Melting torch?

Hello everyone,

Previously I have been using the orca torch and for melting up to an ounce of silver it works great. However my needs have shifted and for melting I need a larger torch. Preferably a gas/air torch. I have been eyeing the sievert torch, is this appropriate? What torch would you guys reccomend. I would like to pay less than $1000 but if that isn’t possible I understand. Interested in hearing your input.

Argentum Moon

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a jeweler’s torch for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

You can melt a lot of metal with a metal with a Prestolite, air/acetylene torch and a # 3 tip.

Don M.

---- Jonah Angelidis-Nordlund orchid@ganoksin.com wrote:

Can it melt a significant amount of copper (or another stubborn metal to melt such 24K gold)?

Jonah,

I can’t say. I have never done a melt on anything but sterling. For some reason I assumed you were looking at silver as the melt metal. I am sorry.

Don
---- Jonah Angelidis-Nordlund orchid@ganoksin.com wrote:

Don’t apologize, I should have been more specific. I want a torch able to alloy gold and so I feel it should be able to melt copper. Thank you for your input. :slight_smile:

The “Swiss Torch” with the Platinum melting tip will handle most anything I’ve thrown at it. I use propane and oxygen though.

Does acetylene contaminate gold or silver? I read that it can contaminate “platinum and some gold alloys” does this apply to all yellow or rose gold alloys or only to certain white golds and of course platinum. I think the prestolite would be a perfect choice but I don’t want to contaminate my gold or silver. Thank you for all the input.

I LOVE reading about folks starting out and buying tools and equipment. I can vicariously re-live my youth and enjoy the excitement of the tool “hunt, kill, and dragging back to the cave” ritual and I don’t have to spend a dime.
A prestolite will work just fine. My sweetie Tim uses a Meco Midget and can melt up to an ounce of platinum with it. I use a very old brass torch.Probably from before I was born.
We use city natural gas and bottled oxygen.
I hate the smell of acetylene. You can’t control the shape and temperature of a flame as well as you can with nat. Gas and oxy.
Like a good hammer or any tool it’s also about how it fits your hand.
Oh yeah. Don’t try to torch melt copper. Trust me on this.
-Jo

I agree with Jo about torch melting copper. I wrecked a brand new Paige tip doing it…Rob

I thought a test of a torch’es melting ability was how well it melts copper. Thanks for all the feedback by the way.

Making a Metal Melting Furnace (Simple, Effective, Propane) - YouTube this address along with many others is on Youtube under Making a metal melting furnace.

If you are melting copper or large amounts of any metal you might look in this direction. I am not suggesting this particular plan but pointing out that there are inexpensive options to some problems to be found. Rob and I talked about this briefly and we agreed that the crucible was the important part and the source of the heat not so much.

If you make a furnace, send pictures. Good Luck

Don M.

Thank you very much! I don’t really plan on melting copper, I am just frustrated with my current torch and feel a torch that can melt copper can melt anything I will ever be needing to melt. Thank you again :slight_smile:

I had not thought of this before, but the mp of pure silver is 1763F and that of copper is 1984F. If I were to alloy my own sterling from copper and silver, would I just take the solids up past 1984*F to get it all melted? Or would this cause problems by overheating the silver? royjohn

Melt the copper before adding the silver.

Does anyone know about using the smith little torch? Will this work for ingot casting?

I haven’t done a ton of melts, but I think you can probably get away with fairly small ones with the larger sized included torch tips. But if you’re wanting to do a lot of melting, or larger weights, you’ll want to get the melting tip that they make for the Little Torch. With that I know you can get at least 80g of silver done… but others will have more experience than I.

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a jeweler’s torch for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

Thanks you, that is very helpful.