How do you clean a torch?
 

I bought a second hand torch, so I got no info with it at all. I have read a number of threads where someone will post about a problem they are having and want to know what to do, and people post telling them to clean the torch. How do you do this? How often do you do this? What do you use? Where do you get it? I'm going from a HH - which I never did anything to - to a Lynx. Is there an owner's manual? How many questions can I fit into one post? :cool:

That is a darned good question. I'd like to know how to clean a Minor, too.

I think you just send in the Lynx for a deep cleaning, Nancy.

How do I know when it needs cleaning? Dust bunnies?

I don't clean unless the candles are uneven - which suggests to me that one or more tubes are getting blocked.

I clean with the little cleaning wire they sent with the torch. Then blow it out with a blast of propane (un-ignited) to blow out anything I loosened up. Then I fire it up and if the candles look even again - I'm done.

Works for me on a minor, piranaha, and baracuda.

But... I'm not a torch cleaning expert. Heck, it takes me 10 minutes to find the vacuum cleaner on/off switch.

Bill

See, I didn't get a little cleaning wire thingy since I bought it 2nd hand. What is it? Can I use something else like it? Or where can I get one?

I have the cleaning wire thing for my Minor, but if I want to deep clean it, how do I do that?


(I'm totally doing something that I hate here. Minors have been around forever and there's probably tons of info on this. I should search, but I figured that since the thread was already going I would tack on my question.)

Take your torch into a local welding supply shop. They have cleaning wire things for torches with multiple sized wires for a few bucks. They can show you how to do it if you don't know how. For a GTT, I'd only use the ones they provide. If those won't clean it, send it in to them.

Deep cleaning on a torch is something I know nothing about. I'm assuming they tear down the torch and put it back together, but that's not something I'd reccomend doing yourself. ;)

When run correctly, your Lynx should not need to be sent in for a cleaning.

Call Wally at (610)838-2446 and he will send you some cleaning wires and an instruction sheet. You can also buy a little stainless steel brush to sweep the face of the torch. Get a Stainless Steel mini endbrush from Dremel (available wherever Dremel tools and accessories are sold).

Basically, you take the cleaning wire, careful not to bend it, and insert it into the tiny injector tubes of the torch. Go in and out with it gently. The wire will not go all the way in - roughly 2 1/4" is full depth. If you notice a tube where it seems that it won't go down, or if the wire feels tight going in, there may be a little carbon blockage. Make sure that your wire is not kinked anywhere, as this will make it feel tight, too.

In that case, take your cleaning wire and put a chiseled point on the end of it. An easy way to do this is by touching the sides at the end of the wire to the flat part of a Dremel cut-off wheel. Make a three sided point, it doesn't have to be perfect. You can then take that wire, gently spinning it between your fingers back and forth, and ream the blocked tube.

Uneven jets is not a problem, but if you are running a normal flame where most of the candles are 3/8" long and there is a candle that is shorter than the rest by 1/2 the length or more, then you could have a blockage in the propane jet. If you know that the injector tube is open (the wire goes in and out freely about 2 1/4" or so down), then you should try cleaning the propane jet. Call Wally for instructions on how to do this.

Take the little stainless steel brush and gently sweep the face of the torch. Do not scrub it. Do not use a brass brush. Brass is very soft and the bristles of a brass brush can get broken off into the tubes.

After a good cleaning, run the torch on a high flame to push out any debris.

Hope this helps. :)

6 including this one! :koolaid: