need advice on torch to use

By George VanAmber Date 03-24-2006 17:44

It seems that I am getting different advice from everyone that I talk to on this subject. I am going to melt silver for jewelry and have been advised to use an air/acetylene torch. Also, I read somewhere that jewelers use air/acetylene but I don't know why. For one thing it is dirty(soot) and for another thing there are other torches that produce enough heat to melt silver. I was also advised to use a butane torch since it is cheap and safe and its heat range goes well beyond what is necessary to melt silver(17## degrees). But I was also advised to use MAPP gas torch since it produces 3 times the heat that butane does. I don't know which to use but I would rather not use air/acetylene because its cost doesn't fit into my budget and there is the safety factor that I would rather not deal with. I would prefer to use MAPP but would use anything that fits into my needs. Does anyone have any advice

By billvanderhoof (****)

Date 03-25-2006 05:03

Butane should work, MAPP will be faster, acetylene faster yet. I haven't noticed that acetylene is smokey when used in proper mixtures, perhaps the equipment you used needed a tune-up. You could go really retro and use a small charcoal forge.
Bill

By Northweldor (***)

Date 03-25-2006 13:40

An air/acetylene torch will not be any dirtier than the other alternatives
since most produce a mixed flame immediately on igniting
(air is drawn in by Venturi effect of proper gas flow). Jewelers use it
because it is simple, cheap, and safe. (one regulator, hose and gas).
You might find the gas supply is more expensive with the other
alternatives, and the difference in safety factors is slight. (Also,
slightly more heat output than air/Mapp).