow I have to watch this. I always thought I was doing it "wrong " because I couldn't "strike it like a match" hahaha I would ease it into an arc (what I call it in my mind) Very good video. And Ive watched several of your videos now. This one was real good too. Maybe a good idea is to go over end of day with torches. We where trained to close off tank valves and then crack open and drain lines so there was not maintained pressure in the gas lines of both Oxy and acetylene And LAST to back off the regulators to release internal spring pressures. Do you follow that type of process? Or different? I do this with even with the argon tank on the mig welder. Just to relieve pressure and allow springs in the regular to relax. I no longer do millwright work but manage a large print shop and i do all the "fabrication/repairs" that involve cutting welding etc for the shop. Anyway enjoy the vids keep up the good work!!
I’m glad you found the videos! Thank you for the kind words. I do not do that but prob not a bad idea. But I must have a leak in my hoses somewhere because if I don’t use my bottles for a couple days I have too purge my hoses before I can get the acetylene to light 🤣 All I do is turn my bottles off at the end of the day.
@@arosswelding it was a pretty big thing in Mills back in the day. Again I'm talking late 80s You know Osha blah blah I remember when I did Steel work as a connector. They came up and insisted we wear lanyards for fall gear but not that there had to be an actual place to tie off to. Because after all we where the first ones up there. You know rules is rules... And some stay and others go. Then eventually I think bow they make them make a fall prevention system to tie off to. Still back then it could be open deck for the full building no matter how many stories high and now I think it's a two story cut off and it has to be decked in. Makes sense Anyway I've enjoyed your vids brother If you where local I'd buy you a beer....
I started out pipe welding in a shop for brown and root...never did to much field welding...til later and I learned some pipe fitting OJT..I learned that as a Welder it was better to fit your own up and not get a good fit up ..from a bad fitter! I find your videos very informative keep up the good work cheers
As a fitter i can honestly say good welders fit their own pipe. Fitters design measure draw everything but a good welder knows what they want for gaps and also how to handle the draws and how to roll flanges way better than any basic fitter can
I taught welding for years at the college level. I like the way you speak it's a you have a nice tone and very easy to listen to brother! I usually taught welding and cutting with the oxy acetylene torch before I went into stick welding or flux core or metal core or Tig welding...
Great Content As Always! You Are Humble & Knowlegable! One thing you may have forgotten here is that You always keep your acetylene tank upright as there is liquid gas inside, but quite handy for oxygen tanks, Co2 or C25, Argon etc to be laying down for easy swap out and space saving.
My dad taught me about sixty years ago that the main oxy valve is the on/off valve. The oxy valve on the cutting head is used to adjust the mixture of the flame. When lighting the torch after it has been adjusted ,you only have to adjust the acetylene valve to a neutral flame and your flame is the same size as it was before you shut it off.
Maybe chemistry works differently across the Atlantic? Set your O&A pressures to the torch manufacturer's recommendations. Light the acetylene, set the acetylene flow to render the flame soot free. Adjust the oxygen to get a neutral flame for cutting. Check that when you apply the cutting oxygen, that doesn't radically change your flame's characteristics. When your nozzle heats up in use, you may have to correct your flame adjustment... If you're lucky, doing bench work, and have the torch connected via a gas economiser, you won't be obliged to adjust your flame characterisics every time you light up, but you must keep an eye on them... My instructor, 50+ years ago, when flashback arrestors were neither obligatory, nor necessarily as good as today's versions, dashed up to me when my torch (I'd contaminated the nozzle) was backfiring like a machine gun, and told me "clean that nozzle, and start again" and "If it happens again, as a safety measure, try and catch me..." Only half joking, I think...
thank you for this video. you dont know how much this video helped me being a beginner. you explained everything so well. 👏 👏 god bless good men willing to teach the new generations.
Great information! There are a couple of things to consider also. 1) hauling and handling bottles should always be vertical, and with caps on. If the valve should be knocked off of a full high pressure bottle, it becomes a rocket that will go through walls, etc. One actually went through a car fender and imbedded in an engine block. 2) please discuss single versus 2 stage regulators. Single ones are far more difficult to control pressures than the 2 stage ones. Irregular flames make continual readjustment on single stage ones. 2 stage ones cost a little more, but are worth it.
Thanks Mr Ross. I enjoyed this video. You talked about the blue small flames not changing when the trigger was pressed. That solved a problem I was having cutting. Thanks.
Great presentation Austin. My 1st time learning about this stuff, I was in my 1st year of high school, plumbing and heating shop at west side Vocational technical school , I was only 13 years old, RIP to Mr. Ron Koloski my instructor
Thanks great vid and very helpful. Re your pipeline welding, I was a pipeline welding inspector, great job and a great bunch of blokes. I may have certified some of your welds...nah I'm in the land of the desert dingo, take care. I must add, I have nothing but the greatest respect for pipeline welds, man can they go hard especially on butt rate!
Think you sir finally some one who knows what the hell they are talking about !! I subscribed because every thing else i found on here was mis information just starting to use cutting and welding equipment on my hobby ranch
tHANK YOU SO MUCH aUSTIN. yOU SHARED SOMETHING SO USEFUL AND VALUABLE FOR ME. I AM NEW TO THIS SO WAS WORTH THE TIME TO LISTEN AND VIEW YOUR VIDEO. SUBSCRIBED!
Thank you for going over this! I’ve gotten pretty good cutting and welding but I didn’t know that sound is what your looking for after you clean your tip, so thanks again! This will just make me that much better.
