Regulator rebuild

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So what do you guys think about rebuilding regulators is it really worth it?  I have a set of old ( by old I would date this back to the 1940's) set of victor O/A regulators. They arent all beat up and such, three out of the 4 gauges appear to be orginal, the forth is a bit newer.  the oxygen regulator seems fine, the acetelyne one leaks through, by this I mean the high pressure side will equalize with the low pressure side of the regulator.  Not knowing much about the internal workings of a regulator, I would have a shop rebuild them. so is it worth it?
Reply:Call the lws about the cost of new reg's and then find a reputable repair place and call about getting them tuned up then compare. Most of the time the old stuff from way back when is a step above anything that is being built today.aka Cumminsguy71 at other forums....would not work here??
Reply:Around here a regulator rebuild is about $65.00.  Check the price of new ones. They can be pricey. Bottom line is the internals age whether they get used or not, so an old unit that looks in perfect shape can fail as easy as one that been rode hard.
Reply:Hello KF60WC, if your acetylene regulator is equalizing like you say.......DON'T let it do that!!!!!!! you will end up with freestate acetylene gas that could explode. So either have that regulator replaced/rebuilt. Over 15 psi. on the acetylene regulator on the delivery side is bad news. As the others said, do some comparison shopping and decide about the rebuild price vs. the new replacement price, also consider whether anyone has parts to rebuild your current set. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:These came with the tanks I was buying. The guy was affraid the earth quakes in Reno where going to cause the tanks to tip over and blow up his house!  I just hate to throw something away if it can be fixed. I really don't need another set of regulators. I am going to make a few calls monday to the LWS in the area and get some prices.  I dont know what a new set of Victor OA's goes for.
Reply:You'll never buy a new set that heavy for the price of the repair easily
Reply:I've had a couple rebuilt and not a bit of trouble with them, actually better than new.Guy_48Welding is an art......Millermatic 252Lincoln SP175PlusLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:If the regulators are from the 40's I doubt the parts are still available.  If part are available they may not be worth repairing.Alot of the regulators made in the 40's, 50's and 60's used a yoke type seat which in MY OPINION is not as good  a design as needle seat.   Victor was the first to come out with this type of seat.  The orginal SR ( Safety Regulator) Victor regulator was designed after the owner had an accident with a yoke type regulator. ( That was a story told to me at a Victor Repair School) I will be happpy to let you know if they are repairable and if they are worth repairing.  Post some pictures to this thread. Or you can PM me with pictures.Hope this helps!OAdoctorwww.regulatortorchrepair.com
Reply:OA doc here are a couple of pics let me know what you think....
Reply:Maybe the company can give you the info you need. It'd be great if you could put them into service; especially if they are two-stage regulators. Maybe you could post a pic of the back sides. When you say the low and high pressure sides of the acetylene regulator equalize, do you mean that the low pressure gauge max's out? Does the high pressure gauge read accurately?Last edited by maarty; 08-18-2009 at 12:32 AM.
Reply:I would contact Victor and talk to a real, live person. From a person that contacted them earlier this year about some old regulators I understand they still have parts for about everything. I doubt you will have any sucess going to the LWS. I had a cap o-ring start leaking on one that looks exactly like those that I bought in 1970. When I went to the LWS for an o-ring all I got there was "DUH, how old is that? I ain't ever seen one like that." After some inquiring at other WS's I finally was directed to a guy in Odessa, TX. It took him about 5 minutes to replace the O-ring and test it. Then he wouldn't let me pay him for the repair.  He told me he has customers that ship to him from as far away as Hawaii for repairs. I looked for his card to give you his contact information but I can't find it.  Doesn't do you any good but they can be put back into like new condition at a reasonable cost If you find someone who knows his business. I have used Victor regulators since the '60s. They are as good as can be found and and are easy to repair.
Reply:The regulators you have are indeed very old.  They were manufactured  sometime before 1965 when Victor moved from CA to TX.  I would not repair these regulators if I were you for two reasons.1-The parts have been obsolete for a long time.  Sometimes I can modify parts to work with these, but I do not recommend it for these regulators.2- I do not like the design of these regulators.  The valve seat is very small and is difficult to replace and have it work properly.  The stainless diaphragm seals with a gasket, which is not as reliable as the O-ring they use now.  When we rebuild a regulator or  a torch I want it to give the user years of trouble-free use and I can not guarentee that with your regulators.  It would cost about 130.00 to repair these and you can buy a rebuilt set of SR450/460 (victor current regulators)  for $190.00.  Hope this helps!OAdoctorwww.regulatortorchrepair.com
Reply:well I might give victor a call and see about parts, but it seems like they really aren't worth bothering with.  I guess if some one was putting together an antique collection of welding stuff these could fit into that collection??  any takers