1st oxy acetylene welding setup

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I've been developing my metal shaping skills for about 8 months now. I'm to the point I want to get into oxy acetylene welding. I'm working with mild steel, mainly 18 gauge. And, some aluminum, mainly .040 3003. Any suggestions as to a good setup to start with would be greatly appreciated.
Reply:A standard torch kit with a cart and bottles of a proper size for your needs is all it takes to get you started. Brand of torch sorta depends on what part of the country you are in. Victor is prevalent on the west coast, but between that and Smith or Harris (from other parts of the continent), you will do just fine. You will have to build up a variety of tip sizes, as one size does not suit every situation. Add a striker, tip-cleaner, shade #5 goggles, gloves, maybe a sheetmetal gauge...City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Don't forget to get some flux for welding the aluminum.
Reply:If your going to stick to sheet work, either the Meco "N" Midget, or Victor J40 handle would be my first choice. For regulators Smith 30 series are excellent at low pressures and flows and dont "hunt" like some of the more junkyard type often sold for cutting rigs. For a hose either Kents at www.tinmantech.com, or the Smith versatorch kevlar brazing hose, both cost the same. Tips of couse, if victor I would go 00 through 3 and for hte meco I would go 0 through 4. For aluminum flux, Kent again has a good one. For a welding lens, either the TM2000 or the Alloweld from Phillips are good choices, and cost the same. Cylinder size is kind of dependant on how big your projects are. Anything else?
Reply:I WOULD STAY WITH ONE MANU., FOR the equipment, in case you have problems with any of it.   JGSMAW,GMAW,FCAW,GTAW,SAW,PAC/PAW/OFCand Shielding Gases.  There all here. :
Reply:Originally Posted by weldgaultI WOULD STAY WITH ONE MANU., FOR the equipment, in case you have problems with any of it.   JG
Reply:get the largest bottles you can afford ... buy bottles out right to avoid lease payments. watch craigslist ... bottles pop up all the time... entire ox/acet setup with bottles/cart come up all the time for cheap. watch out when buying full size bottles... some welding suppliers only lease those size bottles and maintain ownership rights. if in doubt call welding supplier with name embossed on neck ring to find out if that bottle is refillable. getting a receipt of last time bottle was filled will avoid all future headaches.52, 59 & 66 Lincoln SA200, Tombstone Idealarc 250, Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 50, Marquette 250 amp mig, Miller 330 A/BP
Reply:In Winnipeg (Canada) we can only own the small tanks!  Everything else is leased, It sucks but what can you do, I would love to own a large tanks!Lincoln 175spLincoln 350MP
Reply:Victor is top of the line in my opinion, but for a better value Harris is a great torch.CWI, CWE, CST for Miller, Lincoln, Thermadyne, Hypertherm & ESABMillermatic 350PLincoln Invertec 205 AC/DCVictor combo torchESAB PCM 1125
Reply:Originally Posted by MaedarVictor is top of the line in my opinion, but for a better value Harris is a great torch.
Reply:ouch.... leased tanks are the pits if you are not a heavy user. my full sized bottles have unmarked neck rings, so I've got to be careful of only getting an unmarked bottle back during an exchange. advantages of owning unmarked full sized bottles means you can get them filled anywhere without hassles. using Harris & Victor torches... Originally Posted by CuchulainnIn Winnipeg (Canada) we can only own the small tanks!  Everything else is leased, It sucks but what can you do, I would love to own a large tanks!
Reply:That's lots of good info to digest. I'm keeping an eye out on Craig's list to see what I can find.