Hi John,
The reason your cutting torch is popping every once in a while is because you have a leak at the nut to torch head connection that holds the tip on. Either the nut is not tight enough,(you need to tighten it with a wrench) or the seat on the tip or the torch head has an indentation that is allowing a leak.
Your torch flame acting sensitive when you move the torch could be caused by a kink in the hose that gets tighter when you move a certain direction. Just make sure your hose is not in a bind while your working. Also, the torch valve knobs can be adjusted so that they don't turn so easily by tightening the valve bonnet. That is the nut around the valve stem, and under the valve wheel.
As for the buzzing noise, it's hard to say for sure with out actually hearing it first hand, but it sounds normal to me. Sometimes when you have a leak on a threaded connection of the torch that catches fire, it will make a distinct buzzing noise, but that is also recognizable by the flame that burns your hand when that happens...
It's good that you are listening to the torch though. here's a couple of valuable pointers:
Don't continue to use the torch while it is making that popping noise as the noise is caused by ecaping gas surrounding the torch head and exploding when it reaches the flame. Continual repitition of this will damage the torch head fitting.
If your torch head begins to pop quickly like a machine gun or begins to whistle, it is because the gas outlet holes in the tip have become clogged and the fire is flashing back and burning inside the torch. In this case you need to shut off the gas and oxygen supply IMMEDIATELY. If you do not, your torch will either explode or melt in your hand. Many people have been blinded or killed by flying shrapnel from an exploded torch head. If the torch begins to melt, and burns your hand, causing you to drop it, don't worry about shutting the valves on the torch, just put a Z-kink in the hose to shut off the gas supply. That means bend the hose sharply back over itself twice to make a flat Z shape. this will both shut off the gas to the torch and also prevent fire from traveling up the hoses to the bottles. It's good that you installed flashback arrestors as that will almost always prevent the fire from traveling backwards, unless they melt. I always am sure to have flashback arrestors at the gauge, incase the hose catches fire between the gauge and the torch.
If you are using Acetelyene gas, there are a couple more things you should know. Acetelyene is a volitile gas and should not be used at pressures greater than 15 psi in order prevent the risk of an accidental explosion. Also Acetelyene bottles are to remain in the upright position at all times to prevent the acetelyne from separating within the bottle and becoming volitile.
I suggest that you read up on the safety and operating characteristics of your setup. I understand that Victor Co. has some good information.
A torch assembly is a very useful tool, but it demands respect, caution, and common sense to prevent accidents.
Tim
Hello,
I'm pretty sure it's the torch not being tightened enough now like you say. The spanner I got would not fit any of the hose fittings and I couldn't find an adjustable to tighten the nozzle to torch head screw. The cylinder wrench only just turn the keys as well and for some reason came _soaked_ in grease for me to clean off. I have also fitted the regulator end of the hoses by hand, making sure I did them up very tightly. I've checked for leaks on them and there don't seem to be any that are bad enough to cause any sound, smell or noticable drop on the gauges regulator to torch dial. When I'm done I let the pressure out of the hoses and close the regulators to make sure they aren't leaking while I'm not there.
I didn't want to tighten the nuts too much at first purely because I was worried I might brake my two years of saving. I'll tighten them up and see how it goes. I didn't think they'd need to be that tight on the torch head.
I understand that acetylene is disolved in acetone in a cement / asbestoes honey comb and I'm currently working on a bench to fasten the cylinders to. Whenever the welding tips flashbacks I shut the torch off to restart anyway to get used to adjusting it. One thing I've noticed is just how loud oxy / acetylene flashbacks are! I had a few with the oxy / propane tote and it was surely suprising, but now they make me jump back away from the work. I wear ear plugs all the time now because of grinding quite a lot and as if ordered to while I'm cutting, the torch pops, the puddles expodes and a _very_ hot spark jumps into my ear. So I've learnt my lesson I suppose.
What sort of presure will the cylinders start becoming worthless for welding? I used it immediatly to do a lot of cutting (Well not much but I'm till learning how to keep the cut going) and my oxygen fell quite a lot to under 200 bar.
According to a welding guide I got they can make raised puddles with no filler? I'm experimenting with that one. Also when I do use filler, copper coated mild steel on mild steel, the metal is just so hot in about a 1cm - 2cm square around the flame the filler just seeps out all of the places and forms nothing like a bead, more like a raised bump. Can you actually weld tight beads like a MIG would produce with oxy / acetylene?
I also can't seem to get the same slender looking flame I could with oxy / propane or mapp. Is it because the tip are so much bigger? I can form a smooth inner cone with a 1/2 - 1 1/2 inch white core but no matter how much fiddling I do with the pressure or flow I can't get rid of the feathery outermost cone. The flame doesn't leave carbon deposits on work and the inner cones are tight and smooth so should I assume this is near neatural?