Typically your O2 valve requires that it be al the way open to flow properly (I forget what that style is called) and the ace tank has a different style of valve and it can be partially open and still work properly. Opening an ace tank 1/2 to 1 turn will let you shut it off quickly in case your flashback arrester fails and you need to cut that tank fast. This video is fantastic by the way! I love y’all’s stuff!
@@Kevin-is-here that's what I was also taught and it should be all the way open for safety. Maybe different models exist that can handle the O2 pressure safely now. Idk
Thank you for the video, Thought i knew what to do and when i went to spark the torch on, a huge pop happened that left my ears ringing bad, scared the ever lasting shit out of me, immediately shut the torch off and didn't touch it again lol, This is the perfect video for help on this.
I have a torch competition at school tomorrow. I’m the only girl in the competition. I have to cut circles and straight lines freehand. Thank you for this video! It really helped!
By now, assuming you passed / won, and I hope you did, you'll have discovered that we generally use a guide (maybe a piece of angle iron) for straight lines, and a trammel of some sort for circles. freehand cutting (while admitting it's necessary for pipe prep) is a torture reserved for college... One of my college test pieces was completed while shaking my right foot around trying to get some hot slag down into the toe away from flesh...
Good morning Austin, thanks for the great information you shared with us on this cutting torch basics video. It is something to keep available when you don't use the torch very often. Appreciate your channel. Fred.
Good video! For clarification: Oxygen is not flammable at all, it is an Oxidizer so it makes fuels/things that do burn, burn more readily or with greater intensity due to the presence of more oxygen than is normally present in the atmosphere. I like your recommendation for cleaning the tips. 👍
Hey brother thank you for the video I had a bad experience with a house fire as a young boy so I'm timid on the Torch. But I think you set me the right way
Wow.. thanks Austin.. I’ve been looking into buy a torch set but not sure where to start.. not alone how to run a torch lol.. very useful information.. thanks for your time
Very useful info! Thank you! I have a set of torches in my garage/shop. Here is a tip that I have found useful over the years to avoid yellow dingy guage plastic lens. Not sure how this will work in a mobile setting. Take a clear ziplock bag, and place it over both guages with the ziplock down. Make a hole in the ziplock bag just big enough for the adjustment screw. Close as much of the ziplock that you can at the bottom. The clear plastic guage lens will stay clean and clear and not yellowed for many years.
Super interesting, I might have to look into welding courses in my area. Oxygen isn't so much flammable so much as it makes everything it comes into contact with that can be flammable very flammable very easily. It's why the oxygen lines use brass fittings, brass isn't flammable at all and also doesn't need oil or rubber seals (both flammable) to stay functional. No seals burn, no oxygen leaks (setting everything around the bottle that can be on fire, on fire). First time I had to handle oxygen bottles was at work experience and the lab technician explained why the two bottles had different metals for fittings (of course the bottles themselves were kept outside in a locked cage and the oxygen was piped into the lab, it was way too dangerous to keep that stuff in the lab itself). The oxygen and acetylene were used for melting inorganic stuff (anything really, normally rocks and ores though) so that the material could be shaped into a disk (using an eye wateringly expensive platinum/gold alloy mould because the alloy could withstand the temperature without mucking up the sample) and tested in a very expensive machine that would shoot radiation at it to figure out what elements were in it. Weirdest thing we tested while i was there was cat food (we didn't melt that, we compressed it into a disk, with a lot of pressure).
When I first started out I used a small local welding supply down here in southeast Texas which was fine as long as I was only working down here, then I had to go up to PA,NY and Ohio area and had to lease from Airgas as I couldn’t get my bottles refilled, I’m glad you said that man maybe that’ll save someone else the headache of having to learn that lesson the hard way like I did. Also put a tracker on your truck, my whole rig got stolen in San Antonio from the Hilton hotel at about 4am. The cops found my truck stripped about 3 miles from the job site, so do yourself a favor and put a tracker on your truck and keep records of all of your equipment
Man that sucks about your truck! I have a cousin that used to run a rig welder while building his own business to the incredible fabrication and welding shop that it is now. One story I remember was one day he had to drive his welding rig to the DFW metroplex to take care of some business where he would have to leave his truck out of site for about an hour. As he approached the parking lot he noticed a beggar on a corner. He offered a deal with this beggar, paid him 20 bucks on the spot and said if you’ll watch my truck and when I get back nothing is missing and you’re still here I’ll pay you another 20. Worked out well for both of them, I believe similar out of the box thinking is what has aided in his success.
Thank you so very much!!! Its very hard to get well explained information on the internet. I just went to my garage to set up my gauges and what a huge difference my torch is now...!!! You got a new subscriber!
Some of the best advice iv had about cleaning up a bad tip is to SLIGHTLY bevel the holes and to keep the tip concave (that’s why the end of the file included the the tip cleaner is curved) I also keep a small brass brush on me while cutting and use it every time I turn the torch off. Iv had the same tip on this torch for almost 3 years, sounds like a jet and shoots about 4’ of flame. Also I run my 00 tip at 7-21 on my regulators
Excellent video! I have a couple of suggestions, one is to recommend looking away from the regulator when you slowly crack the oxygen cylinder valve on and to definitely turn the cylinder valve all the way open. It’s alright to turn the oxygen valve fast to open once has been slowly opened. This is because regular gauges have been known to blow out when high pressure oxygen hits them and opening valve all the way lets it seal taking the pressure away from the valve stem packing. The other suggestion is to use and explain the term neutral, oxidizing and carburizing flames when you explain adjusting the flame at the torch tip. Just some tips I remember from when I use to teach basic welding to high school students and adults.
