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A fully assembled Turner Model 206AA blowtorch is shown in the picture at the right. Not all blowtorches have the windscreen over the orifice assembly as this one does. It is very difficult to prime the blowtorch properly without the wind screen. This is because the slightest bit of wind turbulence can disturb the priming flame and thus, the burner will not be warmed up to operating temperature. Many antique blowtorches are missing their windscreen for one reason or another. |
The windscreen can easily be removed from the blowtorch; it is removed by first removing the hook. This is true with nearly all blowtorches, but not all torches have a hook. One of our lab specialists has a theory that girl torches do not have hooks, but boy torches do. We have applied for a federal grant to pay for a research project to investigate this theory. It is appropriate to mention that working with blowtorches is not a clean activity, especially when you are doing repair work. Be prepared to get very dirty.
Most of the dirt particles are actually carbon from the burned fuel. Carbon has a way of burrowing itself into the skin and it is difficult to wash off. It would probably be helpful to wear gloves that are appropriate for handling little parts. Typical gloves do not lend themselves well for intricate work. However, Latex gloves work fairly well, but they tend to get damaged easily. This is true especially when disassembling a blowtorch; do what works the best for you.
Working without gloves is certainly easier. You can see from the picture that our model has gotten noticably dirty in the beginning stage of removing the hook. Believe it or not, our model actually took a shower before these pictures were taken. We are told that he even changed his underwear. In any case, Zangobob's Blow Torch Heaven strongly suggests that you do not do any blowtorch work if you have a hot (no pun intended) date lined up for that nite. You will make a very bad impression if you cannot wash all of that carbon off your hands. Obviously this is not a serious problem if your date is a torch collector too. Please do not write to us asking about the availability of single, unattached people that are blowtorch collectors! We do not belong to the proper labor union for that! BTW, we would be greatful if you told your date about our hot (OK,OK, pun intended this time) website about blowtorches.
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The windscreen is usually held in place with one screw, and it is usually easy to remove with the appropriately sized flat-blade screwdriver. The screw can be frozen in place in some cases, and will require some heat to allow it to be removed. Do not force the screw to come out; doing so will cause the screw to break. |
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The windscreen can be easily lifted off the burner head once the retaining screw is removed. It might be required to spread the screen apart slightly so that it will clear all parts of the burner assembly. |
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Lift the windscreen off the burner assembly and set it in a safe place for eventual reassembly |
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The Turner 206AA burner assembly is a great example for viewing the essential components used therein. This is because the Orifice, undervein and fuel flow control system. It is difficult to see the orifice and the fuel mixture systems used by these other burner assemblies. The 206AA allows the orifice block to be easily seen; the orifice block looks in the photo as a large hex head. This kind of design makes its replacement very convenient. Orifices are not usually replaceable items in the torches of later production. This change was done to help reduce manufacturing costs. The consequence of this manufacturing change is that the entire burner head assembly must be replaced if the orifice ever goes bad. Although difficult to see in the picture, just to the left of the orifice block is a small cylinder protruding into the burner chamber, that is held in place by a screw that is approximately the same size as the screw that holds the windscreen in place. The position of this cylinder relative to the orifice block allows a means to modify the fuel/air mixture. The closer the cylinder is to the orifice block, the less will be the quantity of air that can be mixed with the fuel. |
This web site has more information about disassembly and repair of a blowtorch. Click on the link below to go to our torch disassembly page. You can see how the various parts fit together my mousing over the picture and clicking on the area of interest. The most technical details can be accessed by clicking on the pump or the burner head. There are cursory descriptions for other parts of the torch. Click toward the bottom of the tank to see what the torch looks like when it is tipped over. You will see the fill plug from this perspective.