Portable butane torch

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hey all,

I need a portable torch and was considering one of the butane
torches listed in the Rio catalog. I was wondering if anyone had any
feedback, personal rants and raves or brands to recommend.

Thanks,
Sarah West

2 
I need a portable torch and was considering one of the butane
torches listed in the Rio catalog. I was wondering if anyone had
any feedback, personal rants and raves or brands to recommend.

The range of usefulness of butane torches for goldsmithing can be
described, - from absolutely useless, to severely limited at best.

Leonid Surpin

3

Hello Sarah,

I use a torch similar to the large butane torch from Rio
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/rio500086

I got this same torch from Bed Bath and Beyond for $10 cheaper (plus
20% off with a coupon!!!) and I didn’t have to pay shipping
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/180

This torch is cool, the flame will surprise you!!!

With this torch I was able to make the two pendants in the
attachment. The large pendant is a 2" diameter 22gauge base sheet. The
torch does however empty sort of fast when soldering things this
big.

The smaller pendant is 1" and I had no issues what-so-ever soldering
this.

Check put my blog, Bench of an Apprentice I am currently posting a
series about torches. Let me know what you think!!!

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/12b

I hope I was helpful
Kenneth

4 
The range of usefulness of butane torches for goldsmithing can be
described, - from absolutely useless, to severely limited at best.

People say the same thing about propane (not propane/oxygen, just
straight propane )?

Could you expand on “why” butane is useless to severely limited at
best?

I have no experience with butane, so I can’t comment, but I may find
I’m in a workshop where they do use the gas, so for’s and against is
always useful

As for propane, as a straight gas, it’s very useful as long as you
know how to take advantage of its properties. The only thing straight
propane can’t do is melt steel, or melt platinum (although I did
manage to reach the melt-point of platinum, not the flow point).

Regards Charles A.

5 
People say the same thing about propane (not propane/oxygen, just
straight propane )?

I like straight propane. I even have a traditional blowpipe, which I
use when high degree of control is required.

Could you expand on "why" butane is useless to severely limited at
best?

While propane and butane can achieve the same temperature of
burning, because of butane is more complex on molecular level, the
same amount of volume will burn faster and release more heat than
propane. That implies that only coarse control is possible with
butane torch.

Leonid Surpin

6

I love my little butane torch, and keep it in the kitchen for
torching creme brulle. Better than having to drag the brule down to
the studio and hitting it with my big acetylene torch.

Alma

7

Hi Sarah,

I recently purchased a Lenk 500 from Sears. I was taking an online
class and this was a torch the instructor recommended particularly
for balling the ends of heavy gauge wire. I also see that some
instructors like Kim St. Jean and a few others use them for small
soldering jobs.

Lenk makes a smaller one and I like it because it is easy to operate
and sturdier than some of the others I have seen out there. Don’t know
much about the ones in the Rio catalog.

Hope this helps!
Francesca

8 
I love my little butane torch, and keep it in the kitchen for
torching creme brulle. Better than having to drag the brule down
to the studio and hitting it with my big acetylene torch.

I would love to ask you some questions about your torching of creme
brule, but fear this is not an appropriate forum for
this…:-)… May I write you offline…

Janet in Jerusalem

9

Janet, love to hear from you offline and talk about torching creme
brule with my little butane torch. Creme brule is one of my favorite
desserts, and I make it in small brule dishes, as well as in one big
flat casserole which is great for transporting to parties where I am
the center of attraction as I light up my little butane torch and
caramelize the top. Often it leads to a discussion about torches, and
their function in making jewelry and the next thing I know is that
people really get interested in hearing about how a torch is used in
making jewelry. Big switch from Creme Brule to jewelry processes, and
it all comes about because of my little Butane torch.

Alma