Dead Man's Switch attachment for Torches?

I tried to google this but didn’t have much luck… I will be moving
in with my brother soon, and when I asked about buying a fan that
would fit into a window opening for fumes and a little breeze for
radiant heat from my torch, he went ballistic, started saying “no
open flames!” - he’s afraid I’m gonna burn down his house, possibly
he’s envisioning me working with a huge blowtorch (needless to say,
he’s never been in a jewelry studio)

After explaining all my safety precautions with him, explaining that
the vent was primarily for me personally since I’ll be within less
than a foot of some of this stuff (and not because my work is going
to fume up his whole house like he’s thinking), and that I’m far less
of a danger in the kitchen than with a torch, because it’s not like I
can leave it burning while I run to the bathroom, all I got was that
I could do some of my torchwork inside IF I showed him all the safety
precautions - fine, easy - and IF I had a dead man’s switch mechanism
on my torch.

Now this confounded me a bit, because other than maybe a handheld
butane torch, I didn’t even know that was available for torch setups

  • I’ve certainly never seen one, unless you count our primitive
    little foot pump torches at school, which will go out eventually if
    you stop pumping. Is this even available for a propane/air setup,
    like a foot pedal attachment or something? Or, if I drop a torch or
    something will it go out? I’ve never actually tested dropping a
    propane torch and I don’t have access to one right now.

I don’t need to do all my torch work indoors (like melting which
really would warm up the room), but I need something to put him at
ease to let me do some torch work indoors because I can’t keep
moving indoors/outdoors/indoors/outdoors/indoors… It’d be truly
annoying for intermittent small amounts of soldering, and THAT would
make things more distracting and dangerous!

Liz

I haven’t seen a dead man for a torch either. What you might
consider is a little hand held unit like

http://tinyurl.com/yrukgq

I have and am still using one, they are a little more expensive to
operate, but it might calm your brother as they require you keep the
button pressed.

Terry

They don’t sell anything for that, but you can get a device they
sell. called a gas saver. they have them for both the
oxygen/acetylene or oxygen/propane torches. They have an arm that
shuts off the the flow off when the torch is placed on it. and a
small pilot flame for starting the torch again. You only adjust the
torch when you start or want to change the flame. the model I have
is here

http://tinyurl.com/2272ay

iyt is a gentec gas savers. Know if you are only using a single fuel
air torch you still can use the gas saver, by just not worrying
about the oxygen connections.

In the art smithing, metal smithing areas they have some thing
called a dragons head. Which is a gas saver with a pedal attachment
to turn the torch on for heating metal for forging, bending ect.
When using a forge isn’t needed. The torch is pointed by the pilot
flame so when you press the pedal the gas flows,torch lights,flame
flows hence the dragons head name. Everybody has their own favorite
design and style with springs,counter weights ect. To control the
starting of the torch. You could set one up to shut the torch off.
When you took you foot off of a pedal operated rod with a counter
weight on the arm to shut the flow of gas.

The gentec gas saver is the one own, there are other makes and models
some are $250.00 USD. the gentec is $49.99. It is a well built unit.
Hope this helps some.

They don't sell anything for that, but you can get a device they
sell, called a gas saver. they have them for both the
oxygen/acetylene or oxygen/propane torches. 

Actually for a Spirflame[tm] there is a “Dead Man’s Switch”
available,= used in the past for industrial hand or automated
applications in high risk areas. We assemble them using a few
accessories we sell:

#11261 Foot Pedal Switch for all Microflame/Solder Feed Modules
$45.00

#16251 Electromagnetic Gas Solenoid Valve, 24 vdc, normal closed, w/
hose fittings $262.00

#11123 Adjustable Pressure Switch (minimum switch) $174.00

#11815 Flame Igniter System, 24vdc, high voltage spark ignition
$825.00

#15022 Flame Detector (senses heat radiation) $1,238.00

If the operators foot come off of the foot pedal, our gas supply is
stopped, which also automatically stops our gas production. Gas
production also immediately stops if gas pressures fall too low or
rise too high. The flame detector can easily determine if the flame
is on or off, and if required, our gas igniter can automatically
relight the flame. This can (does) all happen automatically on many
applications. It must be noted that with all “Dead Man Switches,” it
does no good if the operator dies hanging onto the lever, leaning on
the foot switch, or maintaining his body position against the
operational lever or contact. This happens more than one would
expect, making a Dead Mans Switch a less than “fool proof” completely
reliable system. So we do not believe in a manual torch application,
this is worth the effort or expense. But it does exist and is being
used in some areas. However, a great number of our torch systems are
automated since we can control flame temperature to plus or minus one
degree of temperature. It is far more common and easier to protect
against low pressure, high (over) pressure, flame out, and auto
reignition if the flame is used on automated t= orch systems.
Although
mostly industrial, mostly electronic applications, we dohave few
automated torch assembly applications with large jewelry firms in
North America.

Best Regards,
Gary
Gary W. Miller, Sr. Technical Advisor
Spirig Advanced Technologies, Inc.
www.spirig.com