Mostly its a terminology and fittings question that is not clearly googlable.
I have been exploring using bulk gas for my lampworking stuff. I need to purchase a regulator and some adaptors and the welding supply place seems to want twice as much as amazon, so rather than bug the welding supply guys for a bunch of info that does not make a sale…I ask here, and in the future others may benefit from the answers.
The tank has a CGA510 connection. Regulators are clearly available for that tank style. My question is what size are the output connectors on the regulators.
Many of them look very similar, or adapters all appear to use a standard size connection for screwing into a threaded port on the regulator. Is this correct as none of the regulators seem to mention output port specifications but they all mention input. I have seen alot of mentions that various adaptors screw into the regulators are for “MC” type regulators.
I figure short of some pretty dramatic chemical incompatibilities, most sizes of tanks and regulators have adapters available to make them all work together if need be, I just need to make sure if it comes down to it I might need to connect a CGA510 to a small “hothead” style torch with a regulator in between to keep appropriate line pressure.
The hothead torches are designed to run from 1lb disposable cylinders and I am also pondering the possibility of trying to rig up for a refilling station to recharge those to some degree for occasional portable use.
It will be used outdoors under a sunshade area so no worries about a leak turning my garage into a neighborhood flattening thermobaric weapon or anything like that. I have worked in an environment where we refilled oxygen and compressed air tanks regularly so I am familiar with the basic rhyme and reason of compressed gas handling, just lacking some specific terminology.
Some friendly advice:If you aren’t familiar with gas welding equipment, it might not be advisable to purchase any until you become far more so. While there’s little chance of an explosion with modern equipment, there are countless other issues (fire being a primary one) which could occur if you start welding and you are uncertain about what you are doing.
Also filling or re-filling tanks can cause you no end of problems with your local municipality and definitely with your home insurer. It’ a potential dangerous task, which is only undertaken by companies which have the equipment and trained employees to do so. I’ve been in industrial maintenance for 25 years and I have never worked in or heard of a plant that filled their own tanks. And manufacturing facilities try to save money by doing everything that they can using in-house employees. Even welding supply stores get their tanks from companies like AirGas as the liability of filling tanks is too high for their businesses.
Unless you are wedded to gas welding/cutting, it might be cheaper and easier to buy a small stick welding unit, MIG (Metal/Inert Gas) gas unit or even an inexpensive plasma cutter. Only the MIG unit would require a gas bottle and that would be argon which isn’t flammable. I’s been years since I have seen anyone use gas welding as MIG and stick are easier and quicker. They also require less skill.
In the details you see a mention of “9/16”-18 LH “B” Fitting" - this is actually referring to the output, it’s just not labeled as such. So this means it’s a 9/16-18 thread, Left Hand, with a “B” type compression fitting. Look for similar language on whatever regulator you’re considering. The info is most likely there, it’s probably just not labeled clearly as “output.” Anything with a thread size is most likely the output because, as you say, the inlet is CGA510.
I appreciate your concern, the refill idea is not really even a serious issue. It was a secondary consideration, first and foremost just trying to get set up with a larger tank to not NEED to use those little 1lb tanks for day to day use. I get the challenges associated with filling tanks, I am also not looking at filling large commercial tanks its the little 1 pounders that even if one did go kablooey, that a fairly small steel shroud would easily contain/direct it safely.