Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!

wrote in article
.com...
Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!




If you cannot keep equipment that has the danger potential of oxy-acetylene
in good repair, perhaps you should not own it or attempt to use it!

A small cutting torch can run in the range of 5 p.s.i acetylene and 25
p.s.i. oxygen. You need to run higher oxygen pressures to provide the
"blow" for cutting.

A small cutting tiorch and its tanks also has the potential of blowing up a
fairly large building if not used correctly!

On Sep 13, 11:06 am, "*" wrote:
wrote in article
.com...





Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!

If you cannot keep equipment that has the danger potential of oxy-acetylene
in good repair, perhaps you should not own it or attempt to use it!

A small cutting torch can run in the range of 5 p.s.i acetylene and 25
p.s.i. oxygen. You need to run higher oxygen pressures to provide the
"blow" for cutting.

A small cutting tiorch and its tanks also has the potential of blowing up a
fairly large building if not used correctly!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Real nice, friendly response! My gear is NEW, and has been like this
since day one. Thanks so much for making assumptions about me! Tell
me though - when a person who comes out and says plainly that he is a
beginner and asks for advice, should you first tell him to no own or
operate it? Way to support the new guys! I'll be sure to forward
this to the frequent poster to this board that recommended me here -
he'll be pleased to hear about these "friendly" people he plays with.

On Sep 13, 3:44 pm, wrote:
Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!



It would be helpful if you could have some knowledgeable person look
at your gear. When you screw down on an oxygen regulator you are
working against a spring. So it gets harder to turn, but should not
get really hard to turn.

You might say where you are and there might be someone close to you.

You might also unscrew the adjusting screw and see if you can see a
reason why it gets hard. The thread on the adjusting screw does not
get exposed to 100% oxygen. I would not advocate using oil on it, but
I might use a little graphite on it.

I think your problem is that the gas is not coming out fast enough.
So the flame gets inside the torch. This is more likely to happen
with a large tip installed on your torch. Usually the tip sold with
the torch is bigger than you want for cutting 1/4 and smaller
thickness metal. So you might consider buying a smaller tip.

You could take your regulator and torch to your friendly welding
suppply store sometime when business is slow and talk to the personnel
there. They usually are helpful if there is not another customer
waiting to be served.

Dan

wrote in message
oups.com...
Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!


Using faulty regulators is a good way to start a fire or get yourself hurt.
Have you considered that it might work better if the gauges were working
right?

Get the gauges overhauled. After that, use 3# acetylene and from 10# to 20#
of oxygen depending on thickness. The popping is because you have too much
oxygen coming out, or you are too close to the workpiece. Or your regulator
is ready to blow.

You're playing with dynamite here. Don't mess with broken equipment.

Steve (welding since 1974)

writes:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

If that's 5 PSI, it's 'way too low. Minimum oxygen pressure for cutting
is something like 25. Something's going on with the regulator (my
first guess), the gauge, the amount of oxygen in the
tank... something. Take it to a welding shop and have them look at
it.

A general rule of thumb is that you simply need to be running the
right pressures for the tip you've got -- you can't see what pressure
is present and try to make things work.

On Sep 13, 11:06 am, "*" wrote:
wrote in article
.com...



Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!

If you cannot keep equipment that has the danger potential of oxy-acetylene
in good repair, perhaps you should not own it or attempt to use it!


You fool, That is why he was asking the questions.



A small cutting torch can run in the range of 5 p.s.i acetylene and 25
p.s.i. oxygen. You need to run higher oxygen pressures to provide the
"blow" for cutting.

A small cutting tiorch and its tanks also has the potential of blowing up a
fairly large building if not used correctly!

wrote in message
oups.com...
Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!


When the flame blows out with a loud "crack," the problem is usually too
high of oxygen pressure, not too low. (The other common cause is crud in
the tip...)

What bothers me is exactly what the "5" you are seeing on the gauge means.
Is this "5" near the bottom of the gauge's range or up closer to the middle?
This is a little off the wall, but everything you are observing would make
sense if the gauge is metric and is marked in hundreds of kilopascals. 500
kPa is about 70 psi. (The other obvious possibility is that your gauge is
defective...). But this would account for blowing the torch out and, if
this is somewhere around the limit of the regulator, why it is getting
tight.

Try a couple things. Set the oxygen to around "2" on your gauge (or maybe a
bit lower) and see if that works better. Or loosen the oxygen regulator
completely and open the oxygen valve on the torch at least half way. Turn
on the acetylene and light it off. Then raise the regulator pressure to see
if you can get a proper neutral flame. If that works, note the gauge
pressure. The result of this little experiment should give you some insight
into the problem.

Jerry

On Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:25:25 -0700, "SteveB"
wrote:


wrote in message
roups.com...
Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!


Using faulty regulators is a good way to start a fire or get yourself hurt.
Have you considered that it might work better if the gauges were working
right?

Get the gauges overhauled. After that, use 3# acetylene and from 10# to 20#
of oxygen depending on thickness. The popping is because you have too much
oxygen coming out, or you are too close to the workpiece. Or your regulator
is ready to blow.

