What happened with my oxycons?

[Beadzz]

I was busy torching this afternoon and reducing my last bead when all of a sudden a got a small totally orange flame, then a small blue flame and then it got back to orange and stayed that way. I popped my bead very quick into the kiln and looked at my oxycon "meters" and 1 was on 0 and the other on 0.5 or something like that. I tried to get the pressure back up but i couldn't, it just didn't work anymore. I turned everything off and started the oxycons again and tested them, putting them on 1, 3 and so on, back and forth. It all seems to work ok but now i'm afraid this will happen again. I have both oxy's for about 1 year and 2 months (had another one before that) so that can't be it and it isn't possible they won't work correctly anymore at the same time right? So does anyone know what could have caused this, should i call and have them looked at?
TIA guys :-)

[squid]

I doubt that both of them died at the same time :). I would unhook the hoses from them and let them run for a while and see how they do unhooked. Sounds like you might have a blockage in the torch or hose. You might want to take the oxy hose off the torch and check and see if there is a little screen at the inlet - if there is, check and make sure it's not blocked.

[kbinkster]

When you reduced your bead, did you turn the oxygen off at the torch? You could have backpressured them which would make them shut down.

[Beadzz]

I'll unhook the hoses and see Squid and no, that would be so strange if both of them would die at the same time :-? Don't have a screen at the inlet.


Kimberly, i think i didn't turn them off completely, that would be the first time. Now i think of it though, my DH put a thingie between each hose, kind of a anti backpressure thingie. They're car parts, have no clue what they are called so that shouldn't be possible if they work ok. But then again, if i would have completely turned them off then i should have been able to get oxy again just by turning the oxy up on my mega (right?) which wasn't the case.

I was reducing and not touching anything and then it just happened.

Thanks both, off to unhook and see what happens :)

[squid]

When you were reducing, had you turned down the oxy or did you turn up the propane? As Kimberly mentioned, if you had the oxy at the torch turned down it may have caused the oxycons to shut off - and if they did that, just opening the valve on the torch won't make them restart. You would have to turn the switch off and then back on again to restart them.

[Beadzz]

I did turn down the oxy and i also think that the oxycons did shut off, can't think of anything else cause i just torched and everything is working just fine. Thanks so much for the info Kimberly and Squid :)