Sparky flashes in flame

[lnew]

Hi all. I have both a bobcat and a mini cc in my studio. I usually work on the bobcat but switched over this summer because I was having issues, bubbles in glass, I felt like I was burning up my glass, etc and started working on the mini. I thought maybe the hot Florida summer weather was contributing to my problems. I have piped in propane and the PSI is supposedly set to 2. I have two oxycons which I had set to about 2.5 each.
So yesterday I decided to move back to the bobcat and I noticed I had some little sparky flashes shooting out within my flames. I shut the torch and cleaned all the ports really well, with both size wires. Turned it back on and it was still happening. I switched back over to the mini and the same sparks were coming from that torch. I switched out my almost empty propane tank for a full one and it's still happening on both torches. Maybe they've been there all along and I never noticed, I don't even know. I made beads for a few hours yesterday thinking maybe the clean gas needed to get through the lines, but it never disappeared. Also, my turquoise and aqua glass is sizzling on me.
This morning after trying to research my problem on here I went back out to the studio and turned the oxycons up to 3.5 each (I'm working on the bobcat). Made a big focal bead or two and the sparks are still shooting.

If you made it through that long saga I thank you!

[Speedslug]

It sounds like contaminants of some kind.

I wonder how old your hoses are? They don't last forever but I don't have any idea how long to expect from them.

I understand that motor homes have propane filters to prevent problems in propane refrigerators and that may be an idea for you.

I have heard that propane can come with gunk in the tanks and that once you get some in your hoses it will take a while for it to pass through.

I will caution you to make sure that your valves close properly now that this has happened.

But don't go gonzo on the valves either.
Over tightening will damage them and then they won't close properly until they are taken apart.

Just make sure they are in fact closed.

Hopefully someone else with more torch time will join this thread and expand our knowledge.

[yellowbird]

sounds like carbon in the torch

[Three Muses Glass]

Originally Posted by yellowbird

sounds like carbon in the torch

Agree. You've already cleaned your ports but tapping on the torch afterward, with a wood dowel or something similarly soft-ish, while the oxygen is blowing through will help the shmutz come out.

[Mesnik]

Point the torch down and open as much flame out as possible while taping on the body of the torch..

[LarryC]

Originally Posted by Three Muses Glass

Agree. You've already cleaned your ports but tapping on the torch afterward, with a wood dowel or something similarly soft-ish, while the oxygen is blowing through will help the shmutz come out.

No big deal. Its carbon. I ignore it. Clean more often.

[lnew]

Well, okay! Thanks!

Phill, that's a good tip about the hoses, I would've left them there forever. They are starting to crack a bit. They're about 7 years old.

[LarryC]

Originally Posted by lnew

Well, okay! Thanks!

Phill, that's a good tip about the hoses, I would've left them there forever. They are starting to crack a bit. They're about 7 years old.

As long as its not contaminating the glass or collecting on the torchface let it go. My boroscope glasses filter most of it so I dont notice it anymore.

[lnew]

Just for follow up: today I turned on one of my oxycons and it bit the dust. I'm thinking that might have been causing my torch issues and also the frying up of some of my glass (sizzling turquoise and reducing purples).