fluctuating pressures on tanks?

[Leanne]

I am preparing for what will be my biggest ever showing of my beads. A bead store is letting me set up a stall there for 4-5 hours to sell my beads which is fantastic. I have 2 weeks to go and am in mega production mode.
Last night my torch kept screwing around on me. i have a nortel midrange with a minor top running on bottled oxy and lpg. I was using the minor part and the the flame kept turning to slightly reducing all on its own. you could hear it and see the flame change a little. It was enough to put a small red streak in a light sky blue bead.
What is doing it? Is it dangerous? I didn't know so I turned it off and switched to my hothead. Is it a problem with the oxy or the lpg regulators?

Can you get your regulators tested anywhere to see if they are functioning correctly?

So should I keep torching as normal and ignore it? It has happened before but it went away.

I don't know if it makes a difference but I have a full bottle of lpg that was just filled about 3 small torching sessions ago.

thanks for your help!
leanne.

[kbinkster]

It sounds like the either the propane pressure in the line is bumping up or the oxygen pressure is dropping.

At what pressure do you have the regulators set?
Running at a low setting (like under 5 psi) can cause fluctuations like you described. If it is set lower than 5 psi, try bumping it up to 5-10 psi.

Where is your propane tank stored?
If your tank was stored outside on a hot, sunny, day, tank pressure increases. As it cools off (like at night), the pressure can go back down. This is a possible cause of the fluctuation.

You can take your regulators to a welding shop and ask them if they can take a look at them. Some of them can be repaired (like if the problem is a faulty diaphragm).