Jenifer: If you decide to use propane from big tank, do not use any
galvinized pipe fittings. Tim
If you use a set up such as Presto which does not use oxygen, you will
not get floaters. If you are basically working with silver, a larger
and bushier flame is better.
Marilyn
Noel,
I didn’t see much of this thread, but if people are looking for
lenses that will protect them from the ultra violet and infrared of
soldering, it is my understanding that dididium glasses protect the
eye specificaly from the “sodium flare” associated w/ lampworking,
blowing and other hot glass related endeavors. They do not, again to my
understanding, offer soldering protection.
Andy Cooperman
Thanks for your input on this, Timothy. Perhaps pipe joint compound
would be appropriate on these fittings (compression)? I would hate
to dispense bad advise in a situation like this. Personally, I
connect my regulator directly to my small tank, using teflon tape
basically just as an aid in the process of tightening the compression
fitting. All the other fittings, those on the torch and regulator
hose ends, I use tape also, for the same reason. I still test with
joy dishwashing lotion and water. Thanks,
David L. Huffman
I had to switch from acetylene to propane to avoid the acetylene
soot. I started with the Victor Medalist setup for oxy-acetylene,
including gages, 3/8" hoses, welding and cutting torches, and the
carrying “tote”. I added the MC and R acetylene and oxyden bottles,
and ordered a MECO midget torch with some pretty small acetylene tips
and a set of “A” size hoses.
When the MECO arrived, only the 0.003" tip would light without making
a sooty mess. So I tried propane. MECO’s acetylene tips did work
with propane, but not well. The flame would move away from the tip
and go out, no matter how low I set the pressures. I tried to order
propane tips from Victor, who by this time had bought MECO. They had
the torch, but did not carry tips.
I ended up getting old hypodermic needles - with steel instead of
aluminum bases, and soldering them to pieces of drilled and tapped
3/8" brass rod. Some of the larger sizes work pretty well.
Months after I gave up on Victor, the local distributor called and
asked if I still wanted the propane tips for the MECO Midget. They
had arrived.
These tips are different from the acetylene tips in that the orofice
is set back into a recess in the tip. The propane tips worked much
better with oxy propane than did the acetylene tips. For tiny stuff,
I prefer the hypodermic needles.
In addition to the tips, I needed a propane bottle. I tried the 20
lb. bottle, but it doesn’t fit in the tote. I ended up looking for a
couple of months for the right setup to use disposable propane
bottles, those 16.4 ounce camping bottles. The hardest part to find
was the adapter from disposable propane bottle to CGA 510. It is sold
in the barbeque parts section at some (not many) hardware stores as a
"Steaksaver" or :Cookout Saver". NOTE - Don’t ever put this on the
disposable bottle until you have a valve or regulator on the other
side.
With the disposable propane bottle, the steak saver, a CGA 510 to CGA
200 adapter, and the MC acetylene regulator, the assembly fits nicely
in the acetylene side of the tote, with the gages about the same
height as they were with the MC bottle.
So… Propane IS cleaner. Propane tips ARE different from acetylene
tips. MECO may not be the best torch, all things considered, and you
can bet I soap tested all the fittings.
Rob Spafford
Coeur d’Alene, ID USA
@spaf
Re: gas temperatures for jewelry soldering .Commonly used gases and
additives(oxygen/air combos). Rio Grande catalog has temps for these
systems on page with gauges. pge 408. 2000 catalog. the differing
temps will surprise you.
The eyeglasses most people like for torch work are tinted Aura 92 ... The glass is formulated to greatly reduce the sodium flare emission line, and is tinted as well. Dark enough for platinum welding..., and, of course, Peter Rowe was one of the first people to mention them...
The AUR 92 are a didymium lens plus an added gold coating. Not
specifically tinted beyone that, but they have a pale tint from the
filter coatings that are there. The didymium filters only the sodium
line, and is, depending on the light source, either pale green or pale
rose color. You can get plain didymium lenses without the gold, which
then filters just the sodium flare. Addition of the gold coating
greatly improves infrared filtration as well, and slightly darkens the
lens, but not very much. Mostly, it gives truer rendition of colors.
