On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 23:32:12 +0100, Matt
wrote:

Turn off the oxy first, then the fuel.

No, this is wrong and potentially dangerous.

Turn the fuel off _first_.


If you do it the wrong way round, then there's a risk of combustion in
the mixer and sot buildup. If you allow this to buildup (and cleaning
it's an awkward task) then you increase the risk of blowbacks and all
those real safety problems you don't want to go anywhere near.

There's also the risk (mainly with big oxy-propane burners) that you can
switch from a small but powerful mixed-gas flame to a pure fuel flame
that's a couple of feet long (as you wound the thing up in stages when
first lighting up). This can cost you eyebrows.