Help with clogged port please

[Angie09]

I have a Scorpion that I had serviced about a month ago.....works like a charm. Except today I slipped and hit the end of the torch with a rod and seemed to have clogged a port. I read all the past info and did the getting it warm, turning off the propane and putting it in cold water with the oxy on 3 or 4 times but no help. I have stuck my port cleaner down the offending port and it seemed tight at first but worked itself looser. All the ports "seem to be open" but I'm still getting a longer candle out of the lower left port (see pic) .... what can I do to fix this? Any help would be greatly appreciated ... I've never had this problem before so I'm stumped!

[RSimmons]

You might check it with a loupe to see if there is a tiny fleck of glass around the rim of the jet. Something on the face of the torch next to the jet opening can cause this effect. Also, in case you didn't do it this way, crank up the oxygen when you run the cleaner wire in the jet to blow out anything that might come loose.

Robert

[Angie09]

I've used a 15x magnifier and can't see any thing and I can run the wire around in the port to get the sides with the oxy up full blast. Nothing .... still that one darn long candle. HELP!!!

[RSimmons]

It sounds like the clog may have found it's way deeper into the jet tube and you're not able to blow it out. This may require a trip back to GTT for your torch. Sorry for the bad news.

Robert

[Angie09]

Boy I hope you're wrong Robert! I have a call into Wally to see what he suggests. Ugh!

[MelanieG]

All I know for sure is that throwing your torch out the window during a really angry torch tantrum is not the right way to solve this problem

Good luck, and I hope someone can help you with a solution that doesn't require the torch heading back to GTT.

[Angie09]

Ok...got it! Found an even better magnifier and saw a little piece of glass stuck next to one of the ports so I dug it out and I think I'm going to be good to go. Thanks everyone!

[RSimmons]

Glad you found it! Welcome to the wonderful world of torch maintenance.

Robert

[Donna T.]

My flame looks just like yours. I'm on a Bobcat. I've run the oxygen through real heavy and I've cleaned the ports several times with wire. My flames in the front, closest to me, are too short and the one or two in the back are to long.
I'm having a really hard time making focals cause I can't get a strong enough flame. Anyone have any more suggestions?
I haven't checked with a magnifying glass but I will this weekend.

[Angie09]

Donna...I had to get a really strong magnifier to be able to see a tiny piece of glass NOT IN A PORT HOLE but in the tiny empty space BETWEEN the round openings. Check with a magnifier. Hope this helps.

[volkanokaren]

What did you use to dig it out.

Karen

ripzz

[Angie09]

Originally Posted by volkanokaren

What did you use to dig it out.

Karen

ripzz

A needle. Hope it works for you. My flame is still not 100% right but it's way better than it was.

[volkanokaren]

Thanks Angie09

Karen

ripzz

[Lisi]

Angie, GTT should have sent you a cleaning wire with your torch. I think the best (and the safest!) thing you can do is have GTT send you one. It's the perfect size for the ports, and make sure you tell them which torch you have. By "safest", I mean my experience with losing my Mini CC because a friend of mine used the wrong kind of cleaning wire (serrated and for a welding torch) and it broke off inside the port. According to Carlisle, the torch would need to be replaced rather than repaired.

I have a Bobcat and often what causes the short candles is a little piece of carbon on the face rather than a gunked up port. I use a butter knife to scrape and knock those off. I usually have to do that every couple of torching sessions or so. I clean the ports with the wire once every 1-2 weeks.

[Donna T.]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try the magnifier and check for gunk on the face of torch instead of down in the ports.