TurboTorch

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Anyone use one? The swirl tip air-acetylene type from Victor/Thermadyne, Esab/Prestolite, Goss, etc... .



I just got myself this one.

TurboTorch X-3B



I've been searching around to try and find some instructions on flame adjustment to no avail. Any advice on this? What I do now is start off with the pressure relatively low and light it off, then increase pressure until the flame starts to make the screeching noise. It seems that any more fuel flow doesn't help much after that and it looks like it turns the flame slightly oxidizing which isn't so good for copper.

 

[Slow Six]

I've had one for years. When I got it I was told to run it wide open to prevent the tip from getting hot. They are loud but work very well. Lots of heat and quite concentrated making it easier to solder in tight spaces.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

(off topic)

Sean... dude - there's something wrong with your signature.

It says you have a 3rd Gen instead of a 1st Gen... ...



How are things going? Still TIG welding?



Beers,



Matt

 

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Finally got myself back in here. Was sad to see the '93 go, but it was time. Sold it to a local firefighter who happens to be a mechanic and diesel-head. Last I heard he was more than happy with it, especially after laying down 100ft of rubber in front of his house

Still do some TIG work here and there. Also a good amount of sweating copper as evidenced by the first post. Too bad I didn't get the TurboTorch a while ago, it's like night and day for doing that kind of work. Always makes me real "happy" having to replace work gone bad by some dang hackjob plumber.

Whiskey,
Sean

 

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I've had one for years. When I got it I was told to run it wide open to prevent the tip from getting hot. They are loud but work very well. Lots of heat and quite concentrated making it easier to solder in tight spaces.

Thank you for the input on this. It does seem to run just fine cranked up full-bore. I can shut it off and grab the tip and it's just a bit warm which is a good thing. I like to watch guys with a cutting torch with too big a tip run it real low to do small stuff and they wonder why they keep melting the tips. :-laf That TurboTorch sure is loud though... takes a bit of getting used to. Also have to work much faster.

 

[sstefanini]

Wide open is the only way to run one. If it heats too quickly or burns copper drop down to the smaller tip. I have the same kit and used the lager tip on up to 3" type k.

 

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Wide open is the only way to run one. If it heats too quickly or burns copper drop down to the smaller tip. I have the same kit and used the lager tip on up to 3" type k.

Yep, I did some more practice with it and this seems to be the way to go. I got the A-2 for working small stuff, now I need to get a A5 and A8 tip to have a good selection. It came with an A3 and A11. I can imagine what the real big ones (A14 and A32) can do. My B-tank isn't big enough anyway.



Some adjustment in heating technique was in order due to the high temp. Now what I do is give the pipe a couple of seconds of preheat then hit the fitting for a couple of seconds, moving the flame to distribute heat evenly. It works fast, very fast. Especially nice is the flame length. It's very short and concentrated which is great for tight areas where the long fluffy MAPP flame would torch surrounding wood and such.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

It's very short and concentrated which is great for tight areas where the long fluffy MAPP flame would torch surrounding wood and such.

1. Prep joint with brush, emery cloth, gentle wipe of the hand and then flux
   
2. Assemble joint
   
3. Ignite torch
   
4. Heat joint while juggling solder in other hand and avoiding flammable objects
   
5. Swear profusely as flammable objects inevitably ignite no matter what you've done to avoid this in the first place
   
6. Apply solder
   
7. Re-apply heat if necessary
   
8. Wipe joint with wet rag
   
9. Use bucket full 'o water for wiping rag to put out fire
   
10. If working 'off the clock', then: sip beer and repeat at step 1 for more joints
    

Beers,



Matt

 

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:-laf:-laf done that... .

I now carry a spray bottle for those situations. Still makes one pucker a bit though



Thinking of trying one of those little fire blankets to see what it can do. Not sure how well it'll hold up over time though.