Thanks very much for the help, I can weld in peace now without worring about being covered in metal (In my defense, the guide didn't suggest tightening the hoses to cure popping noises.),
John
John
I appreciate your eagerness to learn the trade and your initiative to purchace your own equipment. But honestly I'm also conserned for your safety. Textbooks, owners manuals and even the technical information found in this forum are an excellent *suppliment* to training and aid in selecting material and equipment, but never are they a substitute for hands on instruction. It is vital that you recieve training from an experienced journeymen or a qualified instructor before you continue your work. The good news is that Help is not all that hard to find. Local Junior Colleges are generally affordable and have classes specifically made to meet your needs. Trade schools sometimes also will provide affordable taylored training for beginners. Still another affordable route (one which I have used from time to time) is to turn to the phone book and and look up the local blacksmith. Perhaps even a nearby highschool metalshop teacher might be willing to let you drop by and spend some hours. You will find most long time welders are willing and even excited by the prospect of sharing the trade with someone such as yourself who really wants to learn. Please don't be discouraged. The advice I offer will reap benefits you can't even Imagine. Your hungry for information and those old timers will feed you.
Good luck and God bless
Lawrence Bower
Education Development
United Airlines
Hi again John,
Glad your making progress. Just a couple more quick tips.
For cutting, set your oxy regulator to 38-40 psi. and the acet to 9-11 psi.
For brazing or Oxy fuel welding, set the Oxy pressure to 20 psi, and the acet to 7-9 psi.
Your supply bottles will function normally until the internal pressure drops below the pressure you set the regulator to.
Yes you can OAW (oxy/acet weld) without a filler metal and you can run a tight bead.
The trick to running a tight OAW bead is to maximize your travel speed with the use of a hot, neutral to oxidizing flame.
Preheat the base metal a little first and that will let you run faster.
On thin metal, use a smaller tip. On thicker metal, use a larger tip. etc. etc.
Don't be afraid to use a wrench on your equip. It's in your best interest in safety and gas savings. Just don't over do it. Just a little past hand tight is usually enough.
A good way to leak test is with a little bit of soapy water. If you get bubbles, you have a leak.
You mentioned that your wrench was soaked in grease. This is not good.
When pure Oxygen comes into contact with grease or oil, it can and will often spontaneously ignite. Especially in confined conditions. In the right conditions, it can cause a severe explosion.
Look, as the good Instructor said in his reply to your post, you really need to get some safety training at least.
I have not the room in here to warn you about how many ways you can accidentally kill or maim yourself and peolpe around you with welding equipment.
Don't become a statistic...
P.S....
Don't you just hate it when the sparks find a way into your ear!!!!
They could invent a hip hop dance after the way I reacted the last time that happened...
Tim
Lawrence,
You have taken the words right out of my mouth. I'm already onto looking for a place I could perhaps learn from someone else and before I even considered buying the torch I collected numerous addresses and numbers of local blacksmiths and forge masters. I haven't had much time to call them because of exams these last two weeks and I'm a little worried they might expect me to spend more than the weekends there. Not to put down welding as a job but I still would like to carry on at school rather than drop out right now like I may be expected to be doing. When the man called round with the thorch we talked for a while and he seemed to immediatly think I had dropped out of school and was on a collage coarse, so you can understand my concerns. I'm not too sure if anywhere will need a hand with welding from what I see as well; perhaps a collage course might be better if I can get it as adult education for free.
I do actually understand quite a lot of what you're already explaining to me I was just a very wary of damaging the torch in anyway because to me it's cost an absolute fortune! I know some of the questions are very simple and make me appear none too up to speed on things but I'm just double checking. Please don't think I've bought the set without considering things like cylinders being knocked over, freezing the cylinder valves, flashbacks, burn backs, cylinder fires, oils on connections, over pressure in the acetylene hose, fires in coiled hoses etc. It was I who had to sort out the fire chief and insurance for the cylinders to be in our house in the first place. I also understand about greese on oxygen equipment and you shouldn't actually be using soapy water because the oils in the soap can also be dangerous on the connections. To reassure you I'm also reading through the two inches of somewhat repetative booklets BOC gave me with the cylinders.
Referring to your pressures Tim I am left a little worried. The guides I have read all seem to suggest a pressure of 3psi for acetylene and 15psi for oxygen when cutting and 3psi on the oxygen and acetylene when welding. I've been working to these and the torch seems to cut pretty well already. I will have a look through the Harris booklets, when I find them, for the tip pressures. I realise you can run a bead, fusion welding, without filler but what I was implying was that the book said it was possible to run a bead that stood up proud from the work as if run by a filler but not using any. A mistake perhaps? I can't see how it could be possible to do that without undercutting along the bead almost all the way through the work.
I used the spanner on the torch and it has entirely eliminated the pop. I gave it a very gentle tightening in the vice, wrapped in my glove obviously, because the spanner was a very poor fit. I've practised adjusting the torch for quite a while and I'm quickly getting the hang of just how sensitive it is.
I can see the valve nut's under the heads. They are recessed quite deeply under the head. I should be able to adjust these with a set spanner?
The torch still makes the soft vibrating sounds and I'm very sure it's the arrestors now. The flame oscillates ever so slightly due to them being there. I put my ear to the torch and I can hear it in the handle, hoses and tip so it must be a vibration in the gas.
Thank you both very much for your advice and please don't think I'm saying I don't need help. I'm just assuring you I do understand how dangerous gas welding, in particular, is.
Best wishes,
John
P.S. If you reply to this post Tim could you please give me your email address so's I can contact you off the board if I have any other worries and not take up so much space that others may want to ask questions in?
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