Posted by Chris Ray on July 01, 1998 at 15:25:15:

In Reply to: Help. What kind of torch do I need? posted by Tim Wright on July 01, 1998 at 14:22:17:

I haven't replied to this post the first time it appeared but I guess I should this time Tim, since you didn't get the answers you were hoping for. Forget that little torch with the great description. It's a wonderful unit for jewelers and folks working in electronics but is completely wrong for the application you want to use it for.

An arc welder for you? Absolutely not. You say you want to braze copper and I'm going to assume for now that you'll be using light guage material maybe similar to roofing copper, perhaps a bit heavier than that. The jeweler's torch isn't going to do anything for you with this material and neither will an arc welder.

I'm going to suggest an aircraft style oxy-acetelyne torch for you if you need a full blown outfit that will braze and also weld steel. Airco used to offer torches in three different sizes. The regular welder's torch which is the standard most folks use, a medium weight torch which is just super (I use this one all the time) and an aircraft torch which is a lightweight unit that is larger than a mini torch but can handle quite a range of work from the thinnest material up to at least 3/16" thick steel depending on which tip you use.

I don't know which other companies offer an aircraft style torch but any standard brand torch is just fine and you can't go wrong with a Victor or Harris for instance if you can't get an Airco one. Check the Thomas Register for sites or addresses of the companies you're interested in.

One other option to consider if all you want to do is braze and nothing more than that. Get an air/acetelyne torch instead. They are used by plumbers usually for brazing copper and you can find a good brand at most plumbing supply distributors. This will do a good job for you as well, the bonus being that you don't have to buy any oxygen, just the acetelyne. You can't weld with this type of torch but you aren't asking about that.

Another bonus that comes with the plumber's torch. It's way cheaper than an oxy-acetelyne unit. You have to get one torch with maybe several different size tips, a small acetelyne tank which would even be legal to keep inside a residential space and only one regulator. All told you'll spend maybe $150.00? I forget now how much a similar unit cost me but it wasn't too expensive. This is professional quality equipment I'm talking about too.

Chris Ray

Follow Ups:

• Thanks Tim Wight 7/01/98 (0)