Victor torch head in a fire: rebuild or not?

[86turbodsl]

I did a cursory look online, but can't find anything on it.

My victor journeyman torch head was in a trash can fire. I know, draped over the edge is no place to put it. I'm a mess.

Can i rebuild this head? I think probably the valves are toast, but the basic head/tip? Clean and reuse? Gauges were no where near and
i had the gas off. The end 6 inches or so of the lines were toast, i cut it off. Rest of the hoses look ok.

Thoughts?

[Welder Dave]

Do you have some pics. of it?

[86turbodsl]

Here you go. Just as i found it.

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[_Dom]

see below, duplicate post

[_Dom]

Member here OAdoctor services equipment. Has been very helpful in the past. Hasn't posted in a few years but website looks alive. Give him a call;
https://regulatortorchrepair.com/

[86turbodsl]

Thanks. I wire wheeled everything. As expected the valves did not survive. All orings turned to powder. Valves and orings should do it.

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[OPUS FERRO]

86turbodsl

. . . My victor journeyman torch head was in a trash
can fire. I know, draped over the edge . . .

What is 'The Rest of the Story' ?


Opus

[Rondo]

If you send it in for repair they do total refurb. Good as new after that. Check valves and cutting plunger are probably cooked too. Just send it to a repair facility like Mckenzie repair and have a warranty fix. But. the cost will be the same as an aftermarket complete kit.

[86turbodsl]

Ok, the rest of the story -

Repairing a shop fan, didn't have any sawhorses left. My main set got repurposed into holding up a desk top in the house as my boss gave me 1 day to make a home office for the lockdown. We've got some of the most draconian lock down policy here in Michigan. As a result i haven't been going to the store and just making due with everything at home as much as possible.

so i was repairing the fan blade cage on the shop fan, and had it sitting on the edge of the trash can. there wasn't much in the can that was flamable, but enough i guess. I tacked the angle iron in place and went indoors for lunch. Came back an hour and half later and the flames were just finishing up. shop full of smoke. It must have smoldered for at least an hour before lighting up.

Lost my mig gun, a harbor freight grinder, the fan cord, and the torch handle. Ironically, the fan is ok.
I think the torch handle is rebuildable, probably just valves and orings. The grinder and mig gun is toast.

the mig gun was the expensive part. 400A bernard 15' The ends are ok, the cable is toast.

I'm lucky the shop didn't burn down, but high ceilings and nothing sitting around the burning pile probably saved it. My lesson was don't be stupid and careless around fire.

I'm rethinking putting a few wood tools in the same space as the welding/fab.

[86turbodsl]

If you send it in for repair they do total refurb. Good as new after that. Check valves and cutting plunger are probably cooked too. Just send it to a repair facility like Mckenzie repair and have a warranty fix. But. the cost will be the same as an aftermarket complete kit.

Probably overkill. Looks like just valves and orings. Victor 100FC torch handle. haven't found the orings for the flashback arrestors though. Just whole arrestors.
At $25 ea it's probably cheaper to buy a whole handle on epay.

[Welder Dave]

You probably need new flashback arrestor cartridges too but if it were mine, I'd just replace it and be glad I didn't lose a lot more. You don't know if it did any damage to the lines inside the handle but looks like it got fairly hot.

[86turbodsl]

whats in those arrestor cartridges? Looks like just metal and orings to me, but i can't see inside them so i guessing.

Anybody know if you can buy bernard mig cables without all the end hardware? So far all i've found is whole assemblies.

[86turbodsl]

You probably need new flashback arrestor cartridges too but if it were mine, I'd just replace it and be glad I didn't lose a lot more. You don't know if it did any damage to the lines inside the handle but looks like it got fairly hot.

I took the handle completely apart. didn't find anything inside that was warped or anything. It all screws together nice still.

[86turbodsl]

I grabbed a 2nd hand victor WH260C torch handle off ebay for half the price of the flashback arrestor cost.
I doubt i'll get the use out of a new set. I might pickup the torch 6 times a year. My tanks have lasted the last 10.