New to Forum - Oxyygen Regulator Problem?

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Hi all,Looks like you have a nice forum here.  My problem is Saturday I was heating up the foot pegs on my 3-wheeler in order to bend them back straight and the flame on my oxy/acetylene kept going rich and I would have to adjust it every once in a while.  Also, I could not turn the flame up as high as I would have liked due to insufficent oxygen pressure.Later, I went to cut some plate and when I hit the oxygen lever gas would come out at the proper rate (by sound) but it would quickly drop down to a whisper of oxygen and the pressure would drop to zero.  When I let off the lever the presure would build back up to 10-15 psi.  Also when I shut the tank valve for the oxygen and bleed off the presuure in the regulator the tank pressure gage still shows 800 psi unless I keep the oxygen on at the torch and then it slowly bleeds down.It would seem like I do not have any oxygen left except the tank pressure gage reads 800 psi.  It is a Harris 2-stage regulator.  Any ideas? Otherwise I'll swap out the tank and see if that helps.Thanks,Tom
Reply:sounds to me like eather you did not have the tank valve open far enough or you gage is broken and stuck at 800psichuck
Reply:I had a similar problem with a Craftsman (Harris) 2 stage regulator.  I replaced the regulator with a new single stage one and  the problem is gone.
Reply:did you crack the valve on the bottle before you attached the regulator .If not you probably got trash in the orfices of the regulator . If you don't know how to clean one out please take to your local welding supply and let them do it for you
Reply:It does sound like there is a flow problem, not a pressure problem, and trash in the regulator might cause that.  Everytime the flow rate increases, the trash gets sucked back into the orifice just like Jking suggests.  No flow, plenty of pressure.Jking is also right about fixing the regulator.  If you dont know how, get some help.  Even at 800 psi, if it isnt re-assembled correctly it might disassemble at a high rate of speed, i.e., explode.You might also try to borrow another regulator that is good just to isolate the regulator as the problem.  Just another thought.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Probably got some seasoning in the regulator!