Great video! Btw, what is this accent because every time I hear it, it sounds so friendly and I feel welcomed 😂 I'm not American, that's why I'm asking 😊
A 'Southern' accent. Maybe Oklahoma or Texas? Not sure, but the gas/oilfields are in those states. All the Southern States have their own distinctive accents. My wife is from Tennessee & Mississippi, which is different. Georgia & the Carolinas sound very beautiful to my ear, but I like them all.
Ive seen dad sorta rub the face of the tip on a scrap piece of wood near his bench for a quick clean. Its a quick thing hed do, i remember it crackling a bit as he back-and-forth on the board while it was lit and set. Idk. Im no welder but he most def is
I have always used the two valve torches and if there was only a 3 valve 1 I would use the plasma cutter. Today you taught me what the third valve is for. I didn't know that was just another OXY adjust valve. Now I will use it 😜🙂😜🙂 Sad thing is I have been a shop welder for 8 years. Never knew that and always to proud to ask. Thank you
Keep the videos coming I love watching them time to time cuz I might learn a new trick you know I'm been out in the field for a long time thank you so much
Dang you make good videos! I was thinking you should actually cut something (so we could see sparks fly for our visual enjoyment) but then you packed so many useful tips in I really didn't care! Thanks for sharing such a great vid/information!
Austin your videos are great I done told you that what you need to do is get you the victor book so you can learn the the names of the parts such as duel splice, Farrell's oh and I hated the vice grip I used the hammer type but the book helped me a lot I took a course on victor torches and got certified so I could over hall my torch cause you can get the kit and do your self love ya big A
Very good and thorough information, you must be a good welder, if you are as patient welding as you are with these videos, I too have been a welder, you should be a welding instructor, newbies would learn alot, thanks
Your videos are a good find for me. I have plenty of problems using my torch. Right now, I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life. I saw a video were this guy cut a line using a steel bar as a guide but his cut was what caught my eye. It was clean like he had used a plasma cutter or grinder. My 1st question is, is that because he had a perfect tip and strong flow of O & A? 2, do you have a video on cutting upto 1 inch thick steel? Thanks.
Remember hearing the same almost word for word back in the late 60's early 70's. Gas skills back then were crucial! Today , it seems more like a lost art!
Great video. I’m a retired heavy duty diesel mechanic and I’ve never seen anybody twist their lines before, hmmm🤔. Another great point about safety caps on tanks on service trucks; I see so many rigs that the operator does not use the regular caps with the regulators taken off or using safety caps , it’s insane but the police man can write you a ticket for that infraction. On tank ownership I get mine through Airgass. Now the deal is as I’ve been told is depending on if you are on the west side of the Mississippi River or the east side. If on the west side you can either rent or purchase tanks, I purchase tanks , because it’s cheaper in the long run. The rental cost is per month and generally speaking after about 5 months of rental on one tank, the monthly rental exceeds the purchase price if you are not going through tanks on a regular basis. Now I was told that east of the Mississippi River they do not sell tanks only rent them so for the at home guy it can be real expensive, but I could be wrong on that, that’s what they told me at my Airgass store. I’ve also purchased used tanks at auctions but you got to be careful at looking at the ring collar on top of the tank and know the difference between a rental tank and a purchased tank. If it’s a purchased tank, Airgass will take it back as part of the tank rotation, but if it’s a rental they will NOT, because theirs still a rental agreement in effect and anybody other then the original rental person they kinda consider it stolen, kinda so it’s junk at that point. So never purchase used tanks anywhere if your not sure and talk with your local salesman at your local Airgass store. In my area in Oregon a lot of small welding supply stores actually get their tanks from Airgass anyway. I hope this information helps.
Joel, I am east of the Mississippi (in Alabama.) You can purchase tanks here. However, I've been renting tanks for several years but do not use my torches very often. This is especially true since I bought a plasma cutter. I actually rented my tanks from a welding supply out of town and have been paying quite a bit every month, but have been exchanging tanks at AirGas for a number of years. I would like to just purchase my tanks and wondered whether AirGas would just rotate them into their stock when I went to replace them. That way I would always have certified tanks and I wouldn't be spending a fortune in rentals for using my torches now and then. I am also wondering whether the original renal place would give me hard time returning tanks that didn't come from them. None of this I know at the moment, but this is the direction I am thinking. I need to go to AirGas and see what they say.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
My acetylene bottle is standing up. If you lay your acetylene bottle down, make sure and stand up up for at least 45 mins before you turn it on and start cutting.
GOOGLE:
Why is acetylene cylinder filled with porous materials?
Acetylene gas is mixed in liquid acetone for safe storage and usage. Acetone in acetylene cylinders helps stabilize the gas making it non-reactive within the cylinder. ... The cylinder is then filled with porous material like firebrick. This keeps the acetylene in liquid form making it easier to transport the cylinders.
@@fraterjr it holds porous material due to its volatility but if your bottle has been on its side for over 2 hours then as Austin stated it much stand up for ATLEAST 45 minutes to help the acetone settle.
Acetylene is a volatile gas and Oxygen is an excellerant
@@WardWeldz You’re spot on regarding acetylene.
Remember oxygen is an oxidizer. In the video Austin says it is flammable, technically this is incorrect but the reaction to an existing fire when an oxidizer is added is such that well your term, accelerant, paints the perfect picture. Oxidizers can be a little peculiar and are given their own classification pertaining to their storage, transportation, use but to keep things simple they could be thought of and should be treated as if they’re flammables.
