Old School Soldering  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 06:58:58 pm
content: I was given a few old torches that were removed from buildings before they were demolished. These were used for soldering and I plan to give it a try. A few irons were found with the torches along with some bar solder. The one is a bit odd and I have not been able to find who made it. The more typical one looks almost home made.To attempt to solder electronics, I think I will need to make a custom iron. The last iron I made was pretty crude.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/homebrew-soldering-iron/msg2134417/#msg2134417One of the torches is 100 years old, based on the test date marked on the tank. These use leather for the seals which can leak so I changed the design to use Viton seals (should be a little safer).

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 06:59:48 pm
content: Testing the oldest torch.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 07:58:43 pm
content: What would it have been used for, 100 years ago? Fixing Model T radiators?

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 08:33:51 pm
content: Early cars did use lead in the body work but I suspect the torch predates that. I would guess plumbing and electrical would have been the two primary uses for solder.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 08:45:59 pm
content: A decent website with some general information on them.http://www.blotorches.com/horror.htmlOne of the torches I was given was made by the Turner Brass Works. There is a site which has some interesting historical information on the company.https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/turner-brass-works/

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 09:04:37 pm
content: While fascinating from a history standpoint, these tools were amazingly dangerous for such a commonplace item. Beyond melting snow, I'm not sure they are practical for anything these days.

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 09:12:11 pm
content: Considering the age, one use might've been for soldering leaded windows?

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 09:20:34 pm
content: National lead bar with some solder.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 09:26:59 pm
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 03, 2021, 08:33:51 pmAnywhere metal needed to be joined and/or smoothed really, I wouldn't be surprised if it were used for 'real' coachwork.I've worked on the electrcal system of a pre-war Mercedes while it was being restored and it was interesting to watch the panels being fitted and worked with lead solder, a real skill.

author: Syntax Error
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 09:45:29 pm
content: Agree with @nali . Tools this shape are most familiar to a Leadlighter - an artesan who makes leaded windows.Alternatively, they would have been familiar to a Gaslighter. A gas light fitter.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 10:31:53 pm
content: Quote from: helius on January 03, 2021, 09:04:37 pmYes yes, "think of the children".This tool was a common tool , same uses that you'd use a propane torch these days.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 10:52:54 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on January 03, 2021, 10:31:53 pmExcept propane is considerably more safe than those things.

author: ferdieCX
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2021, 11:58:47 pm
content: When I was a child, I saw oft people using this kind of torch for plumbing.They were also useful to remove paint from wood and metal.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2021, 08:17:03 am
content: Gave both my blow torches to my neighbor that has a collection of ~100 of them.Some he has are so small their tanks hold just a couple of hundred ml and have no pump as the head heating bowl is part of the tank so when heating the head the tank get pressurized while doing so. That they are also so compact there's enough heat from the head to keep the tank pressurized.His big blowtorches have tanks of at least 1 imp gal (4.5l) and hand pumps like an old bicycle stirrup pump to pressurize them.....these make Joes new acquisition look like a toy.Some rare medium size models even have 2 nozzles one of which is quite small and can be lit without preheat, just with a match and its only purpose is for fast heating of the main head to get it up and running quickly.Typically fuels were kerosene and white spirits (78 octane petrol) however every model was designed to run on one or the other and not normally either. Preheat fuels used also depended on OEM design with white spirits (gas) units able to preheat on spirits/gas although it turned the head black with soot and kerosene was even worse so methylated sprits was the preheat fuel of choice for all types as there was no soot produced however the inconvenience of also needing to carry a lighting fuel meant meths was rarely used and consequently blowlamp heads were normally a sooty black that mostly burnt away in use.Joes use of Coleman fuel was a good safe bet not knowing precisely which fuel it might run best on and also adequate for the preheat although one would normally open the fuel valve just before the the preheat flame had used all it fuel for the preheat flame to also light the burner.Earlier in my lifetime it was common to see blowlamps used by various trades and particularly plumbers before silicone sealants were in wide use.They mostly used these:However this style of iron was also useful for sheet metal jointing work:Telecoms used blowlamps and large handheld irons for their early lead wrapped cable joints and their large copper irons were prized in NZ for conversion to lamb tailing irons which we normally heated in the coals of a small fire in a 4 gallon tin.Big irons like the one on the blowlamp here:Main blowlamp brands we saw in NZ were Primus and Sievert.Must get a pic of my buddies big collection................

