Hello Orchidland,
My studio equipment is in storage so I do not have access to my torch. I understand that the small butane powered kitchen torch produces enough heat to solder small items, ie. jump rings, ring sizing, little repairs.
Sooooo I’m interested in finding out what the group wisdom is on what brand(s) are reliable and safe. Staying away from made in China. So far, Benzomatic and Dremel look good, but I’d like to hear from someone who actually uses the torch.
Your input is eagerly anticipated. Thanks everso,
Judy in Kansas!!
I have the Bernzomatic and like it a lot, but takes some getting used to if you’re accustomed to a bigger torch. The Dremel has a good reputation, too, for jewelry. I find that having two torches of different sizes is pretty convenient.
When i was a subscriber to Andrew Berry’s “At the Bench” online jewelry making website, I was amazed that he primarily used the small butane torch for almost all projects, and the larger one for bigger jobs. Prior to that i had not realized how effective a torch they were!
I have almost exclusively used a benzomatic air/propane torch. Only rarely oxyacetylene… The tip I used has a large brushy flame… the temperature it created was more than adequate to do almost everything except melting large batches of metal for pouring into ingots. There are smaller flame tips that are more concentrated also. The torch head came with a piezoelectric sparker which was very convenient. Once you get used to it, you will find that soldering and almost everything else is fairly easy… Other canister bottle disposable torches are fine too.
The only caveat that I have, is to use just plain propane. This is the cheapest and most cost effective fuel. MAPP gas has been reformulated. The original MAPP gas was meant for use with oxygen in industrial welding…the manufacturer quit making it due to low sales volume…there was no advantage to using it versus acetylene…The new formulation is still too expensive… The temperature that it burns in air is not that high (only about 200 degrees more) to justify the added cost.
Butane torches are another consideration. Butane contains more energy per molecule than propane. A lot of people like it. But it still burns at a lower temperature than propane.
I have a mini Blazer, and a larger no name one (similar to the big shot). I use both all the time, and they can handle like 90% of my soldering with no problem. The most important thing I think, is to get butane from a jewelry supply and not the hardware store. The strikers in them apparently die a lot faster if you use the “dirtier” butane. One of mine needs to be lit manually now, and it is a pain in the butt.
I use almost exclusively butane torches. I only use my oxygen/propane torch for bracelets or heavier pieces. I use two different butane torches, a small one for most everyday things and a Blazer for bigger items. Much less expensive too since I can only use the disposable oxygen tanks with my torch and they are super expensive.
Hi Judy
I’ve found that even a smallish butane torch will solder rings and most wire-based bracelets. I have a mixed butane/propane torch that uses camping gas stove cartridges to speed up soldering for heavier items or to melt silver faster. For really fast melting I use a plumbers MAPP gas torch, but find its too hot/fierce for use with rings and smaller items. For really fine items like jump rings I solder with a largish butane-fuelled cigarette lighter!!! It has a very small flame, perfect for localising heat where it’s needed. I don’t find that paying extra for Dremel is worth it. (I’m afraid that I think you’ll find most torches ARE made in China, no matter what the labels say - someone else has mentioned ‘headquartering’ in the USA, rather than manufacturing). That’s just my opinion though - I can’t prove it…
I have half a dozen of these butane torches and have used them exclusively for years. They can do a lot, but can quickly run out of fuel on bigger jobs, so I always have several at the ready. The biggest downside I find is that unlike a ‘real’ jeweler’s torch, they’re incapable of small focused flames.
A clerk from a jewelry supply store once recommended a way to concentrate the heat from my creme brulee torch so that I could solder bigger pieces.
She said to surround the soldering setup with bricks? I don’t remember the details and I was never able to try this out. I wonder if anyone on this list has heard of this, or better yet, tried this?
If it works, would be helpful for you and for a number of us who are stuck using the small torches!
I have a host of them that I have tried out my most recent one is the SSC 20211 that I got from another Jeweler and I also have the Euro tool topper for the gas one canisters which is really awesome but does does a pretty high Flame. I also have the lexan which is pretty cool and I have the benzomatic one that has the almost flame like the Smith’s little torch. All of them are very very good