Author Topic: need help adapting CGA-200 acetylene regulator to CGA-520 tank valve  (Read 9334 times)

Offline jonogt

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So a friend who was looking to upgrade gave me an excellent deal on most of the pieces I need to claim ownership of a beginner welding/cutting outfit.  I got the oxygen and acetylene regulators that come with the Harris Port-a-Torch (or equivilent by specifications from what I can tell)... The oxygen one has a CGA-540 connection and the acetylene one has a CGA-200 connection.  The oxygen one seems to be the correct one I need, but the Acetylene's CGA-200 appears to only connect to a 10 CF (MC) cylinder.  I got 40 CF cylinders for each (10 is just too small and I don't want to mess with it), so this will need adapting.
The photo embedded

is of the CGA-200 connection on the acet. regulator, and the following are links to parts which seem to be the adaptors I need:
http://tinyurl.com/9uysws  (part # F31)
http://tinyurl.com/78aoye   and   http://tinyurl.com/8pgjfd
I guess I'm just looking for confirmation here, that these are the items I need to correctly/safely make this adaptation.  To do this, do I unscrew the whole nipple part from my acet. regulator and replace it with the one in my second link?  Or do I screw that part INTO the end of what's already on my acet regulator?  In my photo you can see another piece of pipe in the bottom left.  This is a 1/4" NPT nipple for size comparison.  It's O.D. looks the same as the nipple piece on my regulator, but the threads don't look identical.  Can anyone tell me what's up with that?  Does the cga-200 nipple screw into the regulator with 1/4" NPT threads?

As you can see I'm completely new to this, and just trying to get things connected properly without buying a bunch of incorrect parts in the process.  Any further insight and general comments someone can provide would be appreciated.

thanks a lot,
-Jon

Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: need help adapting CGA-200 acetylene regulator to CGA-520 tank valve
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2008, 11:26:50 PM »
Jon,

1st, welcome to the club! Post up an intro... tell us who you are and what you like.

2nd, I don't have an answer for you... but I am sure someone here does. Just give em a chance to respond.

Eric
Science is fun.

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline Darren

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Re: need help adapting CGA-200 acetylene regulator to CGA-520 tank valve
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2008, 01:53:53 PM »
Hi Jon,

Firstly welcome to the forum,

Secondly, please don't think you are being ignored by the lack of response to your question. Peeps around here are just not like that at all  :thumbup:

Perhaps the lack of replies is because no-one here really knows the answer, inc me.

So chaps I'm bumping this one up just in case anyone missed it.....can anyone help Jon?

Regards
Darren

You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

bogstandard

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Re: need help adapting CGA-200 acetylene regulator to CGA-520 tank valve
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2008, 02:06:37 PM »
I too am lost on this one, even though I spent two years on a gas welding course, I never came across this problem.

As Darren says, someone most probably does know the answer, but either haven't seen the post yet or are away doing their own thing for the festive season.

Even if someone on here can't help, if you get the required info, do come back and let us all into the secret of your success. It just might help sometime in the future when someone else has the same problem.

Bogs


Offline Rog02

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Re: need help adapting CGA-200 acetylene regulator to CGA-520 tank valve
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2008, 08:42:14 PM »
Hi Jon:
The best thing to do is take it all down to the welding supply store and ask the nice sales person to show you what you need. 

The easiest route is to go with this adapter that will screw onto your B cylinder and adapt to your MC regulator.  Everything would just screw together without any modifications to your set up.


This is the nipple and nut that actually screws into the regulator.  This is how I adapted a set of Victor 2 stage regulators to "burglar bottles" that travel in my car trailer.  From the link you provided, you will need to purchase the nipple and the nut separately. 

The adapters thread out of the regulator body and are easily replaced with the correct one for your set up.  DO NOT USE common thread sealer on the connection or any other connection on the torch set, especially on the oxygen side, as it might be formulated with oil.  Preferably, have the shop do the switch for you as they will have the correct sealer, but if you decide to do the switch use the yellow teflon tape that is approved for "flammable gas".
Roger
I'm OLD, I'm TIRED, and I'M GRUMPY!

Offline jonogt

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Re: need help adapting CGA-200 acetylene regulator to CGA-520 tank valve
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2008, 02:22:54 AM »
hey rog02 thanks a lot... that's what I thought was the case, with being able to either use a regular adaptor that just acts as a middleman, or doing it the neater and tidier way by unscrewing my CGA-200 part and replacing it with the CGA-520 part. 

If I can find a store that has the parts to do this, I'll have them make the switch for me.  If I have to buy them online, I do have a role of that gas-rated PTFE thread tape to do it correctly myself.  Only need to do so for the acetylene too, not the oxygen, as the cga-540 valve it has seems pretty universal.

thanks again,
-Jon


PS:  i will get over and write up an intoductory post of myself... just havn't actually gotten to it yet.  I'm in the process though, which is why my link is now broken (reorganizing my messy closet of uploaded photos)