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2021, 04:31:30 pm
content: I always appreciate peoples concern for my safety. This torch requires some level of skill to operate and maintain it. Consider I had pressure tested the unit and checked for leaks using water. During the pressure testing, I had ran the pressure higher than I intended to run the torch at. This was after a full inspection, cleaning and replacement of bad parts. When it came time to run it, my wife was ready with the fire extinguisher.Going forward, I have some experience using Viton with various fuels. I went away from the cup seal and designed a new brass piston that uses O-rings. Where the leather seals would hold air pressure (nothing but air in the tank) for about 15 minutes or so, the new Viton seals will hold pressure for a half day.Of course, anytime you are playing with fire, expect it can be hot and can burn you! Parents must have let me learn that at at a very young age. Imagine the moral outrage that would cause today!If we look at the CDC death rates, heart disease still leads the way. The couch may not be so safe!Another aspect of playing with a torch like this is you are handling chemicals that are known to cause cancer which is the second leading cause of death.I often think that if we had to recreate our personal transportation system today, we couldn't. Imagine trying to tell someone that they get to fill their car with a highly toxic cocktail of cancer causing chemicals. They do it without a hazmat suit, special training and no MSDS on hand. They can even open the valve and pour it on themselves. Even better, we now place an unskilled driver in the car and turn them loose on a public road. Of course we will try and dumb down this complex system with people who can't write software. Mix that with some cell phones and ethanol... Accidents should be number three on the list!

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2021, 04:39:53 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on January 04, 2021, 08:17:03 amWould like to see it.

author: Wallace Gasiewicz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2021, 08:13:29 pm
content: My leaded glass window restorer used an old copper soldering iron to repair the failed joints in the lead channels.The windows were full length beveled glass "Tulip" design.You put the long iron into the notch at the mouth of the blowtorch with the long iron part of the handle under the hook that is on top of the blowtorch.The flame is aimed at the copper part (head) of the soldering "iron". That holds it in place until it is hot enough.You then can remove the iron and use it till it cools off.On sheet metal: my father had a sheet metal company and had a contract for "airtight" metal plenums. He and my mother used an acetelene soldering gas torch (no oxygen) to heat up the metal and apply the solder in stick form to the "Pittsburg" joints. They used hydrochloric acid to etch the galvanized metal. We had heavy boxes of lead sticks I think some of them were labeled 50/50 tin to lead. As a child, it was fun to bend the sticks in front of my friends. Looked cool.I suppose the copper head solder iron would work there too but there is a lot of heat loss to the sheet metal. So the iron would require frequent reheating.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 03:10:46 am
content: It's still common to use huge electric American Beauty soldering irons on those stained glass windows and sheet metal seams. Maybe not quite the power of the blowtorch but easier to maintain.Quote from: joeqsmith on January 04, 2021, 04:31:30 pmAs a boy who played a lot with matches (and other things) I'm not too worried about the "playing with fire" aspect. It's the fact that fuel can silently spring a leak and spray all over you while a flame is nearby. Certainly nothing like a propane torch (or even an oxyacetylene torch) can compare at all.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 04:23:36 am
content: Quote from: helius on January 05, 2021, 03:10:46 amEmpathy is such a rare quality anymore and again I appreciate your concerns. I am a bit of a risk taker and have little concern about running this torch it in it's current state. Yes, a lot of things can happen but I am more than capable of assessing my personal risks and mitigating them. Once in a while my wife will shut me down. That's when I know it's getting out of hand.

author: GlennSprigg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 11:54:32 am
content: This has been one interesting read!!Here's a few snippets of info for contemplation...'Plumbus' comes from the old Greek/Latin word for 'LEAD'.Hence, a 'Plumber' is/was a Lead Worker. (Now often plastic & glue)A 'PlumBob' is a lead weight on a string to find a vertical!!However, the worst of the worst is when a lot of (not all!) Americans called 'SOLder', 'SODDer' !!!If there was an item/product/design that Americans designed/built, then of course they can call it what everthey want, but it was an English (from England!!) word, that does NOT have a silent 'L', and is just like...folder, colder, holder, bolder... etc... Please stop hijacking basic words!!! End of rant...

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 12:50:42 pm
content: I figured you rant on about us saying "A" "C" "D" "C" rather than aka daca.Personally, I don't get too hung up up spelling, grammer or how people enunciate. I've worked with people from all over the world and if we can understand one another, good enough. We normally have bigger fish to fry.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 04:36:07 pm
content: Quote from: helius on January 05, 2021, 03:10:46 amNo, an oxy torch is far worse, If this thing leaks, you get a fire. If an oxy torch leaks on the fuel line before the arrestor it could ignite, flashback, and blow up the whole tank killing everyone in the room. That's why they should always be inspected before each use and why they put oderant in acetelyne.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 05:48:08 pm
content: I'm guessing I'm not the only one who has played an acetylene torch.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 06:45:53 pm
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 05, 2021, 05:48:08 pmLOL that was serious - you obviously wouldn't want acetylene to accumulate in your garage!

