National Torch

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Well, you know me and these old tools - I just seem to be drawn to them.  This was my father's old cutting rig, or one of them - the bigger one got away sometime before he died.  I had been meaning to post pictures of it to see what you'all thought & this seems like a slow time on the site so here it is.I carried it down to Lubbock Welding supply a couple of months & ago to ask if they thought it was safe to use & just happened to get the oldest head on the crew.  He said he'd been there doing repairs for 46 years so he was just the man I wanted to talk to.  When I laid the little torch down he said "My goodness, an old National C-25a, haven't seen one of them in years."  He picked it up and twisted the knobs, took the head off the handle, looked it all over, smiled & handed it back to me.  I asked him if he thought it needed an overhaul or anything;  he said it would probably outlast me, the seats felt good & so forth.  So I asked if it should have anti-flashbacks  & he said "Not with that 3-tube design unless you expect OSHA or somebody to come walking into your shop.  You don't have any federal contracts, do you?"  Not likely.He also said that there were no tips, etc. available but that it was a fine old torch so just have at it.  I said that was good to hear because I had been using it now & then for about 12 years.All I have is the cutting head & three welding tips, #'s 2, 3 & 4.The old regulators work fine but the gauges need replacing;  they won't zero anymore but I can still use them because I am used to them.  You can adjust the pressure by counting from where the needles stop,  but I rarely touch them anyway.The overall length is about 15 inches. Attached Images
Reply:The National legend & model number. Attached Images
Reply:and the tips....which got chopped out of the damned post because I didn't have the required 15 characters and the edit function doesn't seem to allow you to browse for the photo, does it?Oh well, next post ..................  Last edited by cutter; 05-18-2004 at 10:58 AM.
Reply:and the welding tips. Attached Images
Reply:Cutter, I just may know where a couple of that torch's close relatives are.The nice thing about that 3 tube torch was the head that held the cutting tip was fully replaceable, and was usually in stock at good welding suppliers.   Those monsters often wound up half an inch shorter because the head was sawed off and a new one was brazed on.The company probably went out of business because their product could be repaired, rather than replaced.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:This is so wierd!  I've been running around all day today looking for the acet. fitting for my old Rego/ National Cyl. torch. Bought it at an auction when an old plumber went out in town.  Heck of a torch, but the hose started to leak.  When I took the hoses off, I chucked em in the dumpster, and this dang fitting went too!  All my local stores just giggle and I can't seem to find anyone who knows anything.  Might have to have a fitting brazed in, cause I do like this torch
Reply:we had some new victor torch set ups at school this year and you want to talk about CRAP the older the better in most cases (wimmen excluded) 21+dawg