Found some old welding gear. Still potentially safe and / or useful?
Hello. First off, I'm not a welder myself, so I apologize if this isn't he wrong place. My dad did a bit, and was a collector of lots of tools and gear of all kinds.
Both parents have now passed away, and I'm clearing out the garage to see if there is anything of value to anyone.
There is this welding rig. Two acetylene tanks, a long hose, a wheeled rack, and a...welder? Sorry, I don't know what the actual main device is called.
From what I hear, it was last known to work. I do not know when it was last operated. There are also gloves, some masks, and a bunch of "rods" in a tube.
My question: is it likely to still work safely, and does it have value? I can't get better pictures at the moment.
Small Album: http://imgur.com/a/mxfKr9i
Posted Apr 1, 2019, 7:56 PM UTC
Wow, looks like it hasn't been touched in the last 30 years!
Here's what you have:
Number 5 size Acetylene tank with the old style wrench valve.
~250 cubic foot Oxygen tank (Could be wrong, just judging the size by eye against the #5 but it doesn't look like a "300" or "330")
Old Airco regulators - They haven't made that style in quite some time.
Torch - Looks like an old Airco 4890
Cart - Looks like it was made by Saf-T-Cart, same basic design.
Here's what it's worth:
The cylinders are almost certainly out of hydrostatic test date. Tanks require periodic recertification. If they are customer owned (your dad owned them, not leased them) figure you'll have to pay $25-30 ea. to get them tested on top of cost to refill if you want to get them filled. If your dad didn't own them, they are technically still considered property of the company who leased them. Selling tanks is a tricky business because you have to prove or trace ownership or else no gas supply company will fill them (I've seen Airgas try to impound old cylinders). Airco/BOC group was bought out by Linde in 2003, so I'd call Linde and ask what paperwork they need to transfer your dad's old account to your name. I don't know if Linde will still allow "customer owned" accounts in those larger size bottles, but maybe they could at least give you an account credit for turning them in.
Regulators - If you don't know how to safely check a regulator, do NOT pressurize them. If those regs been sitting in storage for the last 20 years, the internal diaphragms are likely to cracked from age and there's a good possibility they could either stick full open or leak. A typical regulator rebuild costs about $60 but Airco is no longer in business, and I don't know if Concoa still sells rebuild parts for regulators that old.
Torch - I think you can still get parts for it from Concoa. If not Ebay is going to be your primary source for tips and/or replacement parts.
Cart- Could actually be the most valuable part of what you have. Definitely tops as far as ease of resale. New, you could expect to pay over $300 for that cart. Would probably fetch $100 on Craigslist no problem. Saf-T-Cart makes pretty nice cylinder handling carts.
Hoses - Bend a loop at a sharp angle with your hand. If the rubber is stiff or shows signs of dry-rot, cut the hoses and throw them in the trash because they are a safety hazard. (save the brass fittings if you want - old fittings work well to protect threads on torch handle from storage/handling damage)