Learned the hard way about torch tip cleaning at the Baytown refinery

I was working a tube replacement job last Tuesday and my rosebud tip started sputtering halfway through a preheat. Lost about 20 minutes trying to adjust the regulators before I realized the tip was clogged. Grabbed my tip cleaner set and ran a file through each hole, but I was too rough and opened up one of the ports too wide. Flame pattern went totally uneven and I had to swap tips completely. Next time I'm using the proper wire gauge and not just jamming whatever fits. Anyone else wreck a tip by rushing the cleaning?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_ross1mo ago

Tbh I think you're overthinking this. A sputtering tip on a preheat job is annoying but swapping a tip takes what, two minutes? Not exactly a catastrophe. Running a file through those ports too aggressive is a rookie mistake but honest to God I've seen guys do worse and the job still got done. Nobody's timing you on tip cleaning efficiency out there. Just grab a proper gauge set and move on. Feels like you're making this into a bigger deal than it really is.

oliver_ward141mo ago

Ended up just swapping the tip and called it a day.