Jewelry Torches: A Beginner’s Guide

Jewelry Torches 101

A torch is an essential part of the jewelry manufacturing process. Even if you're just fabricating small jewelry pieces with minimal metal, soldering the metal can benefit both your technique and your finished product.

A torch consists of the following:

• the hand piece
• a rectangular-shaped, two-valved cap with an elongated, curved neck
• the tip, a conical and interchangeable piece for the end of the neck that determines flame size

Larger tip numbers signify a hotter and larger flame.

Often included with the hand piece are red and green hoses that connect the torch with its fuel source.

Torch Fuel

You need a fuel source to power the flame. Jewelry torches can be powered by a number of different fuels.

Butane

Used to power small, handheld torches (think of an over-sized cigar lighter).

Propane

A good choice for platinum work. For safety reasons, keep the canisters outside.

Acetylene

Burns "dirtier" than other gases. Not recommended for platinum work, since it will contaminate the metal. Proper ventilation required.

Natural Gas

A good choice if you already have natural gas as a heat source.

Hydrogen

Not a common fuel source, especially for home use, due to its volatile nature.

Combined Fuels

Propane, acetylene, and natural gas are often combined with oxygen to produce an even more powerful flame. This means that a canister of gas and a canister of oxygen is needed to power the torch, which is why many torches have two valves and two tubes.

You can purchase propane and acetylene canisters from local hardware stores.

Types of Jewelry Torches

When deciding on a torch to purchase, keep in mind the size and location of your workspace and the size of the pieces you'll be manufacturing. I've compiled a list of popular torches that range from a small, less intense flame to a large, powerful flame. Amazon, Gesswein, and Pepe Tools have great collections of torches for sale on their websites.

Butane Torches

A butane torch is a good choice for soldering delicate earrings, jump rings, and small links. It has a flame that burns at 2,500º F (1,371º C) for 35 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the size and model. All have a refillable butane canister, and most have an adjustor level to regulate flame size. A butane torch is only recommended for very light solder work on very small items. It's also a great choice if you have limited workspace or can't have gas canisters in your workspace.

Two of the most sought-after butane torches are the Blazer GB2001 Self-igniting Butane Micro-Torch and the GT8000 Big Shot Butane Torch, available through Amazon. The GT8000 is larger in size with a larger flame but only burns for 35 minutes. In contrast, the smaller and lighter GB2001 burns with a smaller flame for up to 2 hours.

Little Torches

A Little Torch is the next step up from a butane torch and looks significantly different. The Little Torch is a great starter torch if you want to do more heat work on larger items than a butane torch can handle. It's versatile enough to solder small items, like jump rings, as well as larger items, like cuff bracelets. Its flame heats up to 6,000º F (3,315º C), hot enough to weld steel up to 1/8″ thick and to melt up to 3 oz of silver.

The best name in Little Torches is Smith, so if you want to delve into soldering, the Smith Little Torch is what you need. It's a two-gas torch but very versatile. It's compatible with oxygen and natural gas, acetylene, hydrogen, or propane. (However, propane is recommended).

It comes with 5 different sized tips (#3 through a #7), which regulate the flame size and heat. Use small tips for low flames and larger tips for larger, hotter flames. You need to purchase both gas and oxygen regulators to keep tank pressures stable.

This torch is a great choice if you have a small workspace but still need to work on larger pieces. It's light and portable, too. Amazon and Gesswein offer it on their websites.

Smith Silver Handi-Torches

If you want a torch large enough to cast metal, you need the Smith Silver Smith Handi-Torch. With different tips, this is a very versatile instrument. A smaller tip will solder smaller items, while using the largest tip enables you to cast metal. It burns up to 4,770º F (2,632º C).

It's a single-gas torch, so it only has one valve and hose. Acetylene is the recommended fuel source.

The Smith Silver Smith Handi-Torch comes with one tip, a small #00. However, five others are available: 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. You'll need the #4 tip to cast metal. A gas regulator is included, as well as a striker to ignite the flame.

This is a hotter burning and larger torch than the Little Torch. Amazon and Gesswein sell them, as well as the additional tips.

Jewelry Torches Popular with Professional Bench Jewelers

The workhorses of jewelry manufacturing are the torches that can do it all, from fine soldering earrings to casting large pieces of metal with extremely hot flames burning at incredibly high temperatures. The two most commonly used torches that can do this are the MECO Midget Torch and the Hoke Torch.

MECO Midget Torch

This is one of the most popular torches among professional bench jewelers. You can use this two-gas torch with oxygen and propane or natural gas.

The torch is available with one tip (00) or three (00, 0, 3).

Casting is done with the #3 tip. Otto Frei and Rio Grande offer the MECO at reasonable prices.

Hoke Torch

You'll find this torch in many jewelry manufacturing workshops. It's also a two-gas torch and can be used with oxygen and acetylene, natural gas, or propane.

Different tips are available for the torch, based on the gas combination used.

Casting is always done with the largest tip. The Hoke Torch has its gas valves on the side, while the MECO has its valves on top. Many feel this makes the Hoke too cumbersome. However, the Hoke is significantly less expensive than the MECO.

Amazon has the Hoke compatible with natural gas or acetylene and the corresponding tips. Otto Frei has the Hoke compatible with acetylene, natural gas, or propane and the corresponding tips.

Flashback Arrestors

Be sure and purchase flashback arrestors for two-gas torches. The arrestors prevent fire from running through the hose to the canister and causing an explosion.

My Advice for Choosing and Using Jewelry Torches

You can buy a propane canister torch at your local hardware store. Personally, I find them too heavy and awkward to handle, but I have seen people use them with very good results.

I bought my acetylene/atmosphere torch about fifteen years ago. It came with a regulator, hose, handle and five tips. I rent an acetylene bottle from the local welding shop. These setups are still available. I prefer this type of torch because it doesn''t burn as hot as oxy/acetylene and I have better heat control.

Oxy/acetylene and oxy/propane combinations each require two regulators, two hoses, two tanks, and a handle. Some come with an assortment of tips. Of the setups I've discussed here, these are the most expensive. You can''t use acetylene in a torch with tips for propane and vice-versa.

With any oxygen-using torch, if you don't keep the torch moving while soldering it's very easy to make melted blobs of metal. (Some do have interesting shapes, though). Nevertheless, these are very versatile setups. With the right selection of tips you can do anything from making jewelry to building your own dune buggy.

Recommendations for Jewelry Torches

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