what to look for in ox con???

[meadowesky]

Hi again!

So if I buy an ox con what things do I need to look for?

Is 5lpm enough for a minor? If I want more I can add another right?
What does "hours" mean in terms of how much life it has left?
What should I try to stay under with hours?
How easy is it to adapt to a torch?
What type of oxygen purity should I look for?
I currently run my minor at 8psi oxygen and 6psi propane. if that means anything
I will have to buy a used machine due to the budget.
I work with a minor and moretti glass- I may do boro in the future but not at this time. thanks!

[meadowesky]

anyone? Thanks

[FlameDancer]

Hi again!

So if I buy an ox con what things do I need to look for?

Is 5lpm enough for a minor? If I want more I can add another right?
What does "hours" mean in terms of how much life it has left?
What should I try to stay under with hours?
How easy is it to adapt to a torch?
What type of oxygen purity should I look for?
I currently run my minor at 8psi oxygen and 6psi propane. if that means anything
I will have to buy a used machine due to the budget.
I work with a minor and moretti glass- I may do boro in the future but not at this time. thanks!

I'll see what I can do for ya:)
5lpm is fine for running a minor. I think what you are wanting to look for is the amount of pure oxygen (92-95% pure at 4.5)that a concentrator puts out. You could add two to get more heat.
I bought my first oxycon from Paulette, at Suncoast Beads but you could look in the garage sale too.
The lower the hours, the better, in my opinion. My first one, an Airsep, has 32,000 and my second one, a Caire Breeze (off eBay) has 8,000. They both work fine. I run a cuda but used to run a Piranha off one.
I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions:)

[kbinkster]

You can add a second concentrator to increase the volume of oxygen, but it will not increase the pressure. Your Minor (as well as other standard torches like the Bobcat), will run nicely one one concentrator.

If a unit has been correctly reconditioned (by a qualified person/company), then the hours don't mean as much as if it was not refurbished/reconditioned. A refurbished unit should have lots of life in it. Make sure, though, that you get a warranty.

I run an Integra 10 with a Lynx and a Cheetah (not at the same time). I found that it worked just fine for the torches. There's an adaptor on the front for a medical oxygen line. You just take that off (unscrew it) and screw on your regular oxygen line.

[firefreak]

We (DW, DS and I) run a total of 7 oxy-con. All were bought used, all still running. When purchased had hours from 6000 to 35000. I have one with 54000 on it now and still pumping out good O2. I change the filters every 6 months and have had very few problems.
My DW runs a national 8M with SM7 tip ( about the same as minor) on one concentrator and is very happy with it.( she works soft glass) My son and I run a major w/ pre mix and a red-max w/ premix on 3 oxy-cons wyed together (each) and have no problems. We work boro with these torches, and flame environment is everything with boro. We can work super oxidized flame or rage a huge neutral or reducing flame with no trouble at all.
It took a little investment up front (about 1500) but the units paid for themselves in the first 6 months.
We tired all out torches on tanked oxy and could not find a difference, so we have stuck with concentrators for our needs. ( a LOT cheaper)

[torchie]

OMG I did not see this and asked the exact same question...LOL
Ruth