Old timer told me to purge my torch lines every time. I didn't listen.

A guy named Frank with 40 years in the trade told me to always blow out my oxygen and acetylene lines before lighting up. I figured it was just old school habit and skipped it for about 2 weeks. Then I got a flashback that singed my glove and melted the tip on my Victor setup. Cost me $60 for a new tip and a reminder to never ignore that purge step again. Any of you guys had a close call from skipping the basics?

2 comments

2 Comments

rubyk8617d ago

Did you at least feel like a superhero for those two weeks before the torch fightback? I did something similar - had a guy named Sal tell me to check my regulator pressure before opening the tank valve. Thought I knew better, turned it on full blast, and the hose whips around like an angry snake. Smacked me right in the safety glasses. It's funny now but man, that $60 tip is a hard lesson. The real kicker for me is these old timers are usually right about the stuff they're annoying about.

hernandez.blake17d ago

I get what you're saying about the old timers being right, but I think we give them too much credit sometimes lol. That Sal guy might have saved you from a hose to the face but a lot of these dudes just repeat stuff they heard 30 years ago without really knowing why it works. I've had guys tell me to never use a certain wire feed speed for aluminum, then I look it up and the manufacturer says something totally different. There's a difference between actual experience and just being stubborn about the way you've always done things, you know?