Please note that I do NOT believe the AUR-92 lens to be dark enough
for clear vision when working with platinum. While they’ll sheild you
from IR damage, it’s still too bright. Auralens products, who makes
the AUR-92 (there are competitors also making a gold coated didymium
lens as well) also does darker lenses, but these are not the regular
AUR-92, and the lens I recall was, I felt, actually too dark for
platinum soldering work. Because platinum is not normally worked with
fluxes, the problem of sodium flare is much reduced anyway, and the
dark green filter lenses, ordinary gas welding glasses, seem quite
adaquate to me for platinum work.
Peter Rowe
Hi David,
The compression joints are designed so that they don’t need any pipe
joint compound. If a compression joint doesn’t seal properly, clean it
and try it again. If it still doesn’t seal then it should be replaced.
Timothy A. Hansen
I didn't see much of this thread, but if people are looking for lenses that will protect them from the ultra violet and infrared of soldering, it is my understanding that dididium glasses protect the eye specificaly from the "sodium flare" associated w/ lampworking, blowing and other hot glass related endeavors. They do not, again to my understanding, offer soldering protection.
Plain didymium lenses alone, protect mostly from the sodium flare, a
visual annoyance only. With torch work on gold and silver,
ultraviolet is not a danger. Even with platinum work, only a very
little UV is generated, and in this case, the temps are far too high
for didymium lenses alone to be of much use (note that oxy/hydrogen
flames produce a bit more UV than flames with other fuel gasses.
Still not a great deal, but a bit more. What one mostly needs to
protect against is infrared. didumium lenses offer a little, but not
much, protection against IR. however the “upgrade” version of these
lenses, which adds a gold coating, offers very good IR filtering, as
well as a truer color rendition through the lens. They are more
costly, though, than plain didymium lenses. The AUR-92 lens from
Auralens inc. is one such. There are a few other manufacturers of
similar gold coated didymium lenses. As andy notes, they are easiest
to find through glass working suppliers.
Peter Rowe
I, too, am interested in the glasses for eye protection while
soldering. Do you have names for lampworking suppliers for the
didimium lenses? I would like some of their supplies anyway to make
glass cabochons… Thanks… Lin
I, too, am interested in the glasses for eye protection while soldering. Do you have names for lampworking suppliers for the didimium lenses? I would like some of their supplies anyway to make glass cabochons
For the glasses, go to auralens.com - Diese Website steht zum Verkauf! - Informationen zum Thema auralens.. Their
cheapest glasses type is an economy frame with rose didymium lenses
for $28. Other glasses with better frames, or prescription lenses, or
different filters cost substantially more.
There are other glasses suppliers out there too, some cheaper on the
didymium lens with the gold coating, but I’ve found the auralens
products to be manaufactured better, IMHO, than the competing products
I’ve found. And auralens products seems to have a MUCH wider range of
available filter types too. Especially for the glass workers, this
probably is significant.
Hope this helps.
Peter Rowe
I, too, am interested in the glasses for eye protection while soldering. Do you have names for lampworking suppliers for the didimium lenses? I would like some of their supplies anyway to make glass cabochons...
Allright! A question I can finally answer…BG I lurk a lot
because this is pretty new to me–I work mostly in glass and wire,
and am trying to learn more about metals.
I use several sources, but my reccomendation would be either Arrow
Springs, or Sundance Glass.
Arrow Springs... http://www.innercite.com/~flameon/
Sundance.... http://www.best.com/~hotglas1/index.htm
If those links don’t work let me know at @Midi73
Syl
Hi Syl
try www.larkbooks.com where you can find various suppliers for glass
beading and lampworking. I just bought from them a starter kit and did
my first glass beads. It is a lot of fun.
Claudia
I use a plastic lens that fits between two plates of glass in a
welders hood.They have deposited an ultra thin layer of gold on one
side.I hold this with a third hand or just with my free hand when
soldering platinum.I bought mine at a welding supply place where I get
my gas.They run about five bucks and come in different gradients.If
they are not sandwiched between glass the gold is easily scrapped off
which renders them useless.Regards J Morley
Coyote Ridge Studio