Hi. I just broke a second argon flow meter in just about that number of years. The first one worked great. It did a lot of good TIG welding, then one day I turned on the gas and the needle went all the way up no matter where the handle was set. Clearly, it was useless. I did a little Internet searching, and I found out that the high pressure control valve seat often goes bad, and has to be replaced. There is a rebuild kit that should fix the problem for $40.
Then, I looked at Hobby Machinist (search) and found this:
www.hobby-machinist.com
Hmmmmm. So I put the regulator in a box and decided to deal with it later. I had a Victor AF150 on the shelf, and placed that one in service. Meanwhile, I sent Victor an email about the broken AF150 regulator with the serial number. I received a reply saying that that wasn't their serial number and that it looked like an AF 150 regulator, but really wasn't one. They asked me to send some detailed photos, which I did, and they never replied. I figured that I must have gotten a "Made in USA" fake.
Anyway, the replacement Victor AF150 did just great, and helped make a lot of good TIG welds until last week when the low pressure side needle went all the way up and it blew gas out the relief hole. I was afraid of getting a high pressure injection injury. So, I opened it up and examined the valve spring and seat. It looked fine and I polished it up with a wood stick. Still had the same problem.
Now, I am looking for suggestions on what to do. For $40, I can get a repair kit from regulator torch repair. Maybe it will work. For $65 and postage, they will repair it, but I am still waiting on a reply to my inquiry. Or, I can buy a new Victor just like the two that have blown up. They carry a premium price, but I can get them from Cyberweld, at the link in the referenced post. The OP bought a cheap import flow meter and it seems to work for him, but he needed a special adaptor since the import has odd threads. Or, I can go to the LWS and ask what they have. In the "good ol' days", this would have been the correct thing to do. You would have paid dearly, but 10 years later, the sting would be forgotten, and you'd still be weldin'. This ain't the good ol days, though.
Any suggestions? Too many choices?
Then, I looked at Hobby Machinist (search) and found this:
Victor AF150 regulator
Victor AF150. The diaphragm on my mig regulator popped again. Repair kit is $40. Even the spare is popped. I think I forgot to fix it last time. Don't use it much. I unscrew the "T" everytime when not in use. Repair again, or just replace i ?????t Is there a better, longer lasting one????? How...
www.hobby-machinist.com
Hmmmmm. So I put the regulator in a box and decided to deal with it later. I had a Victor AF150 on the shelf, and placed that one in service. Meanwhile, I sent Victor an email about the broken AF150 regulator with the serial number. I received a reply saying that that wasn't their serial number and that it looked like an AF 150 regulator, but really wasn't one. They asked me to send some detailed photos, which I did, and they never replied. I figured that I must have gotten a "Made in USA" fake.
Anyway, the replacement Victor AF150 did just great, and helped make a lot of good TIG welds until last week when the low pressure side needle went all the way up and it blew gas out the relief hole. I was afraid of getting a high pressure injection injury. So, I opened it up and examined the valve spring and seat. It looked fine and I polished it up with a wood stick. Still had the same problem.
Now, I am looking for suggestions on what to do. For $40, I can get a repair kit from regulator torch repair. Maybe it will work. For $65 and postage, they will repair it, but I am still waiting on a reply to my inquiry. Or, I can buy a new Victor just like the two that have blown up. They carry a premium price, but I can get them from Cyberweld, at the link in the referenced post. The OP bought a cheap import flow meter and it seems to work for him, but he needed a special adaptor since the import has odd threads. Or, I can go to the LWS and ask what they have. In the "good ol' days", this would have been the correct thing to do. You would have paid dearly, but 10 years later, the sting would be forgotten, and you'd still be weldin'. This ain't the good ol days, though.
Any suggestions? Too many choices?
