I may use my monthly allocation of questions all in one day!
I just had natural gas run out to my studio with the intention
of using it for a space heater and a torch. My current
oxy/acet. Little Torch is great, but sometimes it seems the heat
is a little too intense.
Anyway, it’s a regulated 2 lb. line. Can anyone tell me what I
need? Can I just connect my fuel line from the torch directly to
the nat. gas line? I don’t imagine I would need an additional
regulator? Will the Little Torch with tips 1-5 work, or should
I get a different torch?
Any ideas, suggestions or experiences are appreciated!
Dave, my experience is that the torches designed for use with
natural gas do not need a regulator but becouse of fluctuating
line pressure i would recommend one. i have worked with these
torches in the past and found flame fluctuation due to line
pressure changes to be the biggest drawback. as for the little
torch i don’t know if 2 lb of line pressure is enough for all tip
sizes. let us know how it works.
You cannot use the same tips for natural gas that you have been
using for acetylene. Also you cannot use the acet. regulator for
natural gas. A 2lb. gas line however will not require a
regulator - you couldn’t find one anyway. You may want to get
however a flashback arrestor and check valve to put in the line.
Also if you have that gas line hooked up to your water heater,
and whatever, are you sure you’re getting a full 2 lb. at the
torch? If not, there may not be enough pressure to open the
flashback arrestor/check valve assembly. Little Torch (Smith)
makes a low pressure natural gas torch specifically for
applications like these.
Hope this helps - if you need more info, feel free to email or
call.
Elaine Corwin
VP Tech Services
GESSWEIN CO USA
Bridgeport CT 06605
ph: 800-544-2043 or 203-366-5400
fax: 203-335-0300
Thanks, Elaine and Frank! My gas line is run directly from the
meter at the back of the house, not piggybacked from somewhere
in the house. As long as the meter is providing a consistent
2lb pressure, I should be OK. I’m hoping this will also make
Frank’s concerns about pressure fluctuation a non-issue. 20
I appreciate the suggestion of a flash arrestor. I knew I had
heard of something I needed to add, but couldn’t think of the
name of it! I’ll have to take another look at the Smith
products… I don’t recall seeing anything that seemed specific
to natural gas.
I’ll keep y’all posted! (As a resident of NC, I’m required to
throw a “y’all” in every once and a while!)
I just had natural gas run out to my studio with the
intention of using it for a space heater and a torch. My
current oxy/acet. Little Torch is great, but sometimes it seems
the heat is a little too intense.
I believe that natural gas requires a different torch. Propane
and acetylene are interchangeable but not natural gas.
Just thought you should know that the little torch you have will
work just fine. You do not need a regulator for this. I have
been using this setup for the last 14 years and it works well.
You may decide to get a second little torch to setup for the
natural gas with a diverter to go to a third torch of standard
set for casting if you are doing any castings. This all depends
on the amount of work you are doing where you might be going back
and forth between natural and acet. Hope this will help you set
the shop up the way you want it. good luck, Nick
I’m looking at my Little Torch instruction book, which has a
table in the back and some words about nat. gas. The table says
you can use tips 3-7 with nat. gas and the text cautions that tip #3 may be hard to light. PSI for both oxygen and nat gas are
3psi with #3, 4psi with #4, 6psi with #5 and #6, 8 psi with #7.
There are part numbers listed of various regulators, and there
is one for LP gas with an asterisk that says LP= propane,
propylene, MAPP, H.P. or Flamex, but no specific mention of a
regulator for nat. gas. I would think you would need a regulator
to get the pressures right and that this H1954C-510 is what you
need. there is also a nte that you have to have at least 1 psi
of nat gas to use the torch at all. The inlet connection for
this regulator is CGA 510. Hope this info helps and I hope if
you do this you will let me know how it goes — I hadn’t thought
about it, but I am moving soon and will probably have nat gas at
the new place myself. HTH.
Can I just connect my fuel line from the torch directly to
the nat. gas line?
Dave, Not a real good idea… use a small regulator, they aren’t
that expensive, and then be sure to install a flashback arrestor
in the line between the torch and the regulator. This will keep
an accidental fire from backing up into the regulator, the line,
the supply tank… not good. Metalsmth
The natural gas can be used with either a compressed air supply
or oxygen. For the little torch- oxygen.
A compressed air/gas torch is much like a Prestolite torch but
the tips and flame are larger. Great for silversmithing- large
pieces that need even heat for soldering or annealing.
As long as the meter is providing a consistent 2lb pressure, I
should be OK.
I should probably clarify… that’s two pounds of pressure. My
quick “shorthand” notation might be interpreted otherwise. That
seems to be a standard residential gas line pressure in this
area. I imagine twenty-one pounds would require a regulator!
I think local laws prohibit flamethrowers!
Sorry for any confusion!
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio
Charlotte, NC (USA) dave@sebaste.com
