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A #6 would sure draw down the oxygen fast!!

My biggest problem with large tips in underground coal mines is you are about miles from the gas. Transportation isn't easy. Plus once you are at the end of the track you cant just drive up to wear you need your torches. You carry everything!

Its not as simple as walking out behind the shop and grabbing a bottle. It may take hours or even the next shift before you see another bottle.

When guys are learning I always make them carry their own bottles. That way they learn quickly to conserve their supply. After carrying a bottle on your shoulder for a 1/4" mile you don't want to carry another....
 
Back in the 70's I worked for a company that made boom trucks. Once in awhile we would get parts in that were fabricated incorrectly. I was the one who got to cut out the old welds with an air arc and then reassemble them. After awhile you get to where you could scarf out the old weld without removing hardly any base metal. They are noisy but they remove a lot of metal in a hurry.
 
So, I wrote back in post #41 of this thread that I use a cheap HF welder and complain every time I use it.....well, turns out that is not entirely true.
Yes, I wish I had a better welder.
Yes, I do NOT really like flux-core MIG.
Yes, my el-cheapo HF flux-core MIG welder (~$110) leaves a LOT to be desired.
BUT, for the little welding I do, it actually really isn't that bad. I only have 110V in the barn (no 220V), so there's another limitation.

A very poorly built trailer jack broke yesterday off the John Deere haybine (was extremely badly made!!!), and I quickly pulled out the welder and fixed it up again. Many times better than new, and the whole process took less time than taking the photos and writing this post.

In summary; I'd like a better welder, but even the crappy ones can fix a simple problem.

Now, for the more challenging tasks a nice unit might be in my future....next year?

Some pics:
P01212-111125(1).jpgP01212-104922(1).jpgP01212-105501(1).jpgP01212-111639(1).jpg
 
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