What gloves are you wearing in this video Austin?
gravity keeps the acetone near the bottom of the tank. If the tank is used on the side you will burn off acetone and the pressure of the acetylene tank will rise beyond the normal tank pressure!
I've watched several RUclips welding channels looking for exactly what I have found here. Your presentation is on point, no goofy jokes, no profanity, excellent camera work, great Play by Play. WHAT A RESOURCE FOR A ROOKIE! Thankyou so much for taking the time to do such a great job!
You're getting into the wrong profession if you don't want to hear profanity...
@bigrichard660 if you aren't aggravated, as in you just got burned, there's no reason for profanity.
All bottle are to be opened all the way open. The design of the packing are made to operate all the way open or closed
Bottles are to be f acing up when transported or used as per OSHA.
Same I love it😂
So I was reading the comments about using acetylene tanks laying down. My Dad has done this for years and I have too from time to time found the need to throw the tanks on the back of the truck and run out on the farm somewhere and fix something. Then I realized what a wonderful tool RUclips is and if you have a question, someone has already asked it. So I looked up what's inside an acetylene tank. After several videos and a few thanks to the Boss upstairs for not letting me blow myself up, I'm smarter now than an hour ago. You can bet your backside I will never hook a regulator to another acetylene tank laying down. It's not designed for it.
Always point your fuel up for the lord ☝
I'd like to hear from you why you didn't know? I've encountered so many people who seem never to have had formal training, and expected me to put up with them being a hazard to me, others, themselves, and the building... Acetylene on its side, no flashback arrestors, acetylene pressure far too high (unnecessarily high) over 14psi, a pressure beyond which acetylene can become unstable, decompose, They don't have a plan to deal with a cylinder that's been overheated, they don't realise that acetylene and copper or silver can form explosive compounds... copper / silver acetylide, that fixed oxygen pipes, though you can fabricate them from copper, you'd best not use silver solder, and you'd best double degrease them before use... (oil + oxygen = bad) and so on. And then, when they cut, the cut's RAF (rough as...) so needs a lot of grinding time... With my track cutter, I could cut within, perhaps 10 thou of size, and just flick the sanding disc over for a satisfactory finish, no wasted time. Other guys? their cutting was truly awful.
Right nozzle, right pressures, right flame character, right flame relationship to plate, right speed... Nice job... Some guys see O/A as a demolition tool... They're wrong...
@@robertlawson8572 You guessed it in the first five seconds. No formal training. I was taught by my Dad, who will tell you that he has had no formal training. You either learn by going to school or experience. And RUclips of course.
@@bigchuckyinkentucky6267 Thanks for your honest reply. I had a long reply largely drafted, but it disappeared... So, a short one must do... In military service, I asked a fellow corporal in a different trade (he was a joiner) what his medal was for...
The story he told was fascinating. Serving in Singapore, a junior rank came to him (the nearest NCO to where the junior was working) in a panic, having realised his acetylene cylinder was heating up... (the contents were decomposing) for whatever reason. The Joiner had no idea what to do, the junior rank knew, but was afraid. The corporal performed all he actions the junior rank told him were necessary.
Shut the plant down, remove the regulators, discard the Oxy cylinder to minimise weight, get the acetylene cylinder on its trolley, into the open, ideally 200 yards from any buildings, open the acetylene spindle valve to let the gas escape to atmosphere and either spray with water or immerse the cylinder in water. Never use a jet of water, you may topple the cylinder, it may roll in a direction you'd prefer it not to..., and, horizontal, with an open valve, the acetone in which the acetylene's dissolved, escapes...
Anyway, the Joiner saved the day, and was decorated for it...
I told him that, since my early teens, I'd viewed welding plant with respect, because, when a local car repair garage had a fire, (in the mid 60s) the explosion of the acetylene cylinder had been spectacularly noisy, and caused considerable damage to the building. And when I trained in the use of O/A I understood better what I was dealing with... A potential bomb...
I said I thought he was brave, and deserved the medal (Queen's Commendation) He said he'd just have evacuated the area, had he known the possible results... Modest?
The only problem with laying the tank on its side is you get liquid fuel instead of gas! You won’t blow up or catch fire you’ll just get a big flame that won’t cut!
Can't tell you how long I've been looking for a video that covered a good, strong set of basics for cutting in a straight forward, clear manner without going off the rails and stuck in the muck on one topic. Thank you.
Pleasure is all mine!
Because trades are rarely taught in public schools anymore, Austin is more valuable than he may realize. Thank you.
At 72 I still learn something every day. Now I'm going in the shop to twist my hoses and clean my tips. Thank you.
I’m 72 and still learning, when I taught basic welding to adults my oldest student was 80.
Many years ago I made my living as a welder. I appreciate your videos now because it reminds me of what I had forgotten over the years, and provides new ideas I wish I would have known back then. Thank You Austin!
Being a 21 year veteran of the welding industry, I do enjoy your videos
Austin, I am also a retired USAF crew chief (mechanic) on F-4, A-7 and F-16 fighters. I have been welding for about 40 years and am sort of self taught, the guys in the welding shop on my base let me use their MIG and TIG welders and were teaching me things until I got hurt and was retired. I found your video this morning at 0430 and was very impressed with your teaching methods. I tried to take some courses at my local college where I am an instructor and the welding instructor told me they now pretty much teach CNC and automatic welding and I didn't see that helping me. I subscribed and learned a lot from your torch teaching. THANKS!
h0ó😊😮😮😮😢
I’m a professional structural welder and I still learned a few things, thanks for making this video Austin!
