Eddie Paul
President and CEO of E.P.Industries, Inc.
Movie Car Fabricator

Hollywood Stunt Car Builder Maestro Eddie Paul
brazes with Multiplaz 3500
on a 1932 Duesenberg Duel Cowl Phaeton

Multiplaz 3500 1^st test: BRAZING

I hear of new marvelous sounding tools that come out on the market. Unfortunately, many just fade away with random inabilities to perform in the heat of extreme deadlines commonly accepted in our normal 24 hour work day. Coming and going, a path of broken tools, and PROMISES, that did not quite make the cut.

Sadly, many times it’s not the fault of the tool but lack of learning time of the person using the tool. Many tools fail due to misuse of the tools capabilities.

I called Multiplaz and requested a training lesson before we used the new Multiplaz 3500, understanding it was new technology, and I wanted to give it every opportunity, and see all capabilities for my shop use.

The 4 hour training and testing session was at Jay Leno’ Garage with Manager Bernard Juchli and I. Multiplaz management and technical welder were on hand. The Multiplaz went from Plasma cutting to welding, heating to brazing, running the gamut for versatility. The tool is a light weight machine with two torches, one for welding and the other for Plasma cutting. It is truly different than most machines that I had used in the past, so I chose to not rush using it myself, opting for the next project in my shop to define its ability to either pass or fail. This would determine if it is worth keeping, or adding it to the stack of tools that did not work as well as expected.

I chose a contracted project which involved the building of a replica ’32 Duesenberg Duel Cowl Phaeton, to be built from the ground up. Much of the casting was to be hand built sculptured steel such as the headlight to fender mounting brackets. Patterns were made, steel needed to be cut and welded, and low spots needed to be filled in with brass. The final shape would be ground smooth and blend the different pieces of metal into one continuous elegant form.

We started with the old standby Oxy-Acetylene welding tanks that many of us were raised on. We fired up the torch, set the mixture pulled out some flux coated rod and started filling in the low spots with brass. After 20 minutes it was apparent the flame was blowing the brass around and we needed a more controlled flame. We broke out the Multiplaz 3500. The difference was day and night. The flame was controllable, the Multiplaz gun was light weight, easy to handle and worked well. The job was finished soon and required very little clean up. The Oxy-Acetylene bottles have been moved to a corner of the shop to become a display in my museum of antiquated tools once used by metal fabricators.

In my professional opinion, the job I wanted the tool for was easier to do with the Multiplaz than the oxy-Acetylene torches. Also, for a homeowner tool, Multiplaz appears to be a one-tool-does-it-all type of tool. As a heavy production, or high rate of production tool, there are tools more appropriate, but for a custom or prototype tool offering a low weight, portable method that will weld, cut, braze and heat it works. If you are limited on space, or cannot afford all the multiplicity of tools required for your shop, then the Multiplaz 3500 could be just what you are looking for. I would give it thumbs up!