I know this has been discussed before, but I could use some help
with a decision.
I have been atttending a metalworking class for several years now,
where I have been able to use the soldering equipment, as well, of
course, as all the other tools. I have many tools at home including
a flex shaft and tumbler, and I am getting to the point where I want
to do some soldering at home too, working with silver, copper, and
brass. I do not have a dedicated workspace for a torch, and would
like to start out with a butane torch to do some fusing of fine
silver wire and small soldering jobs (e.g. bezels, rings, jump
rings) and annealing. After reading reviews on line and some of the
postings here, I have kind of narrowed my choice to 2 possibilities:
A Blazer GB2001 or a Jumbo Max. Does anyone out there have any
specific recommendations for one of these over the other? I would
appreciate any help you could offer.
After reading reviews on line and some of the postings here, I have
kind of narrowed my choice to 2 possibilities: A Blazer GB2001 or a
Jumbo Max. Does anyone out there have any specific recommendations
for one of these over the other? I would appreciate any help you
could offer.
None of the above, no butane at all! Learning to solder means
learning to control flame. Butane is simply not flexible enough.
better to spring for the small acetylene tank from a plumber’s
supply or if you can get a tank somewhere and fill/ trade at
plumber’s supply, a torch with lrge and small tips, it’s not much
more than the cost of blazer, much hotter for copper, dave
Clearly Mr. Surpin has not used butane for the kind of and level of
soldering you need to do at home. I have many students that use
blazers but they always eventually ( after 6 months or so ) have
problems. In our school we have several Bernzomatic torches. They
have a removable base (not the pencil type) and run about 30 dollars
at a home store or hardware. They are refillable with a can of butane
and allow some small degree of air/flame adjustment. They out perform
the blazers in my experience as they last at least as long and are
less than half the cost. If you are doing small hit and run soldering
jobs jump rings, bails, clasps to chain, etc.) they work just fine.
I wouldn’t spend the money on a blazer given the down time…On the
other hand if you are serious about jewerly making, i would invest in
a good torch set up- don’t presume smith is the only game in town
either- in fact i like Gentecs better than smiths…it would depend on
where you live ( if gas tanks are allowed indoors) and if disposable
fuel cartridges are oK for you ( they are expensive compared to
refillable fuel tanks) and if you plan to use oxygen or room air with
a torch as to what I would suggest based on your budget. I personally
like Hoke torches- they last forever ( but aren’t great if you have
little hand strength)- each different torch has a limitation… You
should consider one though if you plan to make a living at jewellry
making and plan to learn advanced techniques…Also review the Orchid
Archives for many many perspectives on the subject
I have both torches and they are perfect for my needs. I work only in
sterling silver. For larger pieces, like bezels and thick rings, I
use the Jumbo Max. The Blazer is perfect for little jobs (like
soldering jump rings) that don’t take long to come up to
temperature. Ventilation is still very important with the use of
these torches, so be sure to consider that.
While I agree with Leonid that Butane is not really the best choice
as I have found that butane/air does not have enough temperature or
heat for most jobs. Having said that, my first torch when I first
started out 17 years ago was a Blazer Butane Torch. It was my
primary torch for a few years, before I switched to a Little Torch on
Oxy/Propane. My blazer torch still works about as well as when I
bought it 17 yrs ago. If you are set on buying a butane torch, I
highly recommend the Blazer torches.