Im a professional structural inspector, nice to meet y’all.
@@alexandrorodriguez9453Im a professional structural welding engineer it's even nicer to meet y'all.
Ross, probably one of the best introduction for those without a great knowledge of welding and torchs.
Thanks, helpful. Made my first cut today. Retired 70.
BEGINNERS MAY NOT FLOW ACETYLENE ENOUGH! TOO LITTLE ACETLYENE GIVES REPEATED SNAPS! POPS, CRACKLES. CLOSE THE FUEL, THEN O2 AND BEGIN AGAIN. FLOOR MAT ALUMINUM CASTERS.....SOOT 100% THEIR DIES AND ALSO BITD GM TORNADO STEEL STEERING CASTINGS DIES WERE WATER COOLED, AND SOOTED BEFORE FILLING WITH 2800*F STEEL.
Secondly am awelder but I have my brother in America he told me to watch your RUclips welding channels to improve my carrier so that he will look for me ajob in america that's my dream to improve my carrier abroad
I really appreciate how detailed your explanations are on why you do things the way you do. It helps me understand not just how, but why you do it your way. Thank You.
I was taught many years ago that high pressure bottles (oxy, etc) need to be open all the way and back seat the valve to prevent it from leaking at the stem, and only turn on low pressure bottles enough for gas flow in case something happens you can quickly turn it off. Thanks for another great video
@Deryk Lilley The valve on a oxygen tank is double seated.
My college instructor also said to backseat the oxy tank Valve. However, as a diesel mechanic, most of my torch work is small or quick jobs and loss from a small leak is negligible if any, i usually open it about a full turn and i get all the oxy my torch will use.
all you people arguing over whether O bottles are double-seated: you can look it up. It's an industry standard. There are no variations from this standard in the USA. GO LOOK IT UP. LEARN HOW TO SEARCH THE WEB. STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION.
@@railgap I’m not arguing, I’m saying what I was taught
@Deryk Lilley I’m in welding school and you open the oxygen and acetylene cylinders all the way
Hey Austin, Mark from Texas here. THANK YOU for your torch cutting basics. You da Man! Thank you again
so awesome that we are able to learn from the best through this platform no matter where in the world we are! thank you for making these videos, you're the best!!
I was a millwright for some time and we had to train with welding and torch use.
I stumbled on your videos from your video on "dont strike it like a match"
Its ironic as the trainers used that phrase "strike it like a match" but I found I had a hard time doing it that way.
It would stick.
And when your video popped up in my youtube feed I was like wow I have to watch this.
I always thought I was doing it "wrong " because I couldn't "strike it like a match" hahaha
I would ease it into an arc (what I call it in my mind)
Very good video.
And Ive watched several of your videos now.
This one was real good too.
Maybe a good idea is to go over end of day with torches.
We where trained to close off tank valves and then crack open and drain lines so there was not maintained pressure in the gas lines of both Oxy and acetylene
And LAST to back off the regulators to release internal spring pressures.
Do you follow that type of process?
Or different?
I do this with even with the argon tank on the mig welder.
Just to relieve pressure and allow springs in the regular to relax.
I no longer do millwright work but manage a large print shop and i do all the "fabrication/repairs" that involve cutting welding etc for the shop.
Anyway enjoy the vids keep up the good work!!
I’m glad you found the videos! Thank you for the kind words.
I do not do that but prob not a bad idea. But I must have a leak in my hoses somewhere because if I don’t use my bottles for a couple days I have too purge my hoses before I can get the acetylene to light 🤣
All I do is turn my bottles off at the end of the day.
@@arosswelding it was a pretty big thing in Mills back in the day.
Again I'm talking late 80s
You know Osha blah blah
I remember when I did Steel work as a connector.
They came up and insisted we wear lanyards for fall gear but not that there had to be an actual place to tie off to.
Because after all we where the first ones up there.
You know rules is rules...
And some stay and others go.
Then eventually I think bow they make them make a fall prevention system to tie off to.
Still back then it could be open deck for the full building no matter how many stories high and now I think it's a two story cut off and it has to be decked in.
Makes sense
Anyway I've enjoyed your vids brother
If you where local I'd buy you a beer....
I started out pipe welding in a shop for brown and root...never did to much field welding...til later and I learned some pipe fitting OJT..I learned that as a Welder it was better to fit your own up and not get a good fit up ..from a bad fitter! I find your videos very informative keep up the good work cheers
As a fitter i can honestly say good welders fit their own pipe. Fitters design measure draw everything but a good welder knows what they want for gaps and also how to handle the draws and how to roll flanges way better than any basic fitter can
I never thought about a quick connect for torch. That's a really handy idea. Thanks for the info.
I taught welding for years at the college level. I like the way you speak it's a you have a nice tone and very easy to listen to brother! I usually taught welding and cutting with the oxy acetylene torch before I went into stick welding or flux core or metal core or Tig welding...
Having been a welder on pipeline you have to be really good. My hat is off to you sir!
Thank you for making this video, it has alot of useful information for someone starting off 👍🏽 I enjoy your videos. Watching from Woodlands, Tx
i am a beginner and this video just made me feel like a super pro! i'll take my coffee and practice a lot
i have watched several of your videos and i really like the advice you give new welders.
Thank you for taking the time to make this detailed vide, you would make a very good teacher.
This video was outstanding! You explained every aspect of the acetylene torch. Now I'm in the mood to go around cutting everything in half.
