Against all advice ever given,watch me!!1

[Tutti-frutti]

Here it goes.
I have been reading up soo much on all kind of torches as to which one to get next, I got totally confused, went out to my National 8M Torch and lit it up.
I changed all my settings from 10 psi down to 4-5psi tanked 02
and the Propane from 5 psi down to 2 psi
And guess what, my flame was almost the same since it get's very long so you can see it, my torch did not get any warmer than usual, and my beads still got done in the same time.
I admit that right now I like to do small work , but to do the encasing I jsut turned up my gas on the torch and it worked great.
Yes , tomorrow might be different , but I want to see if I can keep my oxygen guzzling torch from overeating too much.

I'll let you know
Katja

[kbinkster]

Turning the pressure setting down at the regulator will not in and of itself reduce the amount of gas the torch consumes. You could keep your oxygen set at 10 psi, and if you are dialing in the same flame you dial in when it is set at 5 psi, you won't be using any more oxygen - you will be using the same amount. The valves of the torch control the amount of oxygen that the torch consumes. The regulator setting just limits how much you make available to your torch.

Are you having problems with your torch overheating? The older 8Ms had issues with the "O" ring. This caused the torch to overheat. If you have an older model 8M, then you might want to contact the manufacturer to see if they have a remedy for you.

A lot of times, the way you run your torch will cause overheating. If you are running a small soft flame with short candles, the ignition of the gases is taking place close to the face of the torch. Heat will travel from the face of the torch back towards the user. So, the cooler you can keep the face, the less overheating you will have. If you run your candles farther out, at least 1/4" long, that ignition isn't taking place as close to the face, and the cooler it will be.

[Tutti-frutti]

Thanks for making me feel totaly inadequate.
you mean I'm not a savvy cheap genius that I thought I was.
Darn.

Just kidding
Katja

No I really do not have a problem overheating. It was all about saving my tank of 02.

[kbinkster]

Ah, Katja, your plan can still work. Keeping the regulator turned down will prevent you from getting a big flame that would consume lots and lots of oxygen. All I am saying is that you can just keep the knobs on the torch turned down for the same effect.

I am glad to hear that your torch is not overheating.

As for flame sizes and oxygen consumption:

Small flame = less oxygen being consumed.

BUT, small flame = longer time to heat glass = more oxygen being consumed.

So, it's kind of six one way, one half dozen the other. Work whichever way you feel comfortable. If you find that you are going through oxygen more than you want to, then look into a concentrator. They usually pay for themselves in oxygen savings quickly.