sagew50•12d agoProlific Poster

Changed my mind about torch tip cleaners after that mess in Baton Rouge

I always thought those little wire files were fine for cleaning tips, but last month on a job near the Exxon plant in Baton Rouge we had a tip that kept sputtering no matter what. Foreman pulled out a set of precision drill bits and ran them through once, and it cut like new. Has anyone else switched from files to bits for stubborn tips?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielw8812d ago

Was on a job where a guy used a welding rod to clean his tip once. Worked weirdly well.

dakota_nelson4311d ago

Wait, did your foreman have a whole set of precision bits just for that? That sounds like overkill but I get why it works. Buddy of mine out in Oklahoma tried the file trick on a stuck tip and it totally messed up the hole. He said it started spitting and popping so bad he had to replace the whole thing. Meanwhile hes got this other guy on his crew who just uses a wire from a coat hanger and swears by it. I guess the trick is knowing when to use what and not getting too aggressive with the cleaning.

zara57212d agoMost Upvoted

Also depends on what kind of tip youre running. Those MAPP gas tips clog different than straight acetylene ones. Files can actually score the inside and make it worse over time. Bits are gentler if you get the right size. But the real trick nobody talks about is cleaning the tip while its hot. Shut the gas off but keep the tip warm and the carbon comes out way easier. Learned that from an old pipe welder down in Texas. Cold cleaning just pushes stuff around sometimes.