Hi Liz, My Lttle Torch is a very old model, I only use nozzle sizes 4/5/6/7. I thought I would take a few photos to give you an idea of what size the flames should be. The firebrick in the background is 9 inches long and I included a £1 coin as a size reference. My torch runs off propane and an oxy cylinder. the photos show each nozzle's flame size from my smallest, number 4 up to the largest I use number 7.
James
thanks for that James.
I think I really need to get mine sorted because I get nothing like those kind of flames off mine. Nozzle 6 (which is the largest one I have) gives me something close to your first picture. Maybe it's the oxycon or the it's the fact that it's a knock-off.
When I get the next lot of work out of the way I'll try and get some vid of it in action.
I get about the same as James with my (gen, recent) Little Torch and an oxycon.
Mine is definitely a fake (or a bargain, which I doubt!). It seems the knock offs are slightly less powerful than the genuine item for the same nozzle size.
These are pictures of mine with a number 5 nozzle set to about min and about max, there is loads of range within each nozzle size depending on the flow rate of the gasses.
This is O2 from an oxycon and fuel is propane, I have also used it from medical (100%) oxygen and it 'seemed' a bit hotter. I think Oxycons knock out low 90's%.
Last edited by trialuser; 26-08-2013 at 06:04 PM.
I often have problems soldering and truth be told I think the main problem is me, but it doesn't stop me from wishing that I had a torch with a bit more oomph.
For bangles, which is mostly what I (try to) make, I have, as Dennis has suggested in the past, built a little "oven", but with limited success especially when it comes to avoiding firescale. I manage to solder 3.2 x 1.6 mm wire but it takes several minutes, and I've never had any success getting solder to flow on wire larger than that, even with two handheld torches. (I have the cheapie cookies torch and a lakeland torch, although the latter, even though it's bigger than the cookies, doesn't seem to hold much gas and quickly runs out).
Mind you, I frequently have problems soldering jump rings - I can have a whole row of them and some solder easily and others remain stubbornly unsoldered and then I lose patience with them and spitefully turn them into little balls.
The little torch looks lovely - small, easy to use and lots of youtube tutorials where one needs only tight clean joints, flux, a few bits of solder, a little heat either side of the join, flux turns glassy and voi la - solder flows, no time for firescale and hardly any cleaning up to do. Obviously, I do all this already (with the exception of the solder flowing and no firescale) but iin any case, unless I spend the next year doing overtime then I can't justify the cost.
I've used a Sievert in class and although weight wasn't a problem, I did find it very difficult to see where the hot part of the flame was in relation to the bushy part, so whilst it was great for annealing I had just as much trouble with firescale when it came to soldering with it so I'm not sure it's an ideal next step up for me.
I'm leaning towards the Orca, but I've only ever seen it in a catalogue, never up close and personal. The cheapest option would be with a Mapp cannister, but I'm concerned that that will make it cumbersome (and heavy) to hold. Also, would hotter Mapp in my inexperienced hands be more of a liability than propane?
Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions. Hopefully Walsh's will have one I can manhandle at IJL.
Susie
Hi Susie,
Don't hold you breath, I don't think Walshes will be there, and if they are, they haven't in the past had any gas on. Sutton tools have demonstrations, so they are a more likely bet.
You are right, bangles even of quite thin wire, need large torches to solder them efficiently. As I have mentioned before I often use two hand held Campingas torches together (one in each hand) to spread heat evenly. To get a more bushy flame, which is kinder to wire, I have made sliding brass clips, so that I can partially close the air holes. This has not been tested by Health and safety, but works for me.
As for jump rings, try laying them flat with each join exactly on a small pallion of solder. Then heat patiently and it will give you a high success rate. Regards, Dennis.
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