I have a set given to me by an uncle. They are OLD. I have replaced the regulators at the tanks along with the hoses. I am curious if anyone here knows anything about the torch itself. Specifically who it is made by. I am having issues finding tips to fit it that don't leak around the nut when tightened down. I would like to try welding with it, the torch seems to work rather well with the exception of needing new tips. I guess I am just hoping someone here has a set and knows where to get accessories that actually fit.....
I have a set I bought used in the early 80's so mine are late 70's vintage, I'm thinking. I'm pretty sure they're made by Harris. I had to replace the Oxy regulator because Harris is gone and I couldn't get parts, but I'm still running the rest of the rig to this day.
Post some pics and any numbers you can find on it, and maybe I can help figure it out. Also, your head seal may just be wore out and in need of a reaming... but you'll definitely need to know who's it is in order to get a reamer for it.
I finally 2 years ago replaced a Sears unit that I had used for over 40 years. Just couldn't get replacement parts for it any more.
Got me curious, so I did some digging... It looks like Victor private branded for Sears in the mid to late 1970s. There may have been other years as well, but that's all I've been able to find so far (old records are really tough to find anymore). If you can find model numbers SL100 on the torch handle or SLCA-1350 on the cutting attachment, then this is probably Victor product. If it is, I'd be able to help you with part numbers for repair tools or replacement parts (I am the Principal Engineer at Victor Equipment). Most of the big companies like Sears, Montgomery Ward, Tractor Supply, etc would often get private branded products from different suppliers throughout the years... changing periodically due to prices, contracts, etc. So Sears very well may have sold Victor, Harris, Smith or others under the Sears brand over the years. If the stuff you have isn't Victor, I'll probably still be able to tell you who it is with a photo or two... me, or one of the old timers still around here.
My early 1970's Sears oxy/acetelene torch set was made by Harris. I never had a problem buying replacement tips for cutting or welding toches from my local welding supply company for this Sears set.
This is what I found when I went to a welding suppy store for a new cutting tip on a forty year old Sears torch set. They said Sears used whomever quoted the best price each year. Mine was an odd one, and the supply store couldn't find me the tip I needed. Still using it with one hole plugged.
My Craftsman are from about that era, and they are built by Harris, I will be tuning them up soon as well...if they are still cheaper to tune up than replace anyway...
I ended up buying new regulators for that very reason, I will post some pics tonight...... Another reason I asked is I picked up a random box of what I "think" are Victor tips, a handle, the upper part above the handle, at a yard sale BUT there are no valves in the handle. I had hoped some of the parts would interchange....NOT A CHANCE. I may try to buy some parts for the yard sale set and fix it, heck I dunno...
First pic is the stuff from the yard sale it is a PUROX Ty. 202. All the tips are LINDE and wont fit the craftsman. The Craftsman is model no. 624.54741 NYFD C of A No. 906 This last pic shows the craftsman tip on the left (the original). The one on the right is a Linde tip. The tip I put in it, is a "WELD IT" tip and is Victor compatible. But it leaks around the nut.......
They look almost identical to 50s/60s stuff sold by C.I.G. (Commonwealth Industrial Gases), here, in Australia. They also produced and distributed oxy.,acetalene and other industrial gases. They have a new name now,BOC (?)
CIG is still around in Australia - they are now Cigweld, part of the Victor Technologies family. CIG and BOC are separate companies now, with Cigweld only doing equipment and BOC the gases (and private branded equipment). I think your Craftsman torch may actually be REALLY old. The tip on the left in the bottom photo is a 3 seat tip, while Victor and the majority of others are 2 seat tips. This would explain your leaking problem. Being 3 seat, my first guess would be an old Airco torch (which you can still get tips for, and could have come from the same factory as the old CIG stuff). This one's way before my time... I'll ask some of the older guys at work tomorrow and will tell you what it is. There's still a few guys around Victor who know the old stuff.
I'm afraid you may be SOL. It's not a Harris, Victor, Smith or Airco (Airco is 3 seat tip mix like this, but the angle is different), nor anyone else I can figure out... not CIG, not a ANME or PNME tip (which are 3 seat, but with steeper angle like Airco), not Oxweld or Purox, not Cigweld or old BOC... This thing could be as old as the 40s or 50s, and it's entirely possible that Sears bought from smaller companies from time to time who just aren't around anymore. I think you may want to retire this one. Besides the tip, there are seats and seals in these things that can't possibly still be good in that torch. You definitely wouldn't want to use it with bad seals even if you could find a tip that would work. If it was a Harris or Victor, you'd still be able to get replacement parts today, but not this one I'm afraid. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. FYI, the other stuff marked under the part number is the New York City Fire Department "Certificate of Analysis" No. 906.
OK, not sure how bad you want to pursue this, but I found something that might be of some use. Doubt it... but if you really want to get this thing working again, this is at least a lead... I found a National Torch Tip Co. catalog from the early 1970s, and they sold replacement tips for "Craftsmen". The illustrations on the page show a 3 seat tip that looks a lot like what you have. I scanned the page and attached it here. It's kinda doubtful they'd still have records from that long ago, but who knows... might be worth a try. If they made the tips, maybe they would know where some could be found today and/or who made the torch for repair parts. I'm pretty sure National Torch Tip is still around, though I can't find a website for them. Their phone number should be 412-781-4200.
