Casting Torches

Jewelry Discussion
1

I am in need of a casting torch and would like on experience with
such devices. I have a little torch piped to oxy/propane with a melting tip
that just did not do the job when I tried a casting recently. It may work
with small quantities of silver but the brass alloy I used did not melt.

2

What size melts do you do? What suppliers do you buy from or have
catalogues for? I’ll point out a good casting torch available to you.

Xalkn@aol.com wrote:

I am in need of a casting torch and would like on experience with
such devices. I have a little torch piped to oxy/propane with a melting tip
that just did not do the job when I tried a casting recently. It may work
with small quantities of silver but the brass alloy I used did not melt.

         Jeffrey Everett

Handmade 18K, 22K, and platinum gemstone fine jewelry.
Diamond setting, rubber/metal molds, casting, lapidary
Die and mold engraving, plastic patterns for casting.
Cad jewelry design, cad/cam milling scroll filigree…
P O Box 2057 Fairfield IA 52556 515-469-6250

3

Hello,

I have read almost everything in the forums about air acetylene
torches and have decided (I think) to use the smith handi-heat torch.
The question that I have is what size tip #3 or #4 am I going to need
to melt about 6ozt of silver? I talked to a local welding company and
he said for a #4 tip I would need a size 4 acetylene tank which would
be about $170 (ouch). Do I need a #4 tip to melt this much silver,
and will a #3 and/or #4 tip work okay with a B tank?

4

To Vincent, Why bother with a casting torch at all. An electric
melting furnace does a much more accurate and faster job of melting
than a torch and will probably cost you less money.

John Wade
Wade Designs
wadedesigns@aol.com

5

I use a B tank and a #4 Smith tip for melting both silver and gold.
No problems here. I use just acetylene. Good luck and enjoy.

Jennifer
goldsmith, enamelist, and holloware restoration

6

I use a PrestoLite with a B tank and can use all of the tips. I do
not cast but do occasionally raise a vessel which means annealing
and re-annealing a six to ten inch hunk of copper or silver. I do
not have any problems with the pressure. I think it is more a matter
of how quickly you will empty the tank.

Marilyn Smith

7

Hi John;

I’m sorry, I can’t completely agree with that statement. You can
melt a couple ounces of metal just fine with an acetylene inspirator
burner torch like the Prestolite, the entire setup costing around
$250 U. S., tops. The least expensive electro melt I’ve seen runs
better than $600, and the crucibles, which have to be replaced fairly
often (I don’t remember, maybe every 20 times?) cost around $17 each.
And eventually, the muffle breaks down and needs to be replaced. I
think that cost over $50, and also, the thermocouple will one day go
away, that’s more money. But I do agree with you that the results
are better. You can hold the metal at the ideal casting temperature
and it’s nice to just pour it into the mold as opposed to juggling a
crucible and a torch.

David L. Huffman