I've got a Miller Welder that's pretty decent even when using gasless wire that (of all things) has a barb fitting for gas and regulator instead of a screw-port you'd see on... pretty much every other welder I can think of. I've taken the thing to AirGas and a couple of specialty shops and none of them have been able to make heads OR tails of it, with the best idea to get a tank and regulator plugged in would be to hack up an existing hose and put a hose clamp on the end. I can't remove the barb as it's connected directly to a nylon tube inside which is then attached *somewhere* to the wire feed.
Anyone seen this before? Anyone use them? And how the heck do you get gas into it?
That is the setup my old Century had.
Fairly sure that the Miller at my previous employer's also used that setup.
Knurled. said:
That is the setup my old Century had.
Fairly sure that the Miller at my previous employer's also used that setup.
So what regulator do you use then? So far, the closest thing I can think of that can work with this is an Oxygen tree from my hospital.
What model Miller welder is it? Or is it a Clarke?
Did some quick searching, this might not be as out of the ordinary as it seems.
https://www.amazon.com/d/Gas-Welding-Equipment/Argon-meter-Regulator-Welding-Machine/B00OSC32BU
EDIT: now I'm poking around for something with the right hose diameter. .24mm (~.1") is pretty small.
Double Rainbow Edit: I'm an idiot. .24 inches freedom!
I just put a gas tank on my Hobart, and pulled out the supplied regulator/hose. The regulator output was a barb like this, but the feed into the welder itself is the screw port fitting.
Brotus7 said:
Did some quick searching, this might not be as out of the ordinary as it seems.
https://www.amazon.com/d/Gas-Welding-Equipment/Argon-meter-Regulator-Welding-Machine/B00OSC32BU
EDIT: now I'm poking around for something with the right hose diameter. .24mm (~.1") is pretty small.
The caliper in the above pic says
0.24 in
*not*
0.24 mm
you’re welcome
AngryCorvair said:
Brotus7 said:
Did some quick searching, this might not be as out of the ordinary as it seems.
https://www.amazon.com/d/Gas-Welding-Equipment/Argon-meter-Regulator-Welding-Machine/B00OSC32BU
EDIT: now I'm poking around for something with the right hose diameter. .24mm (~.1") is pretty small.
The caliper in the above pic says
0.24 in
*not*
0.24 mm
you’re welcome
Well, you're absolutely correct! I should look more closely!
I've seen this before on Thermal Arc machines as well. Normally those fitting are all standard pipe threads (1/8"?) and can be unthreaded and replaced with the connection of /your choosing, just remember thread locker because shielding gas in expensive.
RacetruckRon said:
I've seen this before on Thermal Arc machines as well. Normally those fitting are all standard pipe threads (1/8"?) and can be unthreaded and replaced with the connection of /your choosing, just remember thread locker because shielding gas in expensive.
I can't- that nut you see is to lock the barb in place, not for removal. I don't think I can swap the barb at all.
Brotus7 said:
What model Miller welder is it? Or is it a Clarke?
It is a clarke, I think! I'll try to find more pics.
Put a hose and clamp on it. Check it for leaks once it is hooked up. Required pressure at the solenoid in the welder is low, so you should have no problems.
Honestly, I'd prefer if more of our connections were like this so people would quit putting teflon tape on the threaded fittings.
The pressure post regulator is low, so the barb fitting is more than adequate. You can replace the hose from the regulator to the welder with most any low pressure rated hose, even easier if the regulator has a barb fitting outlet, some do some dont.
classicJackets said:
I just put a gas tank on my Hobart, and pulled out the supplied regulator/hose. The regulator output was a barb like this, but the feed into the welder itself is the screw port fitting.
This is exactly how the Miller I just bought is setup. No issue with leakage from the barbed fitting.
D2W
HalfDork
3/6/19 3:15 p.m.
Very common. Several of my bigger (up to 500 amp) are set up this way.
That's the way my old Dayton brand welder is as well. I think I just used some vacuum line I had laying around from the regulator on the bottle over. I do have to shut off the valve at the regulator when I'm done with it, but I don't know where the leak is..
The Chinese made Unitweld machine I just bought has the same set up. I threaded a barbed fitting into the regulator and ran the supplied hose between them. Works perfectly fine.
bigeyedfish said:
Honestly, I'd prefer if more of our connections were like this so people would quit putting teflon tape on the threaded fittings.
Uh oh. I'm guilty here. What am I doing wrong?
JBasham said:
bigeyedfish said:
Honestly, I'd prefer if more of our connections were like this so people would quit putting teflon tape on the threaded fittings.
Uh oh. I'm guilty here. What am I doing wrong?
The fitting is designed to seal on the tapered portion (kinda like a flared brake line or AN fitting,) not with the threads. I say this, yet guess who still put Teflon tape on his threads anyway? 
If you happen to get some tape inside the line, it'll drive you crazy. Sporadic porosity issues at one welder led our maintenance department to swap all the consumables, then swap gas cylinders, then swap for a different wire feeder, then swap the power supply. Problem never went away. Swapped the shielding gas hose (the only thing left except the environment) and the problem disappeared. I didn't get to see the line when they swapped it, but the guy who was working on this said the fittings had been taped. I'm assuming that it had tape partially blocking the end.
At this point, it's more of a pet peeve than anything else. Very rarely goes wrong, but it doesn't offer any advantages so why add a potential failure point.
So do you guys think a small regulator like this one would work well?
