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Convenient welding tank size for 4130 tube structures

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rdj

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
387
Location
Northern California
I've decided (with help from the Tinman: https://www.tinmantech.com/) that O/A welding is the way to go for the welding I want to do, using a Meco or other similar small torch. (Maybe someday I'll buy a TIG outfit just because one can never have too many tools, so try not to let this become another TIG vs O/A thread :grin:)

Anyway, for those who have actually welded steel tube fuselages or know someone who has, what Oxygen/Acetylene tank sizes have you/they found most convenient? So far my web research has come up about 50/50. Some folks say the small portable R/MC tanks like the ones found in the portable welding sets are fine, because the small torches don't use much gas and the small tanks are less cumbersome around fuselages. Others say the larger tanks are the way to go as they cost less per unit volume to refill and need to be refilled much less often.

Obviously, if I was planning to weld tractors and slice through plate with a cutting torch I'd rent/buy larger tanks. But I'm only planning to weld thin-wall 4130 tubing with a tiny torch. I don't foresee any other welding (and if I did, I'd look at getting that TIG toy...) How much of a fuselage can a person weld with those little R/MC tanks between refills?
 
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