Over-sized torch

[Farside]

I've just scored one of these, dirt cheap.

For 20 quid, it seemed rude not to.
I bought this with an eye to using it on the NBC 280 when and if I ever get it going, but it occurs to me that I could use this on the smaller box, which is a 150-ish Amp thing, when I fit a Euro-connector to it.
I wonder if this is feasible - would I have to change liners as well as tips for smaller wire? Is it going to make any difference? It's obviously a bulkier setup with a much heavier link cable, but to me it would seem like it could be quite do-able.

 

[backpurge]

So long as you match your contact tips and liner to the wire diameter you are using you shouldn't have any bother

 

[KemppiFrog]

Probably find it a bit clunky on a 150amp unit. But, at £20, a steal.

 

[Hitch]

Could end up a touch on the awkward side to use on smaller jobs. It will take some getting used to if you havn't used one that size.
As Backpurge said, make sure you are using the correct liner/tip and it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Farside]

Well, thanks guys; I'll give it a go at some point then. It's handy to know it will work if it has to.
If I fit a Euro connector to the small machine this gives me a spare torch if needed.

I'm in no way claiming to know much about welding, apart from some basics...
In 1980-ish, as part of the job I was doing, fixing gensets, I had to weld a bit. The company shared premises with a fab company who were making earthmover cabs out of 1/2" plate, and obviously had to do a fair bit of welding on them. They had ranks of NBC, BOC, etc machines and I had free run of them - after a quick intro from a couple of the guys I let rip. It was brilliant to learn on that grade of kit - fantastically controllable (from tiny currents on sub-millimetre sheet, up to whatever the limit was) and a whole world removed from the type of gear that was commonly available in garages and sheds to the ordinary user.
So yes; I've had my mitts on big torches, but not for a while

 

[captain-destructo]

was it just a one off or are there more available?

 

[Bsmith]

cable/hose looks a bit short, is it 3 mtre?

 

[Farside]

was it just a one off or are there more available?

There have been a few up recently, I found when I looked at past sales.
The same seller has another one up - 3Metre
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151462565282
And there's another one here...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271596146196
Hmm... one has pinched the other's picture, bit cheeky.
I'll find out soon enough if I get a box with a brick through the post.
The feedback on both of them seems ok, though.

cable/hose looks a bit short, is it 3 mtre?

This one is - now thinking maybe the 4M one would have been handier...

 

[monkeymark]

I use the smaller torches on a hobby mig and the larger ones on a Lincoln 355. Although it feels a little strange at first it soon becomes natural to switch around.

 

[Spark plug]

This one is - now thinking maybe the 4M one would have been handier...

The wire feed in the hobby mig may not be up to pushing 4m of wire.

 

[Farside]

The wire feed in the hobby mig may not be up to pushing 4m of wire.

Yep, I'd wondered about that, so thought that on balance the 3M one would do. Of course, the hobby mig torch is only about 2M long at the moment, so a 3M one will improve that a fair bit anyway, and if the new torch is steel lined instead of plastic, as the hobby torch might be, it will make up for the length.

 

[KemppiFrog]

I found that the steel liner worked ok for ally in my euro torch, dispite the recommended teflon change. Also 3 mtr

 

[Farside]

It arrived today.
It's brilliant, it's lovely, it's absolutely bloody lovely.
I can't wait to plug it in and try it.
Pity I've got nothing to plug it in to. What a plonker.
It is nice though; what a lovely piece of kit.