Hi All,
I’ve been using a gasfluxer for the last couple of years and I absolutely LOVE it. It’s allowed me to improve my brazing a lot, and it’s also simplified many aspects of the process.
What it hasn’t simplified is my torch and tank setup. Before getting it, I read that many people had issues with it destroying the first few feet of the fuel hose that exits the fluxer, and I’ve found that to be true too. I’d rather not replace my whole double hose setup every year, so I’m trying to figure out a way to just get a few feet of hose that I can swap out. Has anyone made their own fuel hose? I’ve looked a lot and haven’t found a source for grade T hose, and I don’t know what fitting would work best either.
Anyone figured this out? How do I deal with this in a relatively cost-effective and not-wasteful manner?
Thanks so much,
Brendon
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I don’t braze much at all and have never used a gas fluxer so maybe this is an idiotic idea. If it is only damaging the first few feet, could you just put in a length of hardline? What is it about the gas fluxer that is so damaging to the hose where it exits?
I’ve used lightweight hose connected, with a step down adapter, directly to my gasfluxer for about two years. I try to detach the hose every time I’m done using it, because some amount of flux always seems to seep out, even when the valve is closed. I think that’s helped a lot.
If I wanted to add a sacrificial piece, and I probably will, next time, I’d look for a short piece of B which would connect directly, then step it down to A, for my aircraft style torch.
https://www.tinmantech.com/ gave me a lot of ideas with the fittings they have available.
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@anon68659156 Great ideas. As you might expect after years of looking, only seconds after posting this, I found new-line.com, which stocks the correct tubing and fittings that I’ve been looking for all this time! Hilarious. Anyway, I think I might just try getting some tubing that I can change out from time to time.
Any other ideas would be great though!
Thanks,
Brendon
Do you think you could submit a picture of the setup? I have a gas fluxer that I haven’t set up, I did not know about this flux ruining the hose situation beforehand.
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I’m in the same boat as you, would love to know what preventative maintenance to do before getting it up and running!
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Any local industrial supply should be able to help you out with the hose. Or gas supplier - praxair, air liquide, one of those guys, idk what the common ones are in the states. If you’re lucky enough to have a oldschool industry supply nearby that has any sort of welding equipment they should have T or R hose by the foot. It’s getting harder to find online now and if anything will probably only be 25ft set of two hoses.
It’s a standard barb nut insert, super easy to do yourself. You just have to make sure the barb/nut is appropriate for the size hose/gas fitting you’re using. Having a little hose repair kit around the shop is relatively cheap and pretty useful.
Flux corrodes hose because they are rubber and designed to transport gas. Flux is essentially a mildly corrosive mixture of salts etc so will eventually eat away at the rubber. That being said I haven’t replaced my main hose setup in 8+ years and it’s doing just fine, so I’m not sure what folks are doing if they’re having to replace hoses every year.
You should be checking your hoses and connections regularly though, so if something is cracked definitely replace it.
Also, acetylene has a very distinct smell and your nose will tell you if there’s a leak. If you’re not sure, better safe than sorry and check the lines with soapy water in a spray bottle or a gas-fixture-checking-product.
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A side thought, maybe if folks who are running gasflux are really having hose issues, they aren’t purging the lines at the end of the day?
You should always be purging your lines at the end of the day regardless if gasflux or not - hoses are made to transport gas, not store it. I would imagine if folks are not purging the lines and you have full flux liquid chillin in the rubber for an extended amount of time, maybe/especially if not brazing for days or weeks at a time, it could compound the issue.
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Excellent advice. It’s also good practice to fully back off the pressure screws on the regulators when done.
Definitely, proper shutdown procedure includes backing your regulator pressure off all the way after the lines are purged. It’s bad for your regulator seals to leave them set at pressure when the tanks are turned on.
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This is all really great, so thanks for that! It’s great that you posted this because all of the local gas places that I’ve checked over the last couple of years (the time in which I’ve been using a gasfluxer) have only had premade longer double hoses, but after reading this, I called around some more and finally found the place that DOES sell it by the foot, and which has the fittings. Yay!
As far as the purging goes, I have always turned the fluxer down all the way and purged the lines as I would have done had I not been running the fluxer, but maybe there’s a better way to do it. Seems like there’s probably still some flux that’s getting put the lines as part of the purge. Of course I do always back my regulators off though.
Really I should have looked into this more to begin with but because I read many accounts of how gasflux just wrecks lines before buying one, I figured it was just par for the course. Maybe it doesn’t have to be though, which would be great.
I’m also wondering if maybe the shutoff valves on my gasfluxer might be a bit worn (I got it used), and maybe they’re letting a bit more flux escape when it’s turned off.
For those who wanted a photo of the corroded line, I’ll insert one below.
Thanks for all of the thoughts. Hopefully through this we can all learn out to get the most out of our systems!
-Brendon
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