Dirty Minor

[Kaz]

Hi
I wonder if anyone can help me? After 2 months of blissful torching I have run into a sandbank!!! My torch is burning dirty and every bead I made tonight apart from one had to be consigned to the bin. I have tried cleaning the torch head nozzle (several times with the pokey wire thing that came with it), banging it with a wooden block (thanks Q) and putting it full on to try to burn anything out of the system. However, no luck. My other thought is that it may be the gas bottle coming to an end - I estimate I have used it for about 130 hours and it is a full size one so this seems a bit premature. I am tempted to try to take the Norton apart to see if there is anything stuck inside but not sure how good an idea that would be.
Any other suggestions welcome please?
Thanks
Kaz

[*rowanberry*]

it could be that you are coming to the end of your propane or its bit yukky, the same always happens to me each time i am getting to the end of the tank - nasty messy yuck! I always know when my tank is about to go just because of the nasty mess it gives out.

but before anything else i'd say whatever change your gas tank.

[Redhotsal]

Why do people seem to get a load of crap coming out of their torches? I've had the same minor burner for years and apart from a very occasional tiny sparky thing that gets expelled and doesn't affect the bead I just don't have a problem.

I don't get a problem when the propane cylinder is coming to an end - I just get a smaller and smaller amount of gas coming through. And I've got through more propane cylinders than many. Yes, some of them look decidedly dodgy and tatty at the tool hire place but the quality of the gas inside for me has been consistently good.

I just don't agree with this change the cylinder nonsense.

It's more likely to be - are you bleeding out your pipes at the end of each session? Because of you aren't you are asking for this kind of trouble.

[Kaz]

Hi Sal
Please could you explain to me exactly what bleeding out the pipes means as I fear I may not be doing this properly - I was initially taught on a hothead and when I got the kit my husband just set it up and I tried to follow instructions from books.
At the end of each session, I switch off the oxygen at the torch and then at the oxycon and then tightly screw the valve on the top of the propane tank allowing the propane only flame to continue to burn until all the propane left in the pipe has burned off. Should I be doing something differently? Everythinng has been fine up til now.
Cheers
Kaz

[Redhotsal]

Hi Kaz,

That sounds okay - although I think you may be advised to first switch off the oxycon and let the oxygen deplete through the torch and then turn off the oxygen at the torch. Next turn off the valve on the propane cylinder and let the propane burn off through the torch. (I don't bother to turn off the regulator on the propane cylinder - I always leave it set in the same position). Allow all gases to escape through the torch until there is nothing more to come out and then turn off the valves at the torch.

Propane will slowly rot through your hoses if left to sit in them (and doen't be fooled by oxygen either as it has a corrosive effect on your hoses.) Generally people have grotty stuff because of the pooled propane picking up corroded rubber and other contaminants.

So bleeding your hoses - whether on a hothead or on a dual gas torch is always good practise.

Having said that - it sounds like you've been doing this anyway, so I would then think that you have some kind of contaminant or blockage. How does the flame look when it comes out? Have you got well defined cones on the surface of the torch? What exactly does the "dirt" look like? Can you explain a little more?

As Claire said - you could change the cylinder - does it feel empty? But, you'd know if you were running out as the pressure would drop. As I say, I've never had a grotty cylinder but if Claire has had this problem then I bow to her experience. Anyway - check the flame - if it's even and you're getting grot coming through I would suspect a problem prior to getting to the torch but if the flame is just a horrible shape and mix then you have contaminant in the  torch itself.

A tip: If you use the pokey thing when the torch is in the operating position you may be pushing the crap further down into the torch. Try cleaning it whilst holding it upside down so the crap can come out.

[Kaz]

Sal
That sounds like a good idea. My OH (gas man) is insistent that the propane can't be used up yet. I'll get him to take the torch off so I can have a good poke around. There appear to be 3 holes on one side (the main holes and the ones in between if you know what I mean!) where the pokey thing will not go completely in so it could be that something is blocking it. In terms of the flame - it is generally OK the tips are sharp although one is slightly longer than the others. What happens is that a small stream of very teeny tiny sparks flows up within the flame and you can see when they hit the glass that they leave a trail of contamination. Though yesterday the beads were truly smokey dirty as well but I may have been too far down the flame. Will try all of these. OH's answer - why don't you just buy a new torch - Oh Yeah!!!
Kaz

[*rowanberry*]

I've had propane grot each time i have run out of gas (thats 4 times now), I can actually work out when the propane is gonna run out just by the level of grot coming out! When the first sign of grot starts I know I only have 1 week of use left. I was told something about dirt in the can or something. I dunno why, but it always happens to me! I do use a 17kilo tank though, i dunno if that causes any difference?

BUT it sounds like you havent run out of propane. So I doubt its that now. And the sparky bit - now that sounds like you do have something in your nozzles or in the torch. Especially if one of the tips is longer than the other?

You could try using a welding nozzle cleaner? I use them as opposed to my pokey tool, they are very very very slightly abbrasive too and they have a variety of sizes:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nozzle-Tip-Cleaner-Set-in-metal-case_W0QQitemZ160206055673QQihZ006QQcategoryZ11774QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQtrksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

[Kaz]

Thanks for that link Claire - have just bought one this minute so let's see! Will get OH to jiggle the tank around as well just in case....
Watch this space!
Kaz

[Mary]

Maybe you are running your torch a but reducing? When I do a fair bit of reducing I get the sparks too, but it goes as soon as I go back to my normal flame. If you recently changed from a HH it's surprising how small your flame ought to be. Try turning the propane down a bit.

[beadysam]

I leave my oxycon running when I clean my torch at the end of each session.  It cools the torch and blows out gunk too.