[Jewelry making - Article 00758] - Re: [Orchid] The Truth about Water Torches?

[John Bozeman]

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    The truth is: water torches are excellent tools to add to your
    bench! I purchased a Stan Rubenstein Associates model SR250 about 6
    months ago and it has become my main torch. It allows me to solder
    more delicate pieces that used to require kiln soldering. Filigree
    repair is a snap. I use it for soldering bezels, making small shot,
    soldering bails, etc. It can be used for annealing small pieces as
    well. The flame size is controlled by tip size and adjustable
    electrical current. The smaller tips produce a tiny pinpoint flame.
    The largest tip produces a flame about 1-1/2 inch in length  AT  5000
    degrees. The user has no adjustable control of the oxygen and
    hydrogen. It is delivered to the tip about 50/50 mix. There are no
    regulators to mess with. I was concerned about this initially but
    with use I realized the mix is just fine the way it is. The
    principles of gas generation works like this: The torch has a water
    tank with a potassium hydroxide electolyte. You add distilled or
    deionized water to the fill line. It has an external methanol
    "bubbler" tank. The raw hydrogen/oxygen gas bubbles through the
    methanol then travels up the hose to the tip. The coolest thing
    about the water torch is you can add boric acid to the methanol and
    have a fluxing flame. It burns Star Wars light saber green. The
    fluxed flame reduces fire scale and has a fluxing effect on the
    piece being soldered. You can run the torch about 4 hours continuous
    before topping off the tanks. I usually fire it up, wait 30 seconds,
    light the torch, use it, turn it off. In 6 months I haven't had to
    add any water. Some people allow the torch to run continuous and
    light it for a soldering operation, then extinguish it but keep it
    on generating gas. There isn't a safety issue because it produces
    such a low volume of gas. It is much cheaper to operate than
    conventional torches. The water torch is extremely portable and can
    be used at remote sites like shopping malls and craft shows. I am a
    fabricator, so this isn't the only torch I use. It will pay for
    itself quite rapidly if you mainly do repair work, though. My torch
    retails about $1000 but I bought it new on eBay for $600. I have
    seen similar torches in the Rio catalog and they operate with the
    same principles mentioned above. Tips are inexpensive hypodermic
    needles and easily replaced, even with glue applicator tips of the
    right gauge. You can see my torch at the following link:
    http://www.sra-solder.com/ww.htm 

Hope this helps,
John Bozeman


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