If the craftsman torch is a loss, would the purox one be able to have the valves put in the handle???
Purox stuff is still around, so there might be hope for that one. You can try contacting one of the torch repair houses around and see if they can help you with the missing pieces. Places like Regulator & Torch Exchange, Bill's Welder Repair, Torch & Gauge, or the like.
Bob35: I don't mean to hi-jack this thread, but since you are with Victor, maybe you can help. I have a small Victor torch, about 30 years old, and it has been great. I want to replace the O-rings on the tips, but the local Airgas won't sell them for liability reasons. Where can i get them? The place I found on-line has them, but they are generic - I want genuine Victor O-Rings. Thanks for your time...jack. Now, back to your regularly scheduled viewing.
Jack, good to hear you want genuine parts. These soft goods are often very specific compounds that have to go through a ton of qualification before we can use them (gas & pressure compatibility, life testing, etc)... and you just don't know if you're getting that with the generic stuff. That's kinda crazy that Airgas won't sell you the parts. I'm not sure what they think they'd be liable for. Best bet would be to call our customer care at 1-800-426-1888 and pose them the same question. They should be able to point you to some options for buying genuine parts (I would hope). Some places I think carry genuine parts are: http://www.regulatortorchrepair.com http://www.eddieswelding.com ...and you can do a "Where to Buy" on our website, enter your zip, and maybe get a few other options for places local to you. Hope that helps! <cite> </cite>
You can order FKM (ie; Viton) or FFKM (ie; Kalrez/Chemraz) o-rings from vendors such as McMaster that will have the gas compatibility necessary for Oxygen and Acetylene. Yes, there are lots of different "tweaked" compounds available, but the general purpose varieties are likely more than adequate. Victor would be buying o-rings from a supplier such as Parker and re-selling them to you; very unlikely they would be molding their own o-rings in-house.
We get guys in all the time looking for orings to replace the originals on torches. Viton is the more affordable option compared to Kalrez/Chemraz. Chances are the Victor buys from a big boy such as Parker or Parco. See if you can find a local oring shop to buy from. Us independents/small shops sure do appreciate the business. If it is a good shop, they will know where their viton orings come from and can certify what they sell.
No, we (Victor) don't mold our own o-rings, but we do have to carefully spec them out, the compounds and hardness chosen and tested to meet UL, CGA, ISO and other requirements, meet our endurance expectations, work correctly within the entire operating temperature range of the product, etc. We even have to list the exact compound from a specific manufacturer in most of our UL files, because that's how important it can be. We and other manufacturers also often have unique material or size requirements that are made specifically for us. Seat materials are even more unique and specific than o-rings. If talking about the cone end o-ring seals, Viton is not a good material to use here due to excess volume swell when exposed to acetone. Kalrez is a good material, but what durometer? How about lifecycle fatique in a non-standard o-ring groove like in a cone end connection? What about compression set? Operating temperature range? Kalrez also has dozens of different compound grades... 4079, 6375, 1050LF, 1058, 3018, 2035, 8375... bunches of them. Do you know which one you're buying? Which one you need? Don't just assume that what you're buying from somewhere else is the same thing. Unless you know EXACTLY what you're using now and what you're replacing it with, it's kinda crazy to take the chance. Sorry... not trying to scare anyone... I've just seen way too much of this stuff go wrong.
Thanks, Bob. You have confirmed my reasoning for wanting genuine Victor O-Rings. I try to save money every chance i can, but for safety and peace of mind, i will insist on the OEM rings. Thanks to all of you for your time and thoughts....jack
I just gotta ask out of curiosity, what compound are the Victor orings if not Viton? I have had second hand experience with guys who use the wrong material in their equipment. They bring in the failed parts and the injuries to prove it. It is scary to think what is out there holding some equipment together. Biggest example of using the incorrect oring when told otherwise, The Challenger. For acetone, you should be using a Ethylene-Propylene material, or Teflon, depending on the temperature ranges. It receives a Less than 15% swell when exposed to acetone, where Viton gets a More than 50%.
Ole Red, I wish I could tell you, but I think you all know why I can't. I'll post some design detail here, and by this time tomorrow they'll be a new batch of "replacement o-rings" on their way to the US from China calling themselves the same material... even though they won't be. Seriously. It's bad. We can't share anything publicly anymore... it'll just end up being stolen and used against us in inferior copies. The world is full of "Victor style" and "Harris style" and most of it is a bunch of unsafe crap from China... but people keep buying it. It's no wonder US companies can't afford to make products in the US anymore. Sorry... got on my soapbox there for a minute. A apologize for derailing this thread.
Well bad news, it is definately discontinued and parts are no longer available. The closest welding supply store 50 miles away said they were unable to get craftsmen tips a few years back. So I am having my purox torch sent off and rebuilt. So........ DOES ANYONE HAVE A PSI SETTING AND TIP SELECTION CHART FOR CUTTING AND WELDING FOR PUROX STYLE TORCHES??? Something similar to thishttp://www.hoopersupply.com/tipchart.html (I currently use this... Apparantly Purox uses a different size system???
I have a 2 stage set I bought in the mid '70's. It is a Marquette set branded with Craftsman. Haven't needed any big parts yet.
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