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 07:49:06 pm
content: QuoteA bit of safety advice from the comments.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 03:13:35 am
content: I've pulled apart the old Turner torch and inspected the tank and head. It will need all new seals as well and some new hardware. It was dropped on the top at one point and the holder for the iron had been badly damaged. I attempted to heat and straigten it but cracked the brass. I brazed it back together but you can see it has a bit of a bend to it still. From what I can tell, this one is about 20 years newer.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 03:20:26 am
content: This is the last of the three that were found. Notice to red Christmas ribbon around the box. Sadly the filler was damaged. While this could be TIGed, there's a lot of rust along the seam and inside the tank. This one will be left as is.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 03:51:18 am
content: To attempt to solder SMD with it, will require some sort of custom iron. It's going to be a trade off of thermal mass, size and ease of use.The home made iron I show in that video is very crude using a wine cork for the insulator and one of my dad's old 35 Remington cases for the handle. If you watched the video, you could see it's possible to do some basic surface mount part removal with it. I'm sure I could have soldered with it as well. The new iron will need to be heated with your hand next to the mass. Thinking ceramics. Maybe just embed a thermocouple into the mass and use a hand held meter to monitor the temperature.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 04:15:28 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 06, 2021, 03:51:18 amWill a can of spinach help ?

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 04:19:16 am
content: I was thinking 6 months of weight training. Need to sort out some finger exorcises. Hummmm... I'll let that one float.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2021, 01:55:58 am
content: Machined up a about the largest bit of copper I thought I could use before it gets in the way. I tried a few heat cycles with the propane torch and did some through hole soldering with it. It's better than I would have expected. Using one of my original Pace tips.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2021, 08:25:32 am
content: Quote from: Cyberdragon on January 05, 2021, 04:36:07 pmThe other 'nice' thing about acetylene, is that if the confined gas pressure is allowed to rise above about 15 PSI, it can spontaneously detonate. Doesn't need any oxidant. This is why acetylene cylinders are complicated things, full of porous material soaked in acetone, with the acetylene disolved in the acetone. Even the top of the cylinder around the outlet is packed with asbestos cloth. The aim is to avoid any significant volume of high pressure raw acetylene.I don't know why anyone would consider these old kerosene torches dangerous. Any more than just a bottle of kerosene. They are not pumped up to high pressure, just enough to push some kerosene up into the heated tubing where it becomes a gas to produce the flame. It's the expansion of the small amount of heated kero that creates the 'blow' of the flame. Plus the kero tank is not going to suddenly spring a leak. The seams are mechanical, with solder just to seal. The solder can't melt while there's kero inside, and if there's no kero, then a leak due to melted solder seam is not a problem either. I guess if you filled it then put the whole thing in a fire, it could explode, but that's a silly case.They are however a pain to run. Clogged jet being one annoyance.As for filling a plastic bag with any fuel-oxy mix, now *that's* a death wish. Static electricity and plastic bags... That guy in the video was just lucky.Here's my old torch. Haven't run it for decades. Yes I do have some big copper-block soldering irons for it. It's a 'just in case' relic. Hmm, it still holds some kerosene, but the pump seal is dead.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2021, 09:18:16 pm
content: modern acetylene cylinders use THF instead of acetone and there is alot of safety work that went into them since there was a explosion in australia a long time ago. Some of the concerns that people have no longer apply to modern tanks, but all concerns involving gas are still the same.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 03:29:05 am
content: The post apocalyptic Pace iron.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 04:08:28 am
content: Seems like batteries shouldn't be used. My old Central Scientific Galvanometer, model 375-4.http://www2.humboldt.edu/scimus/Manufac/Cenco/Cenco.htm

