I can put in my two cents since it sounds like you have the same set up I do, but I don’t know that it is any different than what anyone else has offered. To start, I turn on my oxygen generator and let it run for like 15 minutes or so with the oxygen valve on my torch open. I have the valve on my oxygen generator set to about 3 l/min. When I want to light the torch, I open valve on the regulator for my disposable propane tank all the way open. Then I open the propane valve on my torch until I can hear the propane coming out of the torch. Then I close the propane valve on the torch, close the oxygen valve on the torch, open the propane valve on the torch slightly, and light the torch. I frequently have a flame less than 3" when I slowly open the oxygen valve on the torch to get the blue cone that I desire. Then when I shut down, I close the oxygen valve on the torch, close the prpane valve on the torch, torch is no longer lit, then open the oxygen valve on the torch and leave it open and the generator on until I shut down for the day.
As a side note, my oxygen concentrator has the alarms disconnected. When I first received it they would go off anytime I used my torch. It is hard to solder with a shrill alarm going off. I ended up getting in touch with the medical device manufacturer technical support and they told me when they recondition them to use for soldering, they disconnect the alarm. They said that step must have been missed with mine. My husband disconnected the alarm for me and I have been happily soldering with it ever since.
Thank you so much for your response. So when I wait for the 5 minutes for the torch tip to get hot, I’ve got to keep the oxygen off (or it blows out). Then when I turn it (ever so slowly on), perhaps the built up oxygen blows it out. I always keep the oxygen line open when I’m finished so there’s no build up anywhere in the line. What should I be doing differently? I so DO want this to work!
Interesting. I haven’t been waiting 15 minutes for the oxygen concentrator before starting. Then you turn off oxygen, turn on propane - do you let it run for 5 minutes to get the tip hot or go to oxygen right away (slowly)?
I would think that it is the torch. So far as fixing it, I don’t know if a local jewelry supply store or even a local welding store could help you out. The torch is made by Miller Electric headquartered in Wisconsin.
Miller makes all kinds of welding equipment, mostly electric arc welders, plasma arc cutters and TIG torches…I think your best bet might be to contact a local business that carries their products and bring it in for a check…(I have a Miller MIG welder that I bought thru Linweld, whose local office has serviced it.)
The torches I have are made by Victor, and are made for oxyacetylene. I’ve been able to use propane in them by adjusting the gas/02 flow, but use acetylene most of the time. All of my fabrication has been done by using a cheap plain old Bernzomatic propane/air torch from a hardware store…I haven’t had to use gas/02 except for melting to cast ingots, where high temperatures make things go a lot faster… but only outdoors as oxyacetylene is dirty. and pouring is dangerous…
I know that my answer is unresponsive but you may need professional help to make sense of your problem… you could go to their website and see if you can ask someone about your problem. If you live in California, there should be many retail outlets that sell Miller products including your torch.
Miller - Welding Equipment - MIG/TIG/Stick Welders & Plasma …
Miller Weldin
htts://www.millerwelds.com
](https://www.millerwelds.com/)
Bernie - I’ve done the protocol as you instructed. It appears that either 1) the mixture of the oxygen and the propane IN the torch is not regulated in any way - or two - the regulator ON the oxygen generator does not work properly. There’s no way to tell without spending more money. Both require bucks to fix with no clear answer if I chose the right one and it will work until the money is spent. At this point, I’m tempted to throw in the towel and just go back to an Orca torch which I know will fix the situation. Cost will be about the same any which way and at least I know it will be one and done. I’ve spent twice as much money as intended already so I’ve lost time and money. Anyway, it’s been an interesting lesson in frustration. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR HANGING WITH ME ON THIS!
If the O2 concentrator has a gauge that reads in liters/per minute you can test it fairly easily. Attach a toy balloon to the O2 output, set it to 1 liter/minute and time how long it takes for the balloon to swell to 1 liter size. If it seems accurate, try it again with the balloon at the torch tip.
BTW, have you disassembled the torch to check the condition of the needle valves?
Hello CeliaH,
I’m sorry you’ve had so much trouble getting this to work. I’ve been using the same exact setup for over three years and no issues. I always turn on my concentrator first while I’m setting up before I start working. I runs sometimes half hour to build a supply of O2 before I turn on the propane. I set my system up using Leslie Kail Villarreal’s set-up YouTube video and mine works great. Search her on YouTube and I hope you can get yours to work. Also I’m new here and I hope I haven’t done anything wrong by suggesting the video.
Not at all Hattiegurl. I also used Leslie’s set up. It’s wonderful. Unfortunately, my problem is the (2nd) oxygen generator regulator valve or the Little Smith torch. Either way, the solution was just to buy a EZ Torch, which I did last night from Otto Frei. So I will be soldering again! I’ll keep the equipment and when I have more bandwidth, I will delve deeper. I’m caring for my mother with dementia so I’m severely hampered with time constraints. Just want to light and go! Thanks for your advice.
You will find the EZ Torch to produce a very different flame from the Little Torch. It is bigger, bushier and not as hot. That all being said, it has a place in a shop and, like all torches, you get used to it. I use one in my shop for annealing. The bushy flame allows me to get pieces up to annealing temperature a lot easier than my hotter Little Torch and Meco. I also have a Blazer GT8000 butane torch that I use a lot for quick in and out jobs and I have experimented with using it to do some of my smaller soldering jobs. These bigger butane torches definitely have a place in a shop. I know that, from comments made, many of us use them exclusively for all of our work. They also take away the argument about what will be allowed in a rental property or by our property insurance carrier. You can say that you use it to make Creme Brulee…Rob
Hi Celia,
Glad you got a torch that will work! I also second Rob’s recommendation of a butane torch. A friend of mine taught a silversmithing course where students used a small butane torch and it worked fine for small pieces. The larger creme brulee torch will work for larger pieces and for those big jobs, you still have the EZ torch.
If you can stand a few more comments on the SLT situation, I skimmed back thru the whole thread. I think you said that the Smith Little Torch you have worked fine with a 5 lb propane tank, a regular regulator and flashback arrestor, and a B oxygen tank and regular oxygen regulator and flashback arrestor. So the differences now are the oxygen concentrator, the two different FB arrestors and the regulator for the 1lb propane tank.
Based on the fact that the torch worked in the other setup, I figure that the torch is not the bad apple. There was discussion of whether the oxygen concentrator was not going down to a low enough flow, but the everflo I see pictured on line is like all the other concentrators on casters and has a flow meter with a ball in it. If the ball goes up and down to the bottom, I can’t see how the flow isn’t going down, too. I would turn the concentrator on alone and open up the oxygen valve all the way and put it up to my cheek. You should be able to feel the flow on your skin and feel it moderate and go to zero as you turn the dial down and the ball bottoms out.
My thought is that one of the FB arrestors is restricting the flow, probably on the propane, because the oxygen, when added, is blowing out the flame, but maybe on both. I use a regular acetylene regulator (same as a propane regulator) on my 1lb tank, so I would recommend that you take the propane regulator for the disposable tank out of the equation by getting the proper fittings for the regulator with the dials. If it were me, I would run the system one time with the FB arrestors out of it and see if it didn’t work. Or perhaps inquire of the manufacturer about the ones you have, check the installation direction, etc., since I think that’s where the problem is. It is possible that the FB arrestor require more pressure to over-ride and since the regulator is set at one pressure, it won’t work. So adjusting the pressure on the standard propane regulator to a higher value might solve the problem with the FB arrestors in the circuit. Good luck! -royjohn
Smart Royjohn! I still have my 5 lb regulators so I will try that. I did try the 1lb propane with no flashback and it made no difference FYI. Will report back.
