I was going to do a bit of torching today and was having problems lighting the torch, firstly the flame kept being blown out and now as soon as I turn the oxygen on there are no white candles just a space and it blows the gas out. I have just read a thread on here about leaving your oxycon on for a while before lighting it, so maybe that was the problem as it was cold(ish) and damp yesterday, but I have now pushed the kiln programe into segment 2 as I won't be using it today (still very nervous about this whole thing and I was getting more and more stressed about the torch so decided to give up for today). I don't really want the kiln to go through the whole process, can I just turn it off or will this upset it?
If I get a bit more confident later I can always start again and just use my annealing bubbles or make some stringers and twisties.
Thanks for your help folks. :)
I've had to do that before, then just restarted the program .. it didn't cause me any problems .. I've got the MAXI
Sounds like your oxycon just needs to run a while to build up a decent concentration of O2 .. it's just blowing air through from the sound of it
HTH
Thanks LJ, will have another cup of tea and decide what to do. I was going to go for a walk today as it was nice, but decided to stay in and torch and now my OH has gone out, so should try to make the best of the time I have to myself and get close to my torch. I guess even if I decide not to torch today I could turn the oxycon back on for a bit as you say (with the oxygen on sligthly at the torch of course) and then try to light again just to confirm this is the problem. Think I will just turn off the kiln though. Thanks for your help. :)
I don't think it can cause any problem to turn the kiln off (I've done that many times). As Les says, let the oxycon run for a while before lighting the torch. It's not healthy for the oxycon to be turned off after too short a time, though. I read somewhere it needs to be on for at least 30 mins before being shut down, otherwise dampness/condensation can build up in the sieve beds - and that is NOT good!
I turn mine off quite often, it's never caused me any problems.
its not the turning off its the running time before turning off ....i was told should be about half hour build up on reduced torch flow before torching and i leave mine running when taking a break again on reduced flow ...they dont like stopping and starting
and the conditions in which they are running ......deffinatly prefer warm dry places to work (dont we all ;))
Turned the Oxycon back on and left it for 30 mins and it worked fine. Thanks folks. The kiln had been running for about 30 minutes before I turned it off, so hopefully it is still happy. Made some twisties (um, practice required) and then got the annealing bubble out and have been having a play, so thank you very much for the help I will definately remember this in future, and if I go for a pee or coffee NOT turn the oxycon off! :)
Turning a kiln off at any temperature cannot harm it. It will simply cool down.
The effect on the glass however is another matter.