Oxy/Acet - heating and bending tubing?

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I have a 10/20 "port-a-torch" Harris kit that I use for hobby welding, mostly of 4130 and mild steel. Much of what I do seems to be heating and bending instead of welding, and a lot of it's round thinwall tubing. Using the regular tips I can do up to maybe half-inch OD tubing and I think it puts out enough heat to do larger sizes, but much beyond that it's tough to keep the heat spread out from one tip. I have seen  (in diagrams of antique welding kits) that there was a certain torch head that had a stem that came up and joined the center of a "C" shaped piece of tubing, and then on both ends of the "C" was a heating tip. I can't search for it very well online because I don't know what it was called, and anything I searched for wasn't the correct term apparently. Does anyone make anything like this now? I could make something myself of course but I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to buy somewhere.... Alternately is there anything else that might help, that would be less cost than a second torch. I have seen the wrap-around heat shields that the micro-torches use, but I haven't tried that yet (I don't have any thin stainless sheet around, and don't know how much difference it would make). ~
Reply:Keep in mind that a Port-a-torch can't do large tips that burn acetylene too rapidly.  You are limited to 1/7 of the tank's volume per hour.
Reply:you might want to go with propane is that is all you are doing. Also a cheaper alternative if you want is a home made forge, you can use coal or charcoal, like the blacksmiths do. It is considerably cheaper if you can put the piece in the heat. but if you can't you are stuck with a torch.
Reply:like this?http://products.esabna.com/index.htm...tegory_id/1535
Reply:Originally Posted by rusty ripplelike this?http://products.esabna.com/index.htm...tegory_id/1535
Reply:Where can I get one mail-order/online that will fit my torch? Either a dual-tip or a c-tip with multiple nozzles? Nowhere that I have looked sells anything like them. I looked at a few places online and nobody carries ESAB stuff that I've seen, and ESAB seems to say it's industrial-sales only. I have searched both Google and Google images for lots of combinations of {heating - hvac - refrigeration}, {welding - brazing - heating} and {tip - dual-tip - c-tip} and all I found was a couple images of jeweler's dual-tip torches that were tiny. ~
Reply:If you want a lot of heat, try a Lincoln twin carbon-arc torch. In conjunction with an arc welder, it will give you all of the heat that you could possibly ever want. They are also quite economical. http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...et.asp?p=20690Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:I second the propane, especially if you have compressed air available. Making heating heads isn't hard. Use an adjustable propane reg and an air reg into a mixing chamber (feed pipe).Or, go with a propane weed-burner style torch.Cheap, lots of heat up to bending/forging heat.
Reply:I'm told that harris has such tips but you would have to check with a harris dealer. The Uniweld cap'n hook tips and tuning fork tips is what I've seen. some HVAC love them and some prefer to use a small rosebud because the small holes on the cap'n hook and tuning fork tips are easy to clog. Don't try using a rosebud with a 10/20 cu ft tanks.Last edited by tresi; 05-24-2007 at 09:51 PM.
Reply:Bullwinkle, one thing I haven't seen mentioned is to fill your tube with sand. Use the clean playground sand from a Lowes, Home depot, etc. NOT wet plaster sand. A sand filled tube will hold heat and spread it more evenly, and the biggest benefit is the tube will not kink nearly as easily. Just make some simple plugs for the ends, and fill it up. The sand will last forever, and you don't need much of it.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Just how thin is the tubing?  Too thin for standard tubing benders? I've bent tons of stainless and copper tubing for instrumentation runs. Just wondering.
Reply:I was just wondering why you keep saying "order on line", are you in a remote location or what? Do you not have a locale supplier who can help you? I was just wondering about what I think would be the obvious why to go. That's my 2 cents anyway,,,,,Chuck
Reply:I'm asking about ordering online partly because that's easiest for me--but I live near St Louis MO and there's welding shops around. I just doubt they'd have such a thing on hand anyway--and they'd have to order it.... I have heard about the sand and tubing benders, but I don't like them because I have seen myself that the metal (4130) loses strength if it's bent cold. If it's heated red-orange and then bent, when it cools it's just as strong and stiff as before. And to that end--I don't think a propane torch would heat tubing up that much.... ? Although I admit I never tried. ~
Reply:Propane will do fine for bending and forging. You can use the big weedburner type heads (lots of heat, lower temp) or make your own heating tips to use compressed air with the propane. You can then drill jets where you want them. Using adjustable regulators for the propane and for the air gives very tight control over heat. We make up special torches like this periodcally, especially for things like shrinking on heavy rings. Attached Images
Reply:I LIKE the Lincoln option. I'm gonna have to check that 1 out-I've got a small job shop south of St Louis-may come in handy.Bullwinkle- call Stumph welding in Mascoutah, Il. Lincoln distributors, excellent service/repair facility. I order 90% of my supplies thru them-cheaper to ship than running to the other places, & good advice when needed. CeeKay on Manchester may help too.