You're playing with dynamite here. Don't mess with broken equipment.

Steve (welding since 1974)

Chinese torch? Chinese regulators?
If so do yourself a favor and return it NOW.
Spend a bit more and get decent equipment.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

wrote:

Real nice, friendly response! My gear is NEW, and has been like this
since day one. Thanks so much for making assumptions about me! Tell
me though - when a person who comes out and says plainly that he is a
beginner and asks for advice, should you first tell him to no own or
operate it? Way to support the new guys! I'll be sure to forward
this to the frequent poster to this board that recommended me here -
he'll be pleased to hear about these "friendly" people he plays with.



What is going on is you don't have enough gas flowing out of the tip
orifices. As you adjust closer to a neutral mixture the rate of flame
propagation increases, eventually exceeding the rate at which the mixed
gas is moving, the flame enters the orifices and then travels quickly
down to the mixer (once inside, the pressure rises quickly and the flame
travels faster, until the gas in the mixer effectively detonates, thus
the pop sound).

It certainly sounds as if the O2 regulator is faulty. If you remove the
screw entirely, then screw it back in you'll notice a point where it
comes against the spring tension. After that point the resistance to
turning should increase slightly and steadily, until you bottom the
spring out and bind it up (bad, don't do it), and the pressure on the
gauge should rise steadily with each turn of the knob. If this isn't the
case, and you're sure you have an oxygen tank that has pressure in it
(don't take that wrong, it's easy to accidentally get an empty tank from
the supplier) and you're opening the oxygen tank valve all the way,
until it seats wide open (otherwise the valve is likely to leak around
the stem- wasteful at best, dangerous at worst) and you're sure that the
valve will flow the required volume (cracking the valve open before
fitting the regulator to the tank determines it is full, flowing and,
with visual examination after cracking, clean) then the regulator has a
problem.

Teflon tape is a pretty common thing to see in the valve fitting, I
suppose they have a damaged stem and don't want to replace it, but it
can cause flow problems along with leaks.

John

sparky wrote in article
. com...
On Sep 13, 11:06 am, "*" wrote:


Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!

If you cannot keep equipment that has the danger potential of
oxy-acetylene
in good repair, perhaps you should not own it or attempt to use it!


You fool, That is why he was asking the questions.





He stated that money would be a problem in keeping it in good repair. I
suggested that if he couldn't afford to spend the money to maintain it
properly, then he might not be able to afford to keep it.

What part did you miss?

The term "short term solution" often translates to "temporary patch" which
itself often extends from "temporary" to "permanent" as time goes by.

wrote in article
. com...
On Sep 13, 11:06 am, "*" wrote:
wrote in article
.com...





Guys/gals:

I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one that I
gaot in a starter kit. That original one would light just fine, but
then would make a loud pop and go out when you ramped up the O2 to
achieve a neutral flame. The new torch is doing exactly the same
thing! I have a trio of questions:

1) is this "blowback"? Based on my reading, I believe it may be.
2) could this be caused by low pressure on both regulators? My O2
regulator (again - cheap, starter-kit stuff) doesn't want to go much
over "5" - it gets really hard to turn. Thus, I just use 5, and tone
down the acetylene accordingly...around 3...
3) if this is the possible cause, can anything be done to fix this
regulator? I haven't torn it down, and I know better than to oil
it...what else can I do?

Please bear in mind: I am a beginner, and money is something of an
object. I intend to upgrade this gear in the future, but am looking
for at least a short-term solution! Thanks in advance!

If you cannot keep equipment that has the danger potential of
oxy-acetylene
in good repair, perhaps you should not own it or attempt to use it!

A small cutting torch can run in the range of 5 p.s.i acetylene and 25
p.s.i. oxygen. You need to run higher oxygen pressures to provide the
"blow" for cutting.

A small cutting tiorch and its tanks also has the potential of blowing
up a
fairly large building if not used correctly!






Real nice, friendly response! My gear is NEW, and has been like this
since day one.


You said, "I recently bought a heavier-duty (used) torch to replace one
that I gaot in a starter kit."

You never indicated that one was actually a NEW torch.

Do you understand the difference between "New" and "New to me"?

You indicated that you were talking about BOTH torches - recently purchased
"used" and "original" - by saying,

"That original one would light just fine, but then would make a loud pop
and go out when you ramped up the O2 to achieve a neutral flame. The new
torch is doing exactly the same thing!

Sorry I could not read your mind as to whether you were talking about your
used "new" torch or your new "used" torch.



Thanks so much for making assumptions about me! Tell
me though - when a person who comes out and says plainly that he is a
beginner and asks for advice, should you first tell him to no own or
operate it? Way to support the new guys! I'll be sure to forward
this to the frequent poster to this board that recommended me here -
he'll be pleased to hear about these "friendly" people he plays with.




Unlike others here, I REALLY don't care if you take my advice or leave it.

Tell your friend he should have suggested that you write a bit more clearly
as to whether you are talking about new and/or used torches.