Great Content As Always! You Are Humble & Knowlegable! One thing you may have forgotten here is that You always keep your acetylene tank upright as there is liquid gas inside, but quite handy for oxygen tanks, Co2 or C25, Argon etc to be laying down for easy swap out and space saving.
My dad taught me about sixty years ago that the main oxy valve is the on/off valve. The oxy valve on the cutting head is used to adjust the mixture of the flame. When lighting the torch after it has been adjusted ,you only have to adjust the acetylene valve to a neutral flame and your flame is the same size as it was before you shut it off.
Your dad sounds dangerous. Prolly fun guy
Maybe chemistry works differently across the Atlantic?
Set your O&A pressures to the torch manufacturer's recommendations. Light the acetylene, set the acetylene flow to render the flame soot free. Adjust the oxygen to get a neutral flame for cutting. Check that when you apply the cutting oxygen, that doesn't radically change your flame's characteristics. When your nozzle heats up in use, you may have to correct your flame adjustment...
If you're lucky, doing bench work, and have the torch connected via a gas economiser, you won't be obliged to adjust your flame characterisics every time you light up, but you must keep an eye on them...
My instructor, 50+ years ago, when flashback arrestors were neither obligatory, nor necessarily as good as today's versions, dashed up to me when my torch (I'd contaminated the nozzle) was backfiring like a machine gun, and told me "clean that nozzle, and start again" and "If it happens again, as a safety measure, try and catch me..." Only half joking, I think...
thank you for this video. you dont know how much this video helped me being a beginner. you explained everything so well. 👏 👏 god bless good men willing to teach the new generations.
Austin, been watching your channel for a few years, love to see it grow as time goes on!
Great information! There are a couple of things to consider also.
1) hauling and handling bottles should always be vertical, and with caps on. If the valve should be knocked off of a full high pressure bottle, it becomes a rocket that will go through walls, etc. One actually went through a car fender and imbedded in an engine block.
2) please discuss single versus 2 stage regulators. Single ones are far more difficult to control pressures than the 2 stage ones. Irregular flames make continual readjustment on single stage ones. 2 stage ones cost a little more, but are worth it.
Thanks Mr Ross. I enjoyed this video. You talked about the blue small flames not changing when the trigger was pressed. That solved a problem I was having cutting. Thanks.
Very clear and concise - easy to understand presentation. Great job!!!
Love that the second or third video I clicked on for torch cutting techniques is from a fellow Okie! 👍
Very well demonstrated and stated. You do a nice job of showing correct and incorrect conditions and that is absolutely worth showing. Well done.
I love the “coffee” part.
You got yourself a new subscriber
Thank you! We greatly appreciate your support!
Great presentation Austin. My 1st time learning about this stuff, I was in my 1st year of high school, plumbing and heating shop at west side Vocational technical school , I was only 13 years old, RIP to Mr. Ron Koloski my instructor
You are a great teacher. This old man learned something today. Good stuff
Thanks great vid and very helpful. Re your pipeline welding, I was a pipeline welding inspector, great job and a great bunch of blokes. I may have certified some of your welds...nah I'm in the land of the desert dingo, take care. I must add, I have nothing but the greatest respect for pipeline welds, man can they go hard especially on butt rate!
watching this before my senior year nocti test helps a lot .
Great explanation. I enjoy the channel. You offer a ton of great information. Keep it up.
Think you sir finally some one who knows what the hell they are talking about !! I subscribed because every thing else i found on here was mis information just starting to use cutting and welding equipment on my hobby ranch
Thank you so much I started my welding class 4 days ago and was having a interesting time with getting a clean cut
Welcome to the trade. I just retired after 45 years. I spent the last 30 repairing rolloff boxes for the trash industry. Never ran out of work.
tHANK YOU SO MUCH aUSTIN. yOU SHARED SOMETHING SO USEFUL AND VALUABLE FOR ME. I AM NEW TO THIS SO WAS WORTH THE TIME TO LISTEN AND VIEW YOUR VIDEO. SUBSCRIBED!
Pleasure is all mine! Thank you for subscribing!
Thank you for going over this! I’ve gotten pretty good cutting and welding but I didn’t know that sound is what your looking for after you clean your tip, so thanks again! This will just make me that much better.
You bet! Thank you for watching!
I still don't know that it is. Should sound smoother than that. And 10 psi seems very high for a single aught. Good basics video though overall...
Thank you for making this video Austin!!!!!
Typically your O2 valve requires that it be al the way open to flow properly (I forget what that style is called) and the ace tank has a different style of valve and it can be partially open and still work properly. Opening an ace tank 1/2 to 1 turn will let you shut it off quickly in case your flashback arrester fails and you need to cut that tank fast. This video is fantastic by the way! I love y’all’s stuff!
It’s called a double seated valve
@@Kevin-is-here that's what I was also taught and it should be all the way open for safety. Maybe different models exist that can handle the O2 pressure safely now. Idk
Back seat valve
Thank you for the video, Thought i knew what to do and when i went to spark the torch on, a huge pop happened that left my ears ringing bad, scared the ever lasting shit out of me, immediately shut the torch off and didn't touch it again lol, This is the perfect video for help on this.
I have a torch competition at school tomorrow. I’m the only girl in the competition. I have to cut circles and straight lines freehand. Thank you for this video! It really helped!
By now, assuming you passed / won, and I hope you did, you'll have discovered that we generally use a guide (maybe a piece of angle iron) for straight lines, and a trammel of some sort for circles. freehand cutting (while admitting it's necessary for pipe prep) is a torture reserved for college...
One of my college test pieces was completed while shaking my right foot around trying to get some hot slag down into the toe away from flesh...
