Jeweler's Torch

[Some Creep]

Has anyone ever used one of these kits? The wife and in-laws are getting into jewelry making and I'm looking at one of these at the LWS for $108. They didn't have much knowledge about this little guy, other than it's been sitting in it's box on their shelf for quite awhile gathering dust. They'll make me a good deal on it (but comparing to Ebay, it's not THAT much of a deal). The counter guy says he bought one for his wife years ago for $180 and she loves it. Can't recall the brand, but I don't think it's the Smith that's pictured below.

Are they able to do anything other than jewelry? Do they last? Are replacement tips hard to find?

Love it? Hate it? Not worth the money? Something else you'd recommend?

[Rocky D]

It's great for model making, like RC cars and airplanes. You need good eyes to use it, tho.

[Some Creep]

Yeah, that's one of my first thoughts too. Eyeballs and dexterity. Unlike glue or simple low-temp solder, you aren't going to be able to touch your work by hand even for a brief period, and with how small this stuff is they'd like to do, a VERY steady hand and keen or even magnified eyes are a necessity.

I'm thinking a VERY rigid pin-vise will have to be bought at the same time, as well as one of those magnifiers on a flex stand.

I hadn't thought of electronics..... I thought the flame would be dangerous around a circuit board or too hot for wiring. Wrong?

[Sully2]

Has anyone ever used one of these kits? The wife and in-laws are getting into jewelry making and I'm looking at one of these at the LWS for $108. They didn't have much knowledge about this little guy, other than it's been sitting in it's box on their shelf for quite awhile gathering dust. They'll make me a good deal on it (but comparing to Ebay, it's not THAT much of a deal). The counter guy says he bought one for his wife years ago for $180 and she loves it. Can't recall the brand, but I don't think it's the Smith that's pictured below.

Are they able to do anything other than jewelry? Do they last? Are replacement tips hard to find?

Love it? Hate it? Not worth the money? Something else you'd recommend?

My LWS has one sitting in its display box at his shop. I asked if it was for pygmies or what??

Saw a Navaho guy in "Alfa Turkey" using one once..high temp silver soldering rings. Have no idea what fuel he was using but they were small bottles.

[aametalmaster]

Glass guys use them also to weld glass....Bob

[wnkt]

Thats what we used when I was working at a jewelry store. We used Natural gas and a bottle of oxygen though. You wouldn't want those black soot strings all over everything inside when using acetylene. A light touch is all you need with gold...you WILL melt through some stuff. but that happens with steel too

on further investigation.here is a website with lots of tools and they have torches galore http://www.ottofrei.com/store/home.php?cat=293

[Pumpkinhead]

tips are tips, these are just a lot smaller, so life is as expected how you treat them.
a side note, i believe the tips are numbered 1-7, 1&2 are useless with any gas 'cept hydrogen, yes, the bore is so small larger gas molecules won't fit through effectively, and they are sapphires like watch bearings. with a steady hand and a #1 on O/H, you could fusion weld a wire together inside a hollowed cigarette tube.

as for recommending it, yes, for jewelry work it's tops, other jewelers torches use modified hypodermic needles.
what can you use it for? SMALL welds, tiny to medium brazes (which is what jewelry uses, hard solder), soft soldering just about anything.
just one thing, and it's IMPORTANT, she needs precision regulators, big boys don't have the resolution for the small flame, but that goes for ANY jewelers torch, you're working in ounces of pressure to a pound mebee.