Problems with MAPP keep stopping on me

toodlesandbinks · May 30, 2012, 08:25:29 PM

I think I might already have made the mistake of going down the MAPP route after a week of doing this. My MAPP gas keeps stopping - it's really annoying as I have been partway through doing a bead the 3 times it has happened.

I knew I should have gone bulk right from the get go, but listened to my hubbies pleas about us moving!!!!

Just wanted to check that it is a problem with MAPP and not something I am doing wrong?

Any help would be appreciated.

Hugs

Kay

SilverGems89 · May 30, 2012, 08:33:36 PM

MAPP "freezes" up with use, the canister gets cold and the pressure drops so the flame cuts out. You could try keeping the mapp in a bucket of warm water or wrapped in a towel to keep it warm, but the only way to avoid it completely is to switch to bulk!
HTH

Kimster · May 30, 2012, 10:26:45 PM

Before I switched to bulk (lasted about a week on Mapp!) I wrapped one of those wheat bags you heat in the microwave round the bottom of the canister (which was virtually on my lap), that seemed to do the trick & stopped it freezing & cutting out. Good luck.

daroem · May 31, 2012, 12:00:59 AM

Thats the problem with Mapp gas and so annoying

Once the pressure drops and it freezes, its useless.........only way to go is bulk and loads cheaper to run too. Good luck with it x

toodlesandbinks · May 31, 2012, 07:01:47 AM

slept on it going bulk - I should never have listened to him in the first place!

I think I will avoid getting kit from Tuffnell and just source the necessary on line.

So it will be pulling stringers for me until it arrives - which is fine as I'd decided to pull stringer for every colour that came with my HH.

lantana · May 31, 2012, 07:29:33 AM

I think you'll find it much less frustrating. Love your first beads! Look forward to seeing more x

nete · May 31, 2012, 08:42:04 AM

I'd like to jump in on this one for some advice, hope you don't mind Kay. I had the same problem when I first started out with MAPP. My husband is a welder so he fitted me up with dual fuel on a cutting torch. It works great and I can even use it for borough. The problem is the cost of the OXY. I get about 5 full days torching out of a five foot tank (big one - not sure of the size no.) Is this normal? Because I'm not using the regular torches that you all use I cannot compare.
Not much doing on the selling front at the moment so we've dug out the HH and he is rigging me up with a converter to try that. I would be interested to know what the experiences are of people that have converted their HH to bulk and what it's limitations are. Many thanks -Nete

Kalorlo · May 31, 2012, 09:10:59 AM

Most of us use oxygen concentrators rather than bottled for exactly that reason! There are some people on oxy, hopefully they can give you an idea.

Hothead on bulk: it'll be slower, not really adjustable and you can't do boro. I had mine for a year and was getting on fine with it, then got a minor because I wanted to be able to use striking silver glass that you just can't get hot enough. I wouldn't want to go back now - some things like encasing are easier with the narrower hotter flame - but it did me fine while I had it. If you've got used to the speed of your cutting torch, you might find it a bit frustrating to go back.

I never used my hothead on MAPP, so can't compare there.

toodlesandbinks · May 31, 2012, 09:11:23 AM

Well, having taken it up just a week ago with my HH I am converting to bulk this week. I was going to get hubby to do DIY bulk for me, but that would mean waiting until next week and pfaffing around with MAPP freezing in the meantime. So I've today ordered the conversion kit from Tuffnells to come out express tomorrow.

I am loving my HH torch, but can't take the freezing as just as I get well into a bead - being a newbie means being slower - it freezes on me and I waste more glass, time etc.

I'll keep you posted on how I go on with bulk.

sarah t · May 31, 2012, 09:59:48 AM

i would have thought the problem with using oxygen with a HH is that it is not designed as a duel fuel torch so you have no control knobs to adjust the amount of oxygen you are using in the mix and as you have no controls on the actual torch and have to adjust/turn on off at the tanks a huge faff and potentially dangerous ? ...cannot comment on the cutting torch as i dont know what control knobs it has ..
i would use what you have saved through hubby being clever with the going to bulk set up and get a torch designed for duel fuel and then i think your oxygen will go a lot further

Kalorlo · May 31, 2012, 10:07:55 AM

I don't think anyone was talking about using oxygen with a hothead... Definitely don't do that!

toodlesandbinks · May 31, 2012, 11:00:41 AM

No I wasn't intending to use my HH on oxy, but I had thought about going straight to oxy in the first place with a Minor.

My bulk kit is ordered on express from Tuffers and local calor supplier has agreed to swap my blue cylinder for an orange one.

I added a ball press in the orders ... was that wrong?

BeeBeads · May 31, 2012, 01:57:41 PM

Quote from: toodlesandbinks on May 31, 2012, 11:00:41 AM

I added a ball press in the orders ... was that wrong?

Only if you are going to torture your husband.

nete · May 31, 2012, 05:09:28 PM

I wasn't planning on using oxy with my HH either. Just trying to save myself some £££'s for not having to buy the Oxy. Thanks for the post Kalorlo. I'm not giving the Oxy up, I'll just swap it when I want to do boro.

toodlesandbinks · June 10, 2012, 11:29:49 AM

ahhhh now that's better, all bulked up now and no more freezing. Hooray for that, just need to make something approaching an ok bead now.