It’s a set of S&S couplers – they’re mounted in a teeny donor frame right now, but I have a torch and I’m not afraid to use it – for slightly more than the minimum framebuilder price estimate the S&S people provide on their website. They look like they might be 25 & 28mm, which would be spectacularly perfect, but if they’re oversized I can just upsize and downwall the frame selection.
Plus it will give me a donor frame that I can experiment with doing a nondestructive front triangle retubing.
(The boss battle will be to make a S&S coupled tadpole for post GCS and post kidney donation riding, but that’s not going to happen until the zap! bike is glued together.)
Ok Tarck, after years of saying I was gonna do it and many false starts, I’m buying a torch. I’ve got about $500 to spend on the torch and anything else I’ll need other than the tanks. I’m starting off building racks and doing brazeons so I’ll need some smaller tips for that and the larger tips will just be for fillet practice at this point.
Shopping list so far
Torch
Tips
Hoses
Regulators
Glasses or goggles that can go over my big prescription glasses. I’ve used my sunglasses in the past and I don’t think that’s a good idea to keep going that way.
I’ll build a cart and get an igniter at the welding supply when I pick up an oxy tank.
Also, I’ve decided on using propane instead of acetylene for lots of reasons.
A friend recommended Smith torches and then just left me to my own devices to figure out which one would be best for me. Also looking at Uniweld I am looking at buying a used on ebay as well as some used tips. I haven’t been able to find anything that would work on craigslist or marketplace. What torches should I consider that are easily available used and new online? I like the look of something like this, but I’d like to find it for under a hundred.
Now reading a little more into propane, looks like I need a propane specific torch, hose, tips, and regulator.
I’ve heard good things about Kevlar hoses but I think those are out of my budget at this point.
I have lots of experience MIG welding and using the regulator on that bottle and ATMO a regulator is a regulator, yet some folks swear by certain types or brands? I don’t care, should I?
I think I just need the biggest over-glasses I can find in the correct shade, or maybe a face shield? I’m trying to avoid buying new prescription lenses and I absolutely need them to see.
get a little guy to start with - it’s way more fun and will easily do racks and brazeons - it sounds like your thinking of renting the tanks, I wouldn’t suggest that for something that you are going to dip in and out of. find craigslist tanks to buy. I don’t think regulator brand is that big a deal. plenty of smith bodies on ebay for $30
For propane you want type T hoses. The cheap hoses are usually type R which is no good for propane.
Torch body doesn’t need to be specific for propane. I had a Uniweld 71, which is a light duty torch and equivalent to a Victor J28. Later I got a Victor 100FC medium duty torch, though I didn’t need to switch for any particular reason.
The small light duty torches use A size hose fittings and hoses with A size fittings are harder to find. Something to be aware of.
I got the nozzle that’s threaded for interchangeable tips and bought propane tips in 0 through 4. I use size 3 like 90% of the time. I found size 0 and 1 unreliable for the torch staying lit. A smaller size tip is better for fillet brazing, though it depends on technique a little.
Reading that thread, there’s a lot to digest. Gonna get the Uniweld 71 handle and the TEN tips. For fillet practice, rack building, and maybe a few lugged frames, I was thinking of only getting 2, 3, and 4 tips.
Do I need check valves at both ends of the hose or is it fine to have them at just the regulator?
I’m looking at face shields, is 5 too dark for brazing?
