Hi all, There has been a lot of discussion about torches lately,
but there was a specific aspect I was concerned about. I’ve been
using good old propane self-ignitors for years and
oxy/acetylene/and or propane off and on, but I’ve never really
considered dangers and safety issues until I started teaching my
high schools kids the basics. We had a regulator keeping a small
flow of propane into the room for about 5 min until I noticed the
odor, it was a standard BernzOmatic tip with a spark ignitor. Then
my personal self ignitor, about 2 years old, kept a small flame
going a week later no matter how many times I opened and shut the
valve. And now one of my other tips keeps surging, little flame/big
flame! Of course, every time I took them outside and removed the
tip and vented the room, but this didn’t seem normal. 
Now I’m
gun shy, seeing my students holding those torches is making me
nervous. I’ve even been hesitant to use my oxy/propane since then.
Was this lightning striking repeatedly or something I’ll get used
to the more I work with torches. I’d thought 10 years or so would
be enough, but perhaps I was wrong. Any thoughts? Thanks,
Terry Swift
Midwest America