Save your cash

[Nick martin]

The Sievert is a brilliant torch as long as you properly TIGHTEN all the hex bolts properly.. as has been discussed. One of the tricks to using it for casting however is of course to do it indoors and to also build something like a soldering station where the heat gets reflected back into the crucible, and of course to use the correct sized nozzle.

Money saving wise, my most used torch is a diddy 'Dremel Versatip' that cost about £30. Totally reliable and ideal for soldering delicate bits.

However... my Smiths / Oxycon will be en route to me soon!

Nick

[Wallace]

Sievert is a wonderful beast, but I found it just too big and heavy for what I needed. Mine didn't stay a useful item, so found it a new home. I like the small handle the 'Smith' has to offer, it has a vast amount of power for one so small.

Great to have a tool that works for you. Each to their own, hence vast array of tools available.

[CJ57]

I don't think there was the choice so many moons ago and maybe that was a good thing, you actually had to visit shops or phone retailers which were few and far between and Walsh were the only one who did a proper catalogue and they were so expensive. No tinternet!
I bought my basic tool kit through College then I bought my upgraded ones plus polisher when I graduated, at Coopers in London on my £50 :/ travelling scholarship! I bought my silver and findings from Blundells in Wardour St and there was a great wee very established jewellers supply shop in Edinburgh, really old fashioned with lots of grumpy impatient men in brown overcoat things that has now been put out of business by the big boys. I liked those times even the grumpy men who couldn't understand why girls were buying stuff and made you feel really stupid. I get nostalgic at this time of year as you may have noticed

[Moon Willow]

If you're a Newby and reading this thread and getting confused then take a chill pill get a coffee and sit back,

When you starting out its usually with a small hand held torch which I now use to light my sievert, basically this will be okay for your early small projects but it will not be strong enough when your pieces start getting larger and you begin to get more ambitious.

From experience a lot of folks tell me they have found this fantastic flame from B & Q which is far superior than the £25 small torch... omg
it's a can of gas attached to the torch (don't go there) tears before bedtime !! quite a lot of these backfire (flame comes out the wrong end)

So this is where the sievert comes in, at £70.70 from Tooltray.com plus your gas. It's within your grasp (budget) I have a regulator on the one
end which can strengthen your flame (some folks don't know it exists) it's my preference and has served me well.

Carlton

[ps_bond]

FWIW, I used one of these - http://www.bernzomatic.com/item.html?id=8 - for ages before moving up to a Sievert. They can be a bit prone to flaring if you tip them when they've only been lit a short while.

[josef1]

I still use one for the odd big silver items,I quite like the warm orange glow it omits every now and then,you can turn the nozzle to regulate the amount or air the flame receives also if you let it warm up a bit the flaring calms down

[Wren]

I have a Sievert torch which I bought in the '70s like Caroline, I use it with the burners 39 40 and 41 it copes with just about any soldering job, no need to get a fancy one, but it does have the original handle which is smaller than the ones sold today so it is light to use. I have only basic hand tools, a small Renda flex shaft, a 1960's watchmakers lathe (not posh and I see them all the time on e bay) and a small grinder/polisher, to be honest as a hobbyist (which I am now) you don't need a plethora of expensive tools to create professional looking jewellery.

[Moon Willow]

I think some folks have problems with the torch based on the following :

The position of the flame is wrong, sometimes too near to your piece (flaring) causing the flame to be 50% less effective

You need to use wire gauze or honeycomb to generate more heat beneath your piece

Make sure you have a point on your flame (concentrates the heat where it's needed)

Carlton

[Moon Willow]

So as I'm enjoying my tram ride into Brum (Jewellery Quarter) 6.45am this morning the usual things happen, mobile beeps,
Oh look it's Cooksongold urging me to part with my money in "The Deal of The Day" well my brain doesn't function too well
in the mornings but even this deal woke me up.

Only £195.00 ex vat for a Durston Jump ring maker ........Duuuuuuuuh stop the planet I want to get off !!!!

I use a hand drill at work and my power drill at home, and my spits (rods) I pinch my partners steel knitting needles
job done, I've saved £££££££ 's

Sorry Cooksongold you'll have to fund the xmas party some other way.

Carlton

[ps_bond]

It does make my collection of transfer punches look very Heath Robinson, but the cutter bit is interesting.
OTOH, it's nice to see a British company competing on the Gucci tools market without them all having to be imported from the US.

Their primary product line isn't one that usually demands repeat purchases, after all.