Helen,
If you can find appropriate clear aquarium hose for your Little
Torch, I’d choose that over standard welding hoses. The difference in
size between the Little Torch and standard hoses may have you
struggling to aim your torch as you try to control oversize hoses.
I’ve got them on my Meco Midget and even though I’m accustomed to
them now I would recommend a lighter weight hose if possible.
Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Alliance, OH
my little torch hoses also began to leak after relatively short while. took them apart and saw they were made of a gum rubber type material. very reactive stuff (especially to oxygen).
Are yours a Smith little torch or the Gentec knockoff? On the Smith
I bought 10 years ago they look like PVC (clear plastic under the
nylon colored braid.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
What pressure is used for the Little Torch? I have seen Fischer in Germany is selling a special, low pressure, regulator as an add-on to the torch. But no technical details are given.
I use really cheap regulators and don’t trust the numbers on the
gauges. Usually acet is 5-7 pounds (no gauge on that one.) O2 from 5
to 15 lbs, then adjust for a flame which makes me happy for any
particular tip, low for little ones higher for the big ones.
Before someone jumps on me, I KNOW my numbers are more than the ones
in the long lost instructions. but they work well for me and even 25
years of such use has not damaged anything.
jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand
I had a similar problem several years ago, ‘bubbling hose syndrome’.
It could be caused by acid or flux spilled on the hoses over time, I
don’t know. Fortunately spare Smiths hoses are available in
Australia, at a price. I did have problems closing the hose on to the
male connections at both ends. The requisite closing tool would not
work. However, if you coil a short length of 1 mm silver wire twice
round a small mandrill just big enough to fit the tube through
leaving the two ends pointing in opposite directions, So you now have
say, 10 mm straight wire, central coil, 10 mm straight wire. Insert
the plastic tube through the wire coil and force on to the male
connection, as tightly as possible pull / twist the wire ends over
the central coil and with a pair of parallel pliers twist the wires,
now vertical, tightly. Test for leakage and maybe tighten a bit more,
test and cut off excess wire, leaving a twist or two. File off sharp
ends and cover with plastic tape. I have found this an excellent way
of sealing tube joints, but you must have central coil and the
twisted ends centrally on top of it. Happy Soldering Everyone.
David
jewellerydavidcruickshank.com.au
Odd, I’ve yet to see a response from a Smith rep on the
"decomposition" of the hoses. Mine is about five years old and no
problems. Smith rep…
Are yours a Smith little torch or the Gentec knockoff? On the Smith I bought 10 years ago they look like PVC (clear plastic under the nylon colored braid.
That’s ironic! Sounds like they use clear aquarium hose themselves.
Maybe that’s why they use the green and red braided coverings, so
that people don’t realise that they can get the same thing
drastically cheaper?!
Helen
UK
Hi Mike,
If you can find appropriate clear aquarium hose for your Little Torch, I'd choose that over standard welding hoses. The difference in size between the Little Torch and standard hoses may have you struggling to aim your torch as you try to control oversize hoses.
Good point. I have the hefty hoses on my welding torch, and they are
extremely difficult and heavy to control. My hubby was under the
impression though, that welding supply companies may have various
gauges of hose, and that they may well be able to supply the 1/8" ID
hoses required for the Little Torch. Maybe we were wrong in that
assumption, and as yet we’ve not had to investigate, as the torch
and hoses have gone back for testing and replacement under warranty.
If they come back and say it’s not a manufacturing defect and that
they think it’s some sort of abuse on my part, then I think we may
well be visiting an aquarium supply shop to purchase the
much-recommonded aquarium hose.
Helen
UK
Hi Rick,
I would suggest checking the area where stored for any chemicals or solvents that may have attacked the hoses. Things that lids are closed can sometimes still vent small amounts into the air.
While my tanks, hoses and torch have been stored in the garage,
there have been no chemicals of any kind in there. Darren cleared it
out months ago, with a view to making it into a photography studio
(for digital photography, NOT developing film), as we have not had
motorbikes for a few years now, so it was wasted space. All garden
equipment and associated chemicals were relocated to the garden
shed.
The torch and hoses have gone back to the supplier today, so
hopefully I’ll hear some good news in the next week or so. Thanks for
the suggestion though. It’s a valid one and perhaps someone else
might find that that is the case with their leaking hoses. It is
something I will make sure to avoid in future, as although there were
no chemicals in my garage, it was not because I had made such a
connection myself. But now that you have, it is something I can
watch out for when I get my new hoses.
Helen
UK
I had a similar problem several years ago, 'bubbling hose syndrome'. It could be caused by acid or flux spilled on the hoses over time, I don't know.
That’s something else I hadn’t thought of, although I always make
sure that my pickle pot doesn’t boil, to reduce to possibility of
pickle contaminating other things. I will be sure to be extra
vigilant when I get my new hoses though. Thanks.
Helen
UK
Are these hoses made of a rubber compound? If so then they are deteriorating in the same way that old fashioned gutta percha hoses do. Its a slow hardening caused by sulphur compounds in the air.
