Tips for Smith Acetylene-air

Jewelry Discussion
1

I’m about to purchase the Smith acetelene-air kit, which comes with a
00 tip, or 1, 2, and 3 tips. If I remember correctly, 0 and 2 tips
are most often used with silver and gold. I’d appreciate advice on
which set to purchase. I’ll be doing smaller pieces, rings, pendants,
earrings and the like.

Thank you.

2 
I'm about to purchase the Smith acetelene-air kit, which comes
with a 00 tip, or 1, 2, and 3 tips. If I remember correctly, 0 and
2 tips are most often used with silver and gold. I'd appreciate
advice on which set to purchase. I'll be doing smaller pieces,
rings, pendants, earrings and the like.

In my experience (I own one, and use them where I teach as well) the
#0 tip is used twice as much as all others put together. The #00 is
for soldering bezel seams and very little else. The #1 is great for
larger jobs, up to melting a few grams of silver, such as you might
use for splash casting. I am not aware of a #3, but the #2 works for
medium-sized casting jobs. The largest tip does show a tendency to
flame up down inside the barrel, which is disconcerting, but has not
caused any disasters. If you are doing small soldering jobs on gold
and silver, you need the #00 and #0, maybe the #1. It’s a terrific
torch, in my opinion, though I now use primarily a Meco propane/oxy,
which is even more versitile.

Noel

3

Hi,

The size of the tips have nothing to do with the kind metal you are
using. The diameter of the tips are all about the amount of volume of
heat you generate.

I use most often a #1 for just about everything, as it is the size
constraint of the metal and the mass, not just gold or silver. The
00 and the 0 are hard to light as the amount of gas is very meager.
They are good for a tiny solder operation such as joining a jump
ring. If you are soldering something larger, than a 0 is a weak
flame.

I would suggest a 0, 1 and 2. With those three tips, you can do
about anything.

Safety tip! There are two inner rubber rings attached to each tip.
Make sure they are both tight and secure. Over time, these rubber
o-rings, will deteriorate. Order some extra from Smith or a welding
supply company. Those tiny o-rings is what creates the vacuum seal
allowing the air to travel into the tiny holes and mix with your
acetylene fuel. Push the tip all the way down onto the hand piece and
then screw the seal closed.

Search out soldering tips in the Orchid Archives. There are some
good hints in there.

Karen Christians
Cleverwerx

1 Like
4

Dominque, I find the 00 size tips absolutely useless. They do not
provide enough heat to solder anything, especially with silver. I
would recommend tyhe 1,2 and 3 tips and, if you can get it, a 0 tip.

These four have a lot of use. Cheers from Don in SOFL.

5

When buying my Smith torch, I ordered the “Jeweller’s Model” which
only had the 00 tip. Big Mistake.

The 00 tip does not produce enough heat to properly anneal larger
pieces of metal. Unless you’re annealing/soldering only very small
pieces of silver, you’ll need the bigger tips anyways.

Cheaper to order the 00 (or even a 0) separately.

Lauretta Bell

6

Don

Dominque, I find the 00 size tips absolutely useless. They do not
provide enough heat to solder anything...

Except for casting, the 00 tip is the tip to use to solder and fuse
Pewter. But otherwise you are right.

jena

7

Hi Karen
What supplier can I order these o rings to be sent to Canada?
Thanks
Melody Armstrong