Hi
Here are the pictures, and some additional comments, if you are more
advanced than I presume, accept my apology in advance.
This is the Smith, looking at the backend where the hoses come in you
can see that they are crimped and no way to get a check valve on
where I would prefer to have it. I put the check valve at the end of
the hose where it goes into the ‘Y’ connector. The check valve is the
large brass tube just above the fuel adjust knob on the Smith handle.
One thing on the check valve, get the one that goes between the gauge
and the hose, not the one that goes on the handle, the packages are
labeled or ask when you buy, saves a trip back to the welding shop
and the arrow on the body of the valve shows the direction of flow.
Here you can see both the Acetylene and Oxygen ‘Y’ connectors on the
gauges, each has a shutoff which controls the gas to each torch, this
can keep you from charging both torch sets when you only need one and
limits the amount of gas in the system at any one time.
The second torch is used for the usual maintenance activities as it
is to large for jewelry most soldering applications, the torch set
came with a Rosebud tip and that one generates a lot of heat, it will
melt 2 oz of silver faster than a preheated kiln.
This is my regular sized torch handle, the flashback arrestors are on
the torch body before the hose. Torch sets will normally come with
check valves on the handle, but, I prefer the flashback arrestors. A
inch hose will hold a lot of gas and if something goes wrong I would
much prefer it be confined to the handle.
Oxygen and Acetylene connectors turn opposite of each other, hoses
and connections, normally they come in sets, but if they are not
where you are, be ware that you actually read the body of the device
you are getting not the label over the hook. You don’t want to get
home and find you have two really nice oxygen check valves.
Safety tips,
The only problem I have ever had with these types of torches
occurred when I was 16, I did not drain the gas from the hoses after
use. I had to buy dad a new set of hoses and a new secondary gauge
on the Acetylene side. What I had done was use the torch early in
the morning, closed the mains, but with the handles off and the main
off there was no way for the hoses to bleed pressure and the
Acetylene hose obviously exceeded 15 psi enough that the gas blew up
in the hose at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
Do not exceed 15 psi on the acetylene no matter what torch you are
using or what you are trying to do.
Do not use oil on any connectors, knobs, or threads on either hose
or gauge set. Do not use pipe dope, the connections go together with
out aid.
Do not lay the acetylene bottle down during use, it is filled with
acetone. Forcing the acetylene into solution is how they get the gas
pressure up to 4 or 500 PSI without it exploding, and the liquid
will not function in the torch well. Actually, I wouldn’t lay either
of them down.
Do not transport your bottles without the caps fully attached and
being well secured in your vehicle.
Make sure the connector threads and openings on the bottles are
clean before attaching the regulators, spiders count the nut will
not provide enough pressure to keep the gas from leaking around his
little body.
Make sure your bottles are attached to something during use, mine
are in a cart, attached to a wall is ok, you can see one of my
helpers in the second picture, he and his sister is the reason I got
the cart, bungee cord to the work bench didn’t hold.
Hope this helps
Terry