Dale M.
2006-09-08, 8:04am
IN regards to continuing comments about if you puncture a hose or suffer a leak in your hose serving your hot head torch and your studio will fill with propane to explosive point in seconds……..
I wanted to test just how good the quality of my hose was, and how prone it was to the “leak”. I recently sacrificed my old hose to see if all the yelling about the “leak” was worrisome….
I literally tortured my OLD hose to death (5 years old to be exact)... First I put it under 120 psi air pressure and laid an red hot mandrel on hose it didn't burn through the hose, I did this several time... No leaks.... I then heated a 3/8 inch steel rod to red heat, it took almost 30 seconds for it burn through to a point where there was a air leak (bigger rod more heat base) . Before it burned through there was plenty of smoke and smell as warning. (yes, test was done outside in slight breeze).
Then I clamped end fitting to fence post and proceeded to pull and tug on hose for about 10 minutes, no failure... Switched ends and did same again no failure, ferrules and hose stayed connected together, all I accomplished was a bruised hip when my 240 pounds landed on a rock when I slipped and fell!. Conclusion is that hose is not going to just pop off the end fitting if constructed properly with quality barbed fitting and factory crimped ferrules. NO home made hoses here!
Back to work on hose, tried repeatedly to stab hose with mandrel and could not penetrate it with a blunt mandrel end. Took specific effort with scratch awl (pointed tool) to puncture hose... It is not going to happen accidentally as hose tends to roll off object poked at it (unless purposely poked with sharpened pointed tool or mandrel at red heat)....
Lastly I sliced hose open for a about a foot. What I found was an outer layer of rubber, a layer of woven webbing and inner layer of what appears to be neoprene and a final internal wall structure of nylon. Also cut ferrules off both ends and found brass connector designed with 6 barbs and absolutely no deterioration at point where barbs contacted nylon inner liner (both ends). Also ferrules were 1 inch long, approximated same length as barbed connection inside hose.
Hose manufacturer is Accuflex and is LP and natural gas certified to 350psi.... Hose date stamp 2001. However this manufacturer of “rubber” hose only. Can not vouch for company who assembles hoses (applied end pieces and crimped ferrules) as actually name of assembler of hose assembly has been lost over time. But evidence shows good quality.
Yes there will be a time when the ”accident” happens .... But if you drive car long enough you will have accident no matter how safe you try to be, and as long as planes fly surely there will be crashes.
My point is glass retailers will continue to sell hoses, people will continue to buy them. They are not going to go away. And I am trying very hard to be sure people have best possible information out there so they can be as safe as the "system" will allow....
Oh yah.... With nylon lined hose, no plasticizer oozing problem.... No gunk in hose no fireballs on hot head torch.... Neoprene (only) hoses will produce/exude plasticizer out of hose under pressure and cause the gunk/fireball/dragons breath problem.
IF people will take heed and get long hose so tank is outside yes it will be safer, but even fuel/oxygen torch users very dumbly keep tank inside studio no matter how much we hammer them about not doing it...
In closing I would like to make a few points. >> Find best quality hose, one that has UL marking stamped in rubber component of hose and rubber component is LPG certified. >>DO NOT BUY CHINA HOSE. >>Get hose long enough and arrange work station so tank is OUTSIDE. >>Hoses come in lengths up to 20 feet. >>Place hose in protected position under bench so it is not exposed to hot glass or mandrels. And off floor so it is not a tripping hazard. >>When running hose outside place it so there will NOT be any danger of door or window slamming on hose and pinching or damaging it. >> Regularly inspect hose for damage and test for leaks.
As the comedian Ron White says.... “You can't fix stupid”... Do not be the unfixable lampworker…
Dale
I wanted to test just how good the quality of my hose was, and how prone it was to the “leak”. I recently sacrificed my old hose to see if all the yelling about the “leak” was worrisome….
I literally tortured my OLD hose to death (5 years old to be exact)... First I put it under 120 psi air pressure and laid an red hot mandrel on hose it didn't burn through the hose, I did this several time... No leaks.... I then heated a 3/8 inch steel rod to red heat, it took almost 30 seconds for it burn through to a point where there was a air leak (bigger rod more heat base) . Before it burned through there was plenty of smoke and smell as warning. (yes, test was done outside in slight breeze).
Then I clamped end fitting to fence post and proceeded to pull and tug on hose for about 10 minutes, no failure... Switched ends and did same again no failure, ferrules and hose stayed connected together, all I accomplished was a bruised hip when my 240 pounds landed on a rock when I slipped and fell!. Conclusion is that hose is not going to just pop off the end fitting if constructed properly with quality barbed fitting and factory crimped ferrules. NO home made hoses here!
Back to work on hose, tried repeatedly to stab hose with mandrel and could not penetrate it with a blunt mandrel end. Took specific effort with scratch awl (pointed tool) to puncture hose... It is not going to happen accidentally as hose tends to roll off object poked at it (unless purposely poked with sharpened pointed tool or mandrel at red heat)....
Lastly I sliced hose open for a about a foot. What I found was an outer layer of rubber, a layer of woven webbing and inner layer of what appears to be neoprene and a final internal wall structure of nylon. Also cut ferrules off both ends and found brass connector designed with 6 barbs and absolutely no deterioration at point where barbs contacted nylon inner liner (both ends). Also ferrules were 1 inch long, approximated same length as barbed connection inside hose.
Hose manufacturer is Accuflex and is LP and natural gas certified to 350psi.... Hose date stamp 2001. However this manufacturer of “rubber” hose only. Can not vouch for company who assembles hoses (applied end pieces and crimped ferrules) as actually name of assembler of hose assembly has been lost over time. But evidence shows good quality.
Yes there will be a time when the ”accident” happens .... But if you drive car long enough you will have accident no matter how safe you try to be, and as long as planes fly surely there will be crashes.
My point is glass retailers will continue to sell hoses, people will continue to buy them. They are not going to go away. And I am trying very hard to be sure people have best possible information out there so they can be as safe as the "system" will allow....
Oh yah.... With nylon lined hose, no plasticizer oozing problem.... No gunk in hose no fireballs on hot head torch.... Neoprene (only) hoses will produce/exude plasticizer out of hose under pressure and cause the gunk/fireball/dragons breath problem.
IF people will take heed and get long hose so tank is outside yes it will be safer, but even fuel/oxygen torch users very dumbly keep tank inside studio no matter how much we hammer them about not doing it...
In closing I would like to make a few points. >> Find best quality hose, one that has UL marking stamped in rubber component of hose and rubber component is LPG certified. >>DO NOT BUY CHINA HOSE. >>Get hose long enough and arrange work station so tank is OUTSIDE. >>Hoses come in lengths up to 20 feet. >>Place hose in protected position under bench so it is not exposed to hot glass or mandrels. And off floor so it is not a tripping hazard. >>When running hose outside place it so there will NOT be any danger of door or window slamming on hose and pinching or damaging it. >> Regularly inspect hose for damage and test for leaks.
As the comedian Ron White says.... “You can't fix stupid”... Do not be the unfixable lampworker…
Dale