[Jewelry making - Article 00143] - Re: [Orchid] Water Torches Product Review

[doug]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

>     I am researching torches right at the moment, and I would like to
>     know more....Does anyone have information on these torches? Where to
>     get them, who makes them, how they compare cost-wise to acetylene
>     or propane set-ups, and how they perform? 

    I can't speak for all water torches, but I've been using the Okai
    "TurboBraze Hydrofluz Welder" for about six months, and it's serving
    the majority of my needs well. Those needs are safety, reasonable
    cost of operation and, obviously, effectiveness. On the plus side,
    this unit's 18 to 36 gauge ('sharp-point-less' hypodermic needle)
    torch tips enable me to get right in on top of tasks with a kind of
    precision I could never dream of otherwise, save for the use of a
    laser welder, which is about 20-30x as expensive. And, since my shop
    is in our home, the facts that I don't need to store gas tanks and
    that theprimary gaseous byproduct oftorchburning -- other than that
    from fluxes, metallic oxides, et al -- is water vapor,make
    itreassuring to me to use it. Now, for the bad news... If you're a
    lover of textures, like I am, you'llprobably wantto pick up a second
    torch, like those butaneBlazer torches (or, you can save some money
    by heading over to your local home goods store and asking for a Creme
    Brulee` torch, since the two are identical!), since the majority of
    the water torches use a self-fluxing catalyst, which prevents you
    from doing the depletion gilding necessary to do reticulation. In
    addition, the flame sizes they produce -- again, via hypodermic
    needle torch tips -- are so small that the heat they produce, while
    extremely intense, occurs in such small diameter flames that most
    larger works in silver or platinum are simply not possible to do.
    With mine came a warning that it could not handle silver or platinum
    pieces larger thanthe average wedding band. By the same token, there
    are other such torches that can, although you're not too likely to
    find them for much less than $2,000US. In the end, I guess it all
    comes down to an accurate needs assessment: what sizes and metals
    are you likely to be working in, and under what conditions? (I hope
    this's helped somewhat.) 

Doug
Douglas Turet, G.J. President, Turet Design
P.O. Box 242 Avon, MA 02322-0242 (508) 586-5690
doug AT turetdesign.com

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________