Categories: Jewelry; Commerce and business
Word count/read time: 422 words; 2 minutes
Torches are essential for jewelry manufacturing. They
are useful for annealing, melting, and creating spectacular effects on various metals
as well as soldering, welding, and brazing.
I have more than a few handfuls of torches plus specialty tips
and other paraphernalia. There is nearly a torch for every occasion.
I still have eyes on an oxy-hydrogen
generator which should be the end-all, be-all of torches...unless it isn't.
Several torches of mine are oxygen-fueled though an open flame is generally enough for my purposes
(gold and silver). I have pinpoint flames and infernos that'll roast a marshmallow
yards away. I love them all!
They break. It wouldn't be so bad except
they often get discontinued, leaving me in a lurch. Replacing them is akin to starting over.
Finding just the right flame profile and temperature is not easy. Few retail outlets
have a decent selection to try before you buy.
Some torches get used once and are put aside for general use only.
Other than a professional torch - even then it's hit-or-miss - getting one size
to cover many applications is dreamy. Exchangeable tips give some variety
but getting a flame exactly as needed ain't always in the cards.
Each one has to be judged accordingly.
Crème brûlée size torches can tackle many tasks.
Small flames work perfect when all you need is a small flame.
Adjustable ones are mandatory, meaning the amount
of gas coming out and the flame size, not so much the flame profile.
The limits are determined by the amount
of gas the nozzle or orifice can handle.
My most versatile jewelry-specific torch is a knock-off of the
Smith Little Torch coupled with the Miller auto gas cut-off
assembly. While the gas saver mechanism was expensive,
the time savings will pay for itself eventually. Plus, bulk propane is cheaper
than butane cylinders (or acetylene, which I have also), doubly saving money.
On one episode of Forged in Fire,
the competitors harvested metal from scrap materials.
One didn't know how to use a cutting torch. I assumed they all knew the
basics - this is about as kindergarten as metalworking comes - since
their hobby literally 1000% depends on fire.
He watched another competitor cut a section with a torch so he just had a front-row tutorial.
While the novice tried, he couldn't replicate it.
He sawed and cut for more than 30 minutes when it should have taken two.
With $10k on the line, I'd learn how to make fire with a waterlogged stick and
slushy ice cubes!
Posted by M: March 7, 2025
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