Natural gas for home studio

Jewelry Discussion
21 
I thought I really couldn't afford it either initially but it's
the best purchase I've ever made. You won't regret it!

If I may make an observation that may be obvious to many…

People seldom later regret buying better quality. The pain is all up
front. Once you have bitten the bullet and forked over the money (I
know, block that metaphor!) and gotten the thing you really needed,
you will never regret it, as long as you can still pay your bills
right after buying it. Later, for sure, you’ll be better off. Poor
quality tools, however, will aggravate you every time you use them.
The pain is all downstream.

Clearly, we all have to draw a line… I’m sure I’d love having a
micromotor instead of a flexshaft, but I don’t sit and use the
rotary tool all day, like a setter, so the flexshaft really is fine.
But we all need a professional-quality torch set-up!

We can’t just go out and get the best of everything, but you can’t
make a Faberge egg with a butane hand-held, either.

Now, if I could just upgrade to a real bench instead of a
70-year-old office desk…

Noel

22

A prestolite torch is an atmospheric burner and since there is only
the pressure of the actelyene itself it doesn’t have quite the same
problem as oxygen / fuel gas torches. Unless the gentleman from
G-Tec has a suggestion, I think that a check valve etc is not
needed.

Dan Wellman

23

Hello Ellen,

Just contact Ed at G-Tec for Ed is knowledgeable,
available and eager to help or answer any questions.

Ed Howard
1-800-451-8294

Good luck,
Cyndy

24 
A prestolite torch is an atmospheric burner and since there is
only the pressure of the actelyene itself it doesn't have quite the
same problem as oxygen / fuel gas torches. Unless the gentleman
from G-Tec has a suggestion, I think that a check valve etc is not
needed.

I had responded privately to RP’s question about a flashback
arrestor for a Prestolite torch, but since Dan Wellman raised the
question here, this is what I said to RP:

A Prestolite torch would not require a flashback arrestor because
oxygen is provided by the atmosphere, not a cylinder of pressurized
99.9% pure O2.

A flashback is caused when the tip of an oxy-fuel torch, say a Smith
Little Torch, is temporarily blocked. You have a fuel gas at low
pressure, for instance natural gas at 1/4 psi, mixing with oxygen at
a much higher pressure, perhaps 5 psi or 20 times greater than the
gas.

The oxygen pressure overcomes the gas pressure and causes oxygen to
flow into the gas hose. You have all the requirements for a fire,
fuel, oxygen and heat, and so the flame will burn its way back
through the hose to the fuel source. If natural gas it could hit
critical mass at your gas meter and cause it to explode, or if could
go back to an acetylene cylinder or propane tank with the same
result.

As you can imagine this is quite dangerous.

With a Prestolite torch you are not using pure O2 and it is not
under pressure. Even if the flame did work its way back into the
handle of the torch it would be extinguished quickly for lack of O2.
And there would be the positive pressure of the fuel gas, no matter
how slight, that would force a flame outward.

So if you are just using fuel gas with an air-fuel torch like this,
you’re ok.

Give me a call or write if you have any questions!

Ed Howard
Sales/Marketing Manager
1-800-451-8294

25

dan

thanks for responding to my question.ed howard sent me the same
advice yesterday. i appreciate both of you and the rest of the
ganoksin family for shining the light on so many essential topics.
by doing what we’re doing, we are making our work and lives safer,
and more interesting…

mahalo