[Jewelry making - Article 00593] - Re: [Orchid] Advice on torches

[Marty]

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Hello,

    I have just set up a propane/ oxygen in my small backyard shop.  The
    25 lb propane tank (TYPICAL BARBECUE SIZE) is outside the building
    because it is over the maximum size permitted indoors.   I'm sure
    that if there were a fire and the propane tank was discovered indoors
    the insurance company would  use that fact to decline to cover the
    damages.  Insurance companies have two sides - The "good cop" broker
    who sells you the wonderful policy and the "bad cop" adjustor who
    points out why the policy won't cover what you thought it would -
    after the damage has been done. They are just adversarial by nature.
    In the end, if you are persistent, and if you are right,and if you
    can produce all the documentation they ask for etcetera, they will
    pay - but you have to be patient and have faith and realize that
    their tactics are designed to just wear you down until you give up.
    If they can't do that then they pay out. 

    So, yeah, check with your insurance co before you do your
    installation. If the job is done right your rates won't go up, (or
    maybe only a tiny bit) Get a licensed gas-fitter to do the
    installation and keep a copy of the permit for the job for your
    records. My propane tank (full) cost about $45 (Canadian) and the
    installation - including a regulator at the tank to limit the
    pressure coming into the building, the extra shut-off valve at the
    workbench and a few misc. bits and pieces, plus the permit cost
    about $300. I already had an old acetylene regulator for the torch
    which works as well with propane as acetylene. (Even that became an
    issue for a while as one of the local suppliers said propane would
    damage the diaphragm in the acetylene regulator - while another
    supplier said it was not a problem. I finally had to get an OK from
    the Gas Inspector himself before I was sure it was OK.) It is not
    rocket science and you can do it yourself if you've got some good
    understanding of ordinary plumbing processes etc, but, like
    everything, there are tricks of the trade and why take all the time
    to learn a whole trade for something you're only going to do once?
    Get it done right and forget your worries. 

    But back to the torch. I like having the tank outside because I can
    shut off the gas at the tank so there is no chance of a leak inside
    the building even if any of my other equipment is leaking or if I
    forget to turn off a valve completely. I have another shut-off valve
    on the gas line just where it comes into the building next to my
    workbench - so I can turn off gas instantly if there is an accident
    in the shop when I am working. This is one of those ball valves that
    needs only a one-quarter turn to open or shut the line, not lots of
    rotations of the handle. 

    Between propane and acetylene I would choose propane even though
    acetylene will give a bit more heat because it is difficult to avoid
    those nasty bits of floating black soot you get from just-lit
    acetylene flames until you get the oxy mix right. It only has to
    happen a few times to get those impossible black smudges everywhere.
    Where I live you can't just buy an acetylene tank, you have to lease
    it and pay rent forever and ever. Also the number of places to have
    it refilled are few and far between while propane refills are
    available in many gas stations and other places, even on Sundays. . 

    I am using a Hoke torch now - something new in my life. I had been
    using those little Bernzomatic propane plumbers' torches for years
    and years for jewelry-size work - mostly bcz I was too intimidated or
    lazy to get the "real thing" and my oxy-acetylene welding outfit was
    just overkill.. Stoopid  me. While I did do some fairly OK work with
    the plumbers torch, using the so-called "pencil" tips you can get at
    the hardware store, it was really a crude, blunt instrument by
    comparison with the fine control I get from the Hoke. Also there just
    wasn't enough heat and I sometimes found myself using two torches at
    once which is, to say the least, crazy and dangerous. I mean, do you
    hold the soldering pick in your teeth or what? If you are doing big
    work I think the Hoke can be fitted with some fairly hefty tips. 

    You can get gas detectors, I guess, but how do you know the gas will
    move to where your detector is located? Ordinary convection currents
    from heaters, sunlight, or other disturbances to air in your shop
    might move the gas to some ignition source (motors, light switches,
    thermostats, water heaters etc) before it gets picked up by the
    detector. I think best to have the tank and a shut-off outside. Also
    - The propane tanks now have a built-in shut-off valve which
    operates if gas is flowing out too quickly, like if the gas line to
    the shop is accidentally broken. 

Good Luck,
Marty

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