Have moved to Senior living facility that only allows butane
torches. I would like to find out what is the latest technology
available.
Ernie
Have moved to Senior living facility that only allows butane torches. I would like to find out what is the latest technology available.
I am not sure if this will be allowed, but I use a small 1 lb.
propane camp stove cylinder with a nonadjustable regulator and an
oxygen generator (they have a lot of these in senior facilities) on
both a Meco and Little torch. It serves my needs from soldering
small 26 gauge wire, soldering and annealing up to 4 gauge silver
and copper, doing small silver melts, and fusing large pieces of
copper. I wish I knew this before I spent a fortune on regulators,
hoses and tanks. I can send you pictures to show to the facility
people if that will help. Rob
Rob Meixner
Having been confined to working in my apartment this winter, I was
surprised at how much I could do with a little butane torch. Not one
for creme brulee, but heavier duty. I also have a propane camping
canister with a flexible torch head, that works great. Don’t know
what the latest technology is though. Lapidary Journal did a good
review of torches recently.
Esta Jo
My immediate thought on seeing this was syngas or browns gas - i. e.
converting the hydrocarbons to H2 and CO - this gives a rather good
hot flame, but IIUC it’s an industrial scale process (see also gas
generators) and rather circumvents the purpose of the rule. which
does rather sound like fun…
That doesn’t help you with your question, but it amused me,
briefly…
A 25 $ Bernzomatic available at home and hardware stores will solder
jewelry, anneal most sheet metals and even melt a small amount (7
gms) of fine or sterling silver If you are a rebel, the bernzomatic
50 buck O2/acetylene set up will do anything you like including
melting all the gold scrap you care to reclaim! But for most uses the
models with a base (not the pen or cylindrical models) will
accomplish any task that requires up to 2400 F heat! I have even
melted a small amount of 22 kt gold (3.7 gms) and 5 gms of 24Kt in a
well glazed bonded silica type crucible( glazed in a warmed bonded
silica type crucible with crystalline borax and a pinch of ammonium
chloride introduced once the metal was added). It is a far better
torch than a harbor freight model that resembles Bernz-o-Matic’s, and
more reliable than a more costly Blazer brand torch but having
equivalent operating temperature capabilities, but less air control
than a Bernzomatic… The gas(butane) refills are $2.49 at most home
stores for an 6-8 oz. can but at tobacco stores $5.99 or close to it
will get you “3 x filtered” butane in a 16 oz. size - good for about
8-10 complete refills, if not more. Annealing is limited to up to 20
g sheet but I have annealed 10 g x 67mm sizing stock successfully. In
short, they are all pretty much equivalent technologically, but the
Bernzo-matic hand held torches have additional capacity for the user
to control the air and therefore produce a reducing or oxidizing
flame the blazer or harbour freight models don’t allow for (and the
bernzomatics come with some handy little attachments that allow for
cutting with a hot knife, decorative wood burning, and electrical
applications with the attachments in the package!). hope this helps
This is my second post to this inquiry. I forgot about the Orca or
Whale Torch. You can buy it from Otto Frei. It is a single stage
propane torch that will run on an unregulated 1 lb. camp stove
cylinder. It is a wide bushy flame, but you can get used to it. Not
as hot as I need for my heavier silver bracelets and copper, but it
will do a lot of work for you. I have never tried a small butane
torch. Thanks. Rob
Rob Meixner