Good morning Austin, thanks for the great information you shared with us on this cutting torch basics video. It is something to keep available when you don't use the torch very often. Appreciate your channel. Fred.
Many thanks for your videos. They’re very informative and beneficial for an up and comer welder. Keep’em coming hoss.
excellent video. great detail and presentation. thanks!
Been 40 plus years since welding school.
Great video
Bro is a natrual teacher. Thanks great video.
I enjoy your videos great job I have been a welder since 1974 keep up the good videos 👍👍
Austin - your a great guy;)
Thank you very much.
Amen on the coffee - you are now my favorite RUclipsr !!
Watched your video on touch’s and found it most helpful with information that I didn’t know. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
love your channel, greetings from Belgium
I was taught that the ratio of oxygen
To acetylene is roughly 6 lbs.oxygen to 1lb.acetylene, works great...really enjoy your videos, thanks.
Mate! What a great informative video. Thank-you Austin.
Marty from Perth, Western Australia.
Fine teaching on the basics I'm now a subscriber indeed . Need all the advice and teaching I can handle thanks
You bet! Thank you for the sub! And for watching!
Good video! For clarification: Oxygen is not flammable at all, it is an Oxidizer so it makes fuels/things that do burn, burn more readily or with greater intensity due to the presence of more oxygen than is normally present in the atmosphere. I like your recommendation for cleaning the tips. 👍
Hey brother thank you for the video I had a bad experience with a house fire as a young boy so I'm timid on the Torch. But I think you set me the right way
Thanks for the brilliant information on torches, your videos are very interesting and informative
Wow.. thanks Austin.. I’ve been looking into buy a torch set but not sure where to start.. not alone how to run a torch lol..
very useful information.. thanks for your time
Very useful info! Thank you! I have a set of torches in my garage/shop. Here is a tip that I have found useful over the years to avoid yellow dingy guage plastic lens. Not sure how this will work in a mobile setting. Take a clear ziplock bag, and place it over both guages with the ziplock down. Make a hole in the ziplock bag just big enough for the adjustment screw. Close as much of the ziplock that you can at the bottom. The clear plastic guage lens will stay clean and clear and not yellowed for many years.
Super interesting, I might have to look into welding courses in my area.
Oxygen isn't so much flammable so much as it makes everything it comes into contact with that can be flammable very flammable very easily. It's why the oxygen lines use brass fittings, brass isn't flammable at all and also doesn't need oil or rubber seals (both flammable) to stay functional. No seals burn, no oxygen leaks (setting everything around the bottle that can be on fire, on fire).
First time I had to handle oxygen bottles was at work experience and the lab technician explained why the two bottles had different metals for fittings (of course the bottles themselves were kept outside in a locked cage and the oxygen was piped into the lab, it was way too dangerous to keep that stuff in the lab itself).
The oxygen and acetylene were used for melting inorganic stuff (anything really, normally rocks and ores though) so that the material could be shaped into a disk (using an eye wateringly expensive platinum/gold alloy mould because the alloy could withstand the temperature without mucking up the sample) and tested in a very expensive machine that would shoot radiation at it to figure out what elements were in it.
Weirdest thing we tested while i was there was cat food (we didn't melt that, we compressed it into a disk, with a lot of pressure).
Thanks Brother. Appreciate you sharing this. 👍
I have my own mobile welding business in California and let me tell you you help ALOT and teach a lot!
I’m taking welding class in high school right now. My teacher has a Lincoln plasma cutting table. It looks fancy.
The best video for beginners like me! Thank you bro!
When I first started out I used a small local welding supply down here in southeast Texas which was fine as long as I was only working down here, then I had to go up to PA,NY and Ohio area and had to lease from Airgas as I couldn’t get my bottles refilled, I’m glad you said that man maybe that’ll save someone else the headache of having to learn that lesson the hard way like I did. Also put a tracker on your truck, my whole rig got stolen in San Antonio from the Hilton hotel at about 4am. The cops found my truck stripped about 3 miles from the job site, so do yourself a favor and put a tracker on your truck and keep records of all of your equipment
Man that sucks about your truck!
I have a cousin that used to run a rig welder while building his own business to the incredible fabrication and welding shop that it is now. One story I remember was one day he had to drive his welding rig to the DFW metroplex to take care of some business where he would have to leave his truck out of site for about an hour. As he approached the parking lot he noticed a beggar on a corner. He offered a deal with this beggar, paid him 20 bucks on the spot and said if you’ll watch my truck and when I get back nothing is missing and you’re still here I’ll pay you another 20. Worked out well for both of them, I believe similar out of the box thinking is what has aided in his success.
Thank you so very much!!! Its very hard to get well explained information on the internet. I just went to my garage to set up my gauges and what a huge difference my torch is now...!!! You got a new subscriber!
Pleasure is all mine!
Some of the best advice iv had about cleaning up a bad tip is to SLIGHTLY bevel the holes and to keep the tip concave (that’s why the end of the file included the the tip cleaner is curved) I also keep a small brass brush on me while cutting and use it every time I turn the torch off. Iv had the same tip on this torch for almost 3 years, sounds like a jet and shoots about 4’ of flame. Also I run my 00 tip at 7-21 on my regulators
You made a video on my recommendation. Learned a lot! Thanks.
Thank you boss! Your a great teacher! Keep the hood down and making money! I gotta start my own rig! Been working for a guy making him millions!
