Can't get stable flame with Oxycon Propane and a little Smith Torch

[Muggins2003]

Hi All,

I recently bought an oxycon and I'm having trouble getting a stable flame. The flame is going out almost immediately after oxygen is introduced eventhough the pressure is very low (below that mentioned in the instructions). When I do get a flame that appears stable it is nowhere near hot enough to solder.

I have tried increasing and decreasing the propane and then gradually increasing the pressure on the oxygen and I can find no combination that will work. It just gets to a stage where the flame is extinguished by the increased oxygen. At times there is a gap between the torch and the flame and I've no clue whether this means too much oxygen or too much propane.

I'm using a Little Smith Torch and head number 7.
Any ideas on how best to sort this would be very welcome - I'm losing the will to live!

Thanks!

[ps_bond]

Are you purging the O2 line? I find that with mine I need to run the O2 through the torch for a couple of minutes to get a decent concentration.
Flame separated from the tip is too much pressure, but I see that more when I haven't purged first.

[josef1]

I just did a quick video, I had the same problem with mine but as Peter says its important to run the machine for a couple of mins then purge the Oxygen. Oh and don't chat to a camera while you should be concentrating on lighting things this is important !! :-)

[ps_bond]

Reminds me of the old joke of "how do you make a cat go woof"...

[josef1]

It nearly said something else nevermind woof lol ��!!

[Muggins2003]

Thanks for coming back to me. I've purged the O2 line like you suggested but I'm still having problems. I can confirm that the PSI for the propane is as per the Little Smith instructions. Once I get close to the flame I need it extinguishes. I've taken a short video of what's happening to see if you can identify the problem. Thanks so much for your help