Minor Burner Cleaning Questions

[Bunyip]

How do I clean my minor burner? I clean the nozzles out pretty much each torch session with the tip cleaner set I purchased from my welding supply store, but I've noticed little nodules of carbon buildup on the face while working.

I understand it's a good idea to brush the torch face off with a wire brush as well, but that using the wrong type of wire brush can potentially damage the torch face, creating scratches where additional carbon can build up, what kind of brush should I use? Brass?

Any other tips on the care and feeding of a Minor Burner?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers!

PS: The reason for this is that I noticed that that the flame was a little unsteady last night, and when I bumped the torch I saw some "sparklies" in the flame.

[kbinkster]

Although the Minor burner does not have a face plate, the tubes are so thick that you do have to brush them once in a while. A fine bristled stainless steel brush like the Dremel mini end brush would be a good choice. A brass brush would be a bad choice. Brass is a soft metal and the bristles of a brass brush can easily get caught between the tubes and break off.

When you brush the face of a torch, just "sweep" it. Don't scrub it.

Lots of things can cause sparklies in the flame. Dust is a commom cause of sparklies. A fun thing to do is to wear a T shirt and sit behind the torch with it running and then "pop" your shirt (you know, pinch it in front, pull it out, and then let it go back).