You are a great teacher
Excellent video! I have a couple of suggestions, one is to recommend looking away from the regulator when you slowly crack the oxygen cylinder valve on and to definitely turn the cylinder valve all the way open. It’s alright to turn the oxygen valve fast to open once has been slowly opened. This is because regular gauges have been known to blow out when high pressure oxygen hits them and opening valve all the way lets it seal taking the pressure away from the valve stem packing. The other suggestion is to use and explain the term neutral, oxidizing and carburizing flames when you explain adjusting the flame at the torch tip. Just some tips I remember from when I use to teach basic welding to high school students and adults.
Great video! Btw, what is this accent because every time I hear it, it sounds so friendly and I feel welcomed 😂 I'm not American, that's why I'm asking 😊
A 'Southern' accent. Maybe Oklahoma or Texas? Not sure, but the gas/oilfields are in those states. All the Southern States have their own distinctive accents. My wife is from Tennessee & Mississippi, which is different. Georgia & the Carolinas sound very beautiful to my ear, but I like them all.
Ive seen dad sorta rub the face of the tip on a scrap piece of wood near his bench for a quick clean. Its a quick thing hed do, i remember it crackling a bit as he back-and-forth on the board while it was lit and set. Idk. Im no welder but he most def is
Very thorough and well presented. Thanks!
The minute her said Kick back pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy the video. New to welding and seemed like a nice guy.
I have always used the two valve torches and if there was only a 3 valve 1 I would use the plasma cutter. Today you taught me what the third valve is for. I didn't know that was just another OXY adjust valve. Now I will use it 😜🙂😜🙂 Sad thing is I have been a shop welder for 8 years. Never knew that and always to proud to ask. Thank you
Austin, really great video. Your explanations are very concise and easily understood. Great job and you have enlisted a new subscriber!!
Thank you for showing your support! And for the kind words!
Keep the videos coming I love watching them time to time cuz I might learn a new trick you know I'm been out in the field for a long time thank you so much
Thank you for your channel im new subscriber here from California 92509
Watched this video to make sure I was doing it right whenever I use our torch. 👍
Learned so much from you, thank you sir 👍
Dang you make good videos! I was thinking you should actually cut something (so we could see sparks fly for our visual enjoyment) but then you packed so many useful tips in I really didn't care! Thanks for sharing such a great vid/information!
Pleasure is all mine!
Austin your videos are great I done told you that what you need to do is get you the victor book so you can learn the the names of the parts such as duel splice, Farrell's oh and I hated the vice grip I used the hammer type but the book helped me a lot I took a course on victor torches and got certified so I could over hall my torch cause you can get the kit and do your self love ya big A
Very good and thorough information, you must be a good welder, if you are as patient welding as you are with these videos, I too have been a welder, you should be a welding instructor, newbies would learn alot, thanks
thanks this was just what I was looking for in instruction and settings 👌
As always, GREAT video bud! Can’t wait for the next one 👍🏻👍🏻
Your videos are a good find for me. I have plenty of problems using my torch. Right now, I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life. I saw a video were this guy cut a line using a steel bar as a guide but his cut was what caught my eye. It was clean like he had used a plasma cutter or grinder. My 1st question is, is that because he had a perfect tip and strong flow of O & A? 2, do you have a video on cutting upto 1 inch thick steel? Thanks.
Remember hearing the same almost word for word back in the late 60's early 70's. Gas skills back then were crucial! Today , it seems more like a lost art!
I always learn a lot from you videos thank you for sharing you knowledge
Great video. I’m a retired heavy duty diesel mechanic and I’ve never seen anybody twist their lines before, hmmm🤔. Another great point about safety caps on tanks on service trucks; I see so many rigs that the operator does not use the regular caps with the regulators taken off or using safety caps , it’s insane but the police man can write you a ticket for that infraction. On tank ownership I get mine through Airgass. Now the deal is as I’ve been told is depending on if you are on the west side of the Mississippi River or the east side. If on the west side you can either rent or purchase tanks, I purchase tanks , because it’s cheaper in the long run. The rental cost is per month and generally speaking after about 5 months of rental on one tank, the monthly rental exceeds the purchase price if you are not going through tanks on a regular basis. Now I was told that east of the Mississippi River they do not sell tanks only rent them so for the at home guy it can be real expensive, but I could be wrong on that, that’s what they told me at my Airgass store. I’ve also purchased used tanks at auctions but you got to be careful at looking at the ring collar on top of the tank and know the difference between a rental tank and a purchased tank. If it’s a purchased tank, Airgass will take it back as part of the tank rotation, but if it’s a rental they will NOT, because theirs still a rental agreement in effect and anybody other then the original rental person they kinda consider it stolen, kinda so it’s junk at that point. So never purchase used tanks anywhere if your not sure and talk with your local salesman at your local Airgass store. In my area in Oregon a lot of small welding supply stores actually get their tanks from Airgass anyway. I hope this information helps.
Joel, I am east of the Mississippi (in Alabama.) You can purchase tanks here. However, I've been renting tanks for several years but do not use my torches very often. This is especially true since I bought a plasma cutter. I actually rented my tanks from a welding supply out of town and have been paying quite a bit every month, but have been exchanging tanks at AirGas for a number of years. I would like to just purchase my tanks and wondered whether AirGas would just rotate them into their stock when I went to replace them. That way I would always have certified tanks and I wouldn't be spending a fortune in rentals for using my torches now and then. I am also wondering whether the original renal place would give me hard time returning tanks that didn't come from them. None of this I know at the moment, but this is the direction I am thinking. I need to go to AirGas and see what they say.
It's 11 pm here in AK. Instead of coffee I'm enjoying a glass of good whiskey.