Advice on a buying my first welder

[skotl]

Do you have a digital micrometer? If the hose OD is 8mm and the barb's OD is 6mm then it sounds like a match made in heaven to me...

 

[eddie49]

Congratulations on getting your Uptime MIG.
I have just measured the barb on the back of mine again, and the OD is still 5/16", 8mm.
The OD of the very end, where the taper of the first barb starts, is just over 6mm. If you soften the 6.3mm ID plastic hose in hot water, I am sure it will slide over the first couple of barbs.

 

[JacobsMess]

sorry to resurrect this but I've just got my uptime welder and I'm struggling to get a hose for it. Machine mart didn't have anything, BOC sold me a 6.3mm ID hose with screw fittings either end and suggested I cut one end, but I want to be sure before slicing into the expensive hose they sold me.
Above it's mentioned its an 8mm hose, I measured the barb and it looked more like 6mm to me. Can anyone confirm this? its an uptime MIG160

I stand corrected, I remeasured the hose barb today and it does appear that 8mm is about right. Just eyeballing with a good engineers ruler. Being completely new to this I'm a bit uncertain as to how exact or important these things are, is argon very leaky? anyway, I'm going to order some 8mm hose as described above and pipe down.
Cheers

 

[JacobsMess]

so I've ordered a 3/8" nut and hosetail (with bullnose end) to fit my regulator and 5m of 8mm ID clear braided hose and clips.... hopefully everything should join up nicely. Do people tend to use PTFE tape on the fittings?
hose fitting... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232987676706?var=532503635298
hose... ebay.co.uk/itm/193360911372?var=493555025967
Hope it's all right!

 

[eddie49]

Those parts look correct. There's no need for PTFE tape - the "bull nose" on the regulator will seal metal-to-metal against the gas cylinder, and the one on the hosetail will seal to the regulator.