Little torch replacement hose

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello! My ‘little torch’ (oxy/acet) needs its hoses replaced, and I
was lucky enough to get an unwanted set from a local welding shop
for $20…unfortunately, they came without the ‘ferrules’ & ‘ferrule
tool’…the small collar that cinches the hoses to the torch. I can
buy complete hoses (w/ferrule & tool) @ Rio Grande for $20 each,
meaning I spend $40 total…but before I go that route I’d love to
know if anyone has a)had any luck using something else to cinch the
hoses (I tried a truck parts store, but theirs are bigger and go
outside the hoses) -OR- b)modified their ‘little torch’ to use more
readily available (and cheaper), more standardized hoses.

(I am trying to get just the ferrules & tool, but Smith won’t sell
direct and I haven’t yet heard back from the tech at Rio Grande on
how long it would take for them to get me some…they estimated a
couple weeks, which is a real drag.)

Thanks!
Jessica in San Francisco, where we’re supposed to get a heat wave
but all I see is fog.

2

Jessica, The pressure on the little torch hose is so low that you
really don’t need the ferrules. They are mainly to prevent you from
accidently pulling the hose off the torch. There are a couple of
things you can replace them with. First, you can tightly wrap about
six turns of # 20 or so solid copper wire around the hose in place
of the ferrules, twisting the end together to prevent unloosening.
The other is to stop by your local hardware and get some heat shrink
tubbing that will just go over the hoses. Cut a couple pieces that
are slightly shorter than the tubes coming out of the torch. Slide
them on the hose. Push the hoses on the torch and then slide the
heat shrink tubing up to the torch body. Use a hair dryer and heat
up the heat shrink tubbing. Just don’t overheat the tubing or the
heat shrink. You will get as good a mechanical connection as with
the ferrules.

Don Rogers.