Cheapest way for cutting torch

admin

I rented a miller plasma this weekend from sunbelt they had the only plasma 110 in houston. Now I am stuck with alot of cuts to do and dont have a torch. What will be the cheapest way to buy a cutting torch and the bottles. I have been cutting everything with a grinding wheel and I cant do all the cuts that I need at the end of my build. I need advice.I am almost done with my smoker build but will be adding racks and roof on the trailer. and building a grill for it. So I will need a small torch.
Reply:Borrow one?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:Cheapest long term or short term?Your best deal would probably be used on CL etc. for torch, regs, and hose. You might luck out and find tanks there too. I've seen a few deals in my area from time to time.Horror freight. They sell cheap Victor knock offs for about $130 + for the kit. The down side is that I know some that have gotten the cheap imports and you can't get parts that fit right. In theory they match Victor parts. In reality they are off just enough some times that the new parts don't fit. It's usually too late to do much at that point but replace the whole torch. It's cheap now but expensive in the long run.Rent a torch / tanks. The local rental center may have a torch for rent. One near me does. You can probably do better with a small place than Scumbelt. ( I have a Scumbelt with in 5 blocks of the house, but almost never rent anything from them. I get better service and selection from one of several other local rental houses, even if I have to drive 10-15 miles to get there. ) Also you can sometimes rent the tanks short term rather than shell out the money now to buy. My LWS guy is pretty flexible. He'll "rent" tanks even though company policy doesn't allow for that on smaller tanks. Basically you buy the tanks and fills and he'll credit back the purchase price less the restocking fee thats required by the company and you pay for the gas fills, as long as you bring the tanks back with in a week. Not all places are that flexible however.As suggested above maybe some one here is near you and willing to help out or rent you their torch. My buddy used to borrow mine all the time. The deal was he filled tanks the next time they ran out or brought them back full. I almost never had to pay for the gas.Last edited by DSW; 11-15-2009 at 11:49 PM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:If this isn't a one time thing, buy a torch rig.  With small use, one of the portable suitcase models might just work for you.  Cost......around 400.  Small J bottle (is that right?), and a little maybe 20cf 02 bottle.Torch purchase............new if you have the bucks.  No problems that you have to fix.  About 250 for the torch, regulators, and hose.  Bottles can run around 4-600 if you buy, and less if you rent, but the rental rapidly outstrips the purchase price after a year or so."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I cut with propane instead of acetylene. It's very inexpensive to buy a propane tank and tip to convert your torch to use propane. Much cheaper than getting an acetylene bottle.Kevin- Springtown, TexasTruck:Chevy cab/ chassis 1 ton dually, big block and flatbedMiller BobcatVictor cutting rigTool boxes crammed full of stuffShop:Millermatic 250Lincoln 135Lincoln 225AC tombstone
Reply:I too use propane, I had an old torch setup I'd got at an auction for cheap. I'd bought a piece of property and the PO had left two large bottles of propane. Dad had an extra oxy bottle I had filled so I was cutting metal for under $100 bucks. Some people say I'm cheap?Rob H.
Reply:So do you have to have oxygen tank too
Reply:Yes, same setup as oxy/acetylene, just using propane instead of acetylene, also uses a differant cutting tip.Rob H.