I finally picked up some oxy & acetylene tanks a few weeks
ago. Got out my trusty 20+ year old dual stage craftsmen
regulators and torch.
Goal was to reweld a exhaust pipe for the Land Cruiser, which
I had the supplier cut in half to ship it to me (UPS vs. Truck
freight due to length of the pipe).
Well, I practiced on the OLD pipe, and felt a little confident
after some practice. After a while, go the new muffler pipe
welded backup.
Shut everything for the night... headed off to bed.
In the morning, I walked out the garage and couldn't figure
out what the smell was. Odd odor as it was familiar, but couldn't
place it. Made my coffee and suddenly realized "OH, SHOOT!".
Went back out the garage, released the garage door latch to
disengage from the door opener. Slowly lifted the door, and
then checked the regulators. Yep, I had forgot to turn the
bottle valves OFF! Not good, and a horrible lapse in judgment.
My 20+ year old regulator diaphragms leak! Well, I should have
realized that, but just didn't really think about it.
Oh, I also have bought a TIG Welder. Used Hobart 250A (60%
duty cycle) machine. Need to get the wiring to support it
run into the garage, but looks like fun!
I learned how to weld in High School. I was surprised how quickly
it came back to me... other than forgetting to shut off valves!
Cheers,
Tom Walter
Austin, TX
P.S. For the first time in over 10 years I'll actually get a tax
refund. I keep looking at those PLASMA cutters. ;-)
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