I’m not sure what they’re made of. Others seem to have a better idea.
Whatever it is that they’re made of, I hope my new set last a whole
lot longer! 
Helen
UK
Hi Jeff,
If you get in over your head Darren should be able to help but I think that you are pretty damned clever. If two in get over your heads send me the pieces, just postage and figuring out the customs codes on weird stuff
That’s a very generous offer, thank you Jeff.
Little torches really are not that scary.
It’s not the torch end that bothers me. I am very confident at the
business end, but the tanks scare the bejeebers out of me!!!
Darren’s much more confident with the tanks than I am - which is a
good job, as I wouldn’t be using oxy/propane if it was all up to me -
but unfortunately, he always seems to turn everything the wrong way
before getting it right, so we always have large amounts of gas
spurting out at pressure, hence me running a mile! Maybe I should
pluck up the courage and take responsibility for my own tanks!
Helen
UK
Same here. My hoses started spontaneous leaks after two years. Just like in the morning I would switch on my gas and oxygen and it was leaking. And they weren't abused either.
There are a few of us for whom the Little Torch hoses have failed in
short order then. The fish tank hoses look to be the answer, if my
hoses aren’t replaced under warranty, or when they fail (hopefully)
twenty or more years down the line.
Helen
UK
Let me tell you “little torch scary”. I have my little torch set up
at my oxygen tank but it shares the propane tank with my Hellfire
torch using a Y connection. I use the little torch for soldering and
my Hellfire for making glass beads. When you introduce glass rods to
a hot torch, sometime the ends of the rod pop off, when I started
smelling gas, a check of the lines to both torches showed a melted
hole in the line of my little torch. My Hellfire has thick rubber
hoses. The propane hose that comes with the little torch has a
lightweight plastic hose covered in plastic webbing. Hot glass or
melted metal can burn though this hose in seconds making almost an
invisible pin hole that will then leak. Now I make sure my little
torch and hoses are completely under the steel worktable before
working with glass. That’s little torch scary.
We bought five pairs of extra long Little Torch hoses and three of
them split. One in the center of the length of hose, the others on
the end. They are all going back to the supplier. We felt it was an
issue with the hose material, not the users. Interesting that others
are having similar trouble.
Mark
I also had this issue (Propane/Oxygen), but when the hoses were in
use. I twice had flame outs when I was using them. I re-terminated
the hoses the first time, thinking I had just accidentally dropped
hot metal on the hose, the second time I started to investigate more
fully, and found extensive perishing along the hoses, so had to stop
using them.
I contacted Smith regarding this, but their only response was to
insist I call them, which, with me then living in Australia, was
prohibitively expensive, as well as being a bit difficult time-wise.
I received no further response from them.
Fiona
Tarsier Designs
It's not the torch end that bothers me. I am very confident at the business end, but the tanks scare the bejeebers out of me!!!
Gas tanks aren’t that bad, if you know exactly what not to do you can
make an impressive crater with propane (military grade explosion),
acetylene could work too but not as well. It’s the 2000 psi O2 tanks
which are really unguided missiles in disguise. Am miss spent youth
abusing scuba tanks without realising their 2000 meter range and I
lived through it. Gas leaks are generally minor despite the hissing
and loud noises but usually fall into the cigarette lighter type
stage. Shut the valve and they stop. A Valve less O2 tank does tend
to take out walls etc. Ya chain them down for good reason.
JeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand
Good Morning. I sent a message to Smith yesterday and got a reply
that there is a one year warranty on the hoses and to go to my
dealer. They didn’t seem to be concerned that the hoses were failing
on a regular basis. Hmmmm.
cheers
Don Humphreys
I contacted Smith regarding this, but their only response was to insist I call them, which, with me then living in Australia, was prohibitively expensive, as well as being a bit difficult time-wise.
Many Orchidians find themselves distant in terms of telephone
service. My solution has been to use the phone service provided by
Skype or Yahoo instant messenger programs. While I was living in
Korea I used the Yahoo phone service to telephone a real estate agent
in Ohio. Calls to the US were on the order of $0.01/minute (USD).
Unfortunately there’s no way around the time difference, and I’ve
found it very rare that someone will change their schedule to
communicate with you, so I just changed my alarm and put up with it.
Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Alliance, OH
We bought five pairs of extra long Little Torch hoses and three of them split. One in the center of the length of hose, the others on the end. They are all going back to the supplier. We felt it was an issue with the hose material, not the users. Interesting that others are having similar trouble.
It is really beginning to sound like Smith is cutting costs with
cheap hoses. Too bad, they used to be a quality manufacturer.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
Hi Gang,
I just tuned into this thread recently, but I’ve been using the same
hoses with my acetylene & O2 little torch for…20? years now. No
problems, no leaks. (very light usage, fwiw.)
It’s a little worrysome to me that I’m seeing posts talking about
hoses going brittle in just a year or so.
Yikes!
Brian.