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Bad regulators?
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 4:05 pm
by Jared91
So im new to oxy acetylene torches i seem to have a problem maybe with my regulators? Looking for advice. My acetylene tank has gas but when i light it i barely get a tiny flame to come out the tip. I figured i must be out or very low so i went to exchange the tank and they told me it was nearly full still. Its an old set up so i dont know where to begin to figure out if my regulators are bad. Is there a way to rebuild them? Clean them??
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:56 pm
by cj737
Are you sure it’s the regulator and not the torch?
Acetylene pressure should be very low compared to Oxy side. And the tank needs to only be open a crack.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:19 pm
by Jared91
No idea if its the torch i know nothing about them lol
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:41 pm
by BugHunter
At the very minimum I would recommend watching some videos showing the basics. Before you even turn the gas on oh, there are some things you should know. Even turning the valves can be dangerous.
You could have a bunch of soot in the holes on your torch tip. You need to check that. Clean if necessary, or maybe just plain clean regardless if it's necessary or not. You should have a cleaning kit somewhere with little abrasive wires that remove Gunk from the tips.
If you think you need rebuild kits for your Regulators, you can generally find them by looking at the part numbers and then searching on Google or eBay or wherever. Search for rebuild kit such-and-such a model number and you should be good. They're not a lot of money generally. About $25 per regulator.
Jodi did a good video on Torch basics here on the site somewhere. Do a search for that also.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:51 am
by cj737
Oxy/Acetylene is not something to "have a go at" if you don't have the basic understanding of what you're doing. Pressures between the O2 and Acetylene is very critical, Acetylene is pretty dangerous stuff, and using unknown, faulty equipment literally can be lethal.
Best to have the torch serviced/rebuilt and watch some videos on safety, pressures/tip sizes before you become a News @11 feature.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:39 am
by dgapilot
Like others have said, oxy acetylene welding, and setting up the rig takes know how. Acetylene above about 12 psi becomes unstable and above about 15 psi can be explosive. Something not to be played around with by someone that doesn’t know what they are doing!
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Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 12:21 pm
by Jared91
dgapilot wrote:Like others have said, oxy acetylene welding, and setting up the rig takes know how. Acetylene above about 12 psi becomes unstable and above about 15 psi can be explosive. Something not to be played around with by someone that doesn’t know what they are doing!
When i say i know nothing what i really mean is when it comes to reading and understanding the regulators i certainly understand how the gas works just dont have alot of experience reading the guages to know whether or not mine are faulty or not. I will try cleaning the torch tip and see if that makes a difference. I know im suppose to just crack the acetylene open and open the oxygen all the way but the acetylene when lit should be blowing a good flame correct??
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Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 7:59 pm
by cj737
Jared91 wrote:dgapilot wrote:Like others have said, oxy acetylene welding, and setting up the rig takes know how. Acetylene above about 12 psi becomes unstable and above about 15 psi can be explosive. Something not to be played around with by someone that doesn’t know what they are doing!
When i say i know nothing what i really mean is when it comes to reading and understanding the regulators i certainly understand how the gas works just dont have alot of experience reading the guages to know whether or not mine are faulty or not. I will try cleaning the torch tip and see if that makes a difference. I know im suppose to just crack the acetylene open and open the oxygen all the way but the acetylene when lit should be blowing a good flame correct??
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What pressures are you setting the regulators to on each gas? What tip size are running? These are the basics that unless you indicate that, having no flame is irrelevant.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:21 pm
by dgapilot
I run an old (WWII vintage) Smiths #2, which is like a Smiths Airline. I usually run about 10 psi on the acetylene and maybe 18 to 20 on the O2. The tips I use are V23 through V27. For a larger torch, I use a Victor100 with either a 0 or 2 tip. Light the torch on Actylene only, close it down just until the black soot stops, then open the O2 slowly until you get a neutral flame.
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Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 10:05 pm
by Homemade
https://youtu.be/AOYQEg9SXoA
https://youtu.be/xZAAmgfjr-0
These two guys are very knowledgeable. Should be able a to get you in the right direction.
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Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:19 pm
by bap_
This is probably the best video out there for oxy fuel use and safety:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXuMDxYeqZ4
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:15 am
by wahiiii
Thanks for the video mate, it really helped.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 7:39 pm
by sbaker56
Definitely watch all of Jody's and Bob Moffet's videos at a minimum before messing around with the torch anymore. I'd also suggest watching this one as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXuMDxYeqZ4
Oxy-Acetylene can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, as others have said acetylene can become explosive under the right conditions, even a small detonation can rupture ear drums.
To be quite honest I think your best two options would be to either learn how to use a torch by buying new equipment or borrowing regulators and a torch in confirmed working condition. Or by having someone who already knows how to use a torch test out yours. At this point I feel like even if you watch all the videos it could be very hard to determine if you have faulty equipment or not.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 7:39 am
by l8trdude
I rebuilt my oxygen regulator recently. I was shocked at how easy it was, but scared at first. To begin with my regulator seemed fine but tank ran out of oxygen, so I replaced it. After soapy water test for leaks, oxygen was blowing out of holes near the valve. Some odd things happen with these valves. The rebuild kit was about $20, easy and fixed the leak. My assumption was new tank high pressure blew out something in regulator causing leak. But for disclaimer, this is one of the most dangerous tools in the shop. Probably next to chain saw in danger dept. Proceed with extreme caution.
I considered taking regulator to welding store, like I’ve done before internet. The rebuild kit came with a Victor diagram. And it helps to lay tiny parts on white paper. They are easy to lose. Brass fittings can build up corrosion and good to clean occasionally. Also “O” rings can get dirty in torch.
Re: Bad regulators?
Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 11:05 am
by BugHunter
I know this thread is old, but for those who find it, here's the best Oxy Acetylene video I've found. A bit long, but I like instruction to be thorough and this guy really covers it. I do VERY little OA work, so I use this as a resource any time I'm getting ready to start, because it might be a year or more between times I open the valves. Better safe than sorry. I don't mind wasting a little time to recover stuff I already know, just in case I happen to miss even one step. For the most part, I'm pretty confident. But since this will blow me up and a MIG or TIG won't, I might get lazy with the welders but I won't so much with the torches.
gXuMDxYeqZ4