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Old 12-27-2018, 07:21 AM
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MP&C MP&C is offline
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Default Meco Torch

Got a new addition to the shop, this Meco came from TM Technologies, or TinManTech. I got it hooked up last night and ran a couple passes.





Let me start by saying I am not a gas welder. I have a Henrob torch that I have found awkward to use, likely the operator, so I have always used either MIG or TIG. This video shows my second attempt with the Meco, the first attempt I did not have sufficient heat as I was worried about blowing holes. The two “scraps” were picked off the floor and tacked together about every 3/4”, then fusion welded the distance shown, yielding a full penetration weld with nice HAZ conisistency. Very impressed with the light weight and ease of use, even for an old dog learning new tricks. Video shows in order: front, back, planished, and bent at 90* for our destruction test.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td4y...ature=youtu.be



Tacks, front side..







Rear side, full penetration...








Full pass with full weld penetration, bent 90* for destruction test.. Line shown is mark left by press brake die....







Rear side held up well






Very impressed with this torch, one handed valve adjustments are a breeze, light weight and easy to use..
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Old 12-27-2018, 01:03 PM
zrthompson zrthompson is offline
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Default Nice job!

I also bought a Meco from TM and absolutely love it. I felt the same about the Henrob....It just felt awkward to me although I know it is a quality tool and many love it. The Meco just felt more comfortable and controllable to me. Kent hooked me up with the right package and I could not be happier.
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Old 12-27-2018, 04:15 PM
Michael Moore Michael Moore is offline
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Add me to the "couldn't come to grips with the Henrob" crowd. After selling it I bought a couple of Mecos (I was able to try them at one of Kent's classes). In the class Kent had 5 gallon pails of water here and there, when the Meco started to get too hot to hold (being solid metal) you just shut it off and dunk it in the water to cool it, and then pull it back out and start welding again.

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Old 12-27-2018, 04:26 PM
RockHillWill RockHillWill is offline
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I purchased my second Meco Torch from Kent when he was here for the class. The more you use it, the more you like it. Easy to adjust the setting while you are still holding the torch and welding.
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Old 12-27-2018, 04:38 PM
Charlie Myres Charlie Myres is offline
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Nice welding Robert! Now go the full-monty and bend it to 180 deg,

Cheers Charlie
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Old 12-27-2018, 05:37 PM
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Here you go Charlie....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzfL...ature=youtu.be
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Old 12-28-2018, 02:14 AM
metal manny metal manny is offline
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[QUOTE= In the class Kent had 5 gallon pails of water here and there, when the Meco started to get too hot to hold (being solid metal) you just shut it off and dunk it in the water to cool it, and then pull it back out and start welding again.[/QUOTE]


That's the very reason I abandoned the Meco in favor of a model 19 Harris as it would simply get too hot to hold! Absolutely loved the Meco's lightweight feel and adjustment, but felt it was working at the upper end of its limits - especially on ali. Never thought of dunking it in water, but will bear this in mind for future use . That said, there is an extended neck for the Meco which I didn't buy, so perhaps this addition might prolong the time between water dunks or eliminate them altogether???

BTW, welding with any small/medium torch without lightweight hoses attached negates the advantage of lightness in the first place.
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Old 12-28-2018, 12:27 PM
Kabous Kabous is offline
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Manny, just adding to the conversation here.

My thinking when I bought the whole Meco kit was that the extended neck would distance one from the heat and that worked well - up to a point. Didnt need it when welding the thinner sheets and only used it with 3mm ali panels. With the largest nozzle it could do all the joints but not a T where the edge rested on a flat in close proximity to a 90 bend. I guess there was just too much metal around to hot up and melt and the heat dissipated too quickly. It was 1xxx series so any other alloy would probably be even harder to do.

Even if you would quench the torch in water it wouldnt be quick enough to counter the heat loss in that time.

The limit to the torch for ali I would say is about 2.5mm for all types of joints in most welding applications. After that it seems the Meco runs out of gas in tighter corners. Maybe I could have tweaked the O/A mix better or the pressure was too low but that was just my experience.

The Meco torch with the ultralight hoses is really a wonderful piece of equipment and becomes an unnoticed extension of ones arm. Would recommend it to anyone.
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Old 12-29-2018, 12:14 PM
John Buchtenkirch John Buchtenkirch is offline
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I’m into Meco torches and definitely Kent’s lightweight hose but I prefer the Aviator Jet torch. The more conventional looking & longer torch gets my hand further away from the heat plus you can use a cutting head on it. I had a problem, my father taught me to gas weld with a mistake, with the torch tip facing the same way as the valves on a victor torch. Years later I realized that was wrong because you couldn’t set the torch down when on. The Meco Aviator Jet solved that problem for me with its 180 degree valve spacing and with Kent’s lightweight hose I can set it on the floor or bench without fear of it moving or tipping and causing a fire. For me it’s almost better than a fire extinguisher because the best shop fire is the one that never starts, if that makes any sense . The problem is they don’t make the Aviator Jet anymore so eBay may be your only source.

In an earlier similar discussion I reported how I switched over from torch welding to mig welding in the collision business around 1978. I WAS NOT advocating using mig welders for butt welding panels even though it can be done. Mig welds are too hard as well as too proud to planish flat with any ease. In the collision business sectioning panels with butt welds is very rare, probably 99% of panels are lapped and mig welded on the edge. Mig welders also make very good plug welds as well. For the collision industry the biggest advantage of mig welders over torches was less heat, which meant you had less burnables that you had to remove, less undercoating you had to scrape off and less fires in general. I don’t recall any of my mig welds coming back because of cracking and I did most of the heavy work for probably 8 to 10 shops in my area. Believe me, they let me know if there were any problems. ~ John Buchtenkirch
aviation jet1.jpg

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Old 12-29-2018, 07:35 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Buchtenkirch View Post
I’m into Meco torches and definitely Kent’s lightweight hose but I prefer the Aviator Jet torch. John Buchtenkirch
Attachment 50682

Attachment 50683

Attachment 50684

Yes, the Meco Aviator Jet is a very good torch.
Unfortunately, the Aviator Jet was discontinued back in the mid-1990's, when Victor/Thermadyne bought the Meco company and then destroyed all inventory and all tooling - except for the N Midget, which my company was able to save by some serious persuasion and then guaranteeing sales year by year, thereafter.

I have several Jets, with cutters and tips. If anyone has a Jet with a cutter on it they will have to locate the little threaded mixing chamber for it, as that is removed when installing the cutter, as the cutter does its own gas mixing.
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