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 04:52:10 am
content: Stained glass was a major user of soldering irons 3/8 inch to 1 inch tips is normal. 120 watt iron is a pretty good size for a half inch tip. Came is the H channel material (solid lead) that the glass slips into. Old pre-electric irons where just that a copper iron in a fire you would have as many as you need to keep up with the job.It's a very old technology.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 05:12:17 am
content: Copper soldering irons were used in this reproduction of the 2200-year-old Antikythera Mechanism:Showing that a similar tool could have been used to make it.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2021, 10:42:26 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on January 07, 2021, 09:18:16 pmYou don't happen to know how to transfer acetylene from one tank to another? I'm curious.For propane it's easy - gravity and gas pressure in the full tank will push the liquid to the empty tank. Just a matter of fittings, tank orientation, flushing out air, etc.For general gases, oxygen, argon, CO2, MIG gas, etc, there are high pressure gas transfer pumps. Cheap from China, someday I must get one.But acetylene... I have no idea. At least of how to do it safely. Must be possible, since cylinders _are_ filled.Maybe there's some old book(s) from the early 1900's with details, before everything went liability mad. But I haven't found them yet.It's not such a pressing need, now one can buy gas cylinders outright again. Thank God.Years ago I swore I'd never again get sucked into the cylinder rental scam.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2021, 06:37:03 am
content: Yea I would not fuck with acetylene its cheap enough. Seriously dangerous way to try to save money. Get a portatorch with small bottles.For high pressure gasses you use higher pressure equalized tanks with flow limiting restriction and a good regulator. The distributors typically have weird gasses delivered and common gasses supplied from a gas battery. I want to say the welding store does not use a transfer pump they just have like 30 cylinders daisy chained together for distribution, the high pressure transfer happens in some professional facility.When I think of china + thousands of PSI that is bad. How do you know someone did not machine a shitty casting or something. The professional air compressors are the size of a industrial washing machine and run at like 95db+. The frames of all this stuff are built like safes with like 3/8 inch plate being the minimum. Special tech gets paid like 30+ an hour just to service em. I expect the QC for these parts to be very expensive (like a spline shaft manufacturing place). I suspect its welded together with the same standards as military vehicle armor.

author: iso
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 17, 2021, 10:12:37 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on January 16, 2021, 10:42:26 amI transfer calibration gases at work from cylinders into passivated canisters, which are not rated for much pressure but the principle I imagine is the same. I put the receiving canister under a vacuum (if it's a calibration gas, down to ~100 mTorr, but for general gas use it doesn't need to be down that far I imagine) then attach it via a bit of stainless steel tubing (usually via a Micro-QT connector) and an appropriate regulator. I then open up the regulator slowly to the required pressure until I can't hear the gas flow anymore. I assume it'd be a similar process for transferring between two larger gas bottles. With acetylene I suspect you couldn't put the old cylinder under vacuum otherwise the saturating solvent would disappear, but maybe if you purged the air out first as you suggest...

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2021, 12:40:20 pm
content: Soldering irons like that were quite common, and you can do a lot of tinsmithing with them as well. Buckets, cups, gutters are all things that used to be soldered together, and there are still plenty of them in use. A farmer would probably have a good number of milk urns that had tin soldered joints in them and do not forget the biggest use was in preserving food, with the original soldered seam tin cans, where the seam and both lids were soldered on.While the modern ones are either electric resistance welds, or ultrasonic welds, the lids themselves are crimped, using a thin coating that is both a seal and protective coat to the inside. In the old ones the tin coat served the same function, though you could not tin can tomatoes as the acid dissolved the tin, along with other acid food and drinks like orange juice. I have used them in the past, and still have one or two around, but electric soldering gun is so much more convenient, and also does not need periodic reheating. for bigger jobs gas torches are a lot better, but those are more for plumbing and glazing.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2021, 09:30:32 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 04, 2021, 04:39:53 pmActually when I went to see Jimz today he said he had 200 different models !Plus he's got a few doubles as well so I'm guessing 220+ !Some pics for your pleasure:So if old school soldering is the topic of this thread there's some resources for that here:In the workshop are an additional few in occasional use, in the foreground 2 very similar models from Sievert LH a White Spirts version, RH a Kero version used last week. Both are quick start models with a preheat burner to get the main burner to temp when just opening the valve was enough to have it fire up.Largest to smallest which is blown through a length of tubing and the LH model is the same as Joes as far as we know although the expert said the wrong pump was on Joe's one.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2021, 04:45:28 am
content: Wow!!! Thank you very much for taking the time to post their collection. Some of their irons look pretty small. Did you show them a picture of my custom iron for surface mount work? Should be pretty fun to try it, once we get some warmer weather.QuoteInteresting. It looks like the same pump in your photo. I wonder what the pump was supposed to look like and why it would have been changed. I don't feel so bad now about changing the design.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2021, 07:22:02 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 20, 2021, 04:45:28 amI linked Jimz to this thread a good few days back and suppose he saw but it didn't comment. He did some basic electronics years ago so knows a bit about this sort of thing. We have been good friends approaching 40 years.Quote from: joeqsmith on January 20, 2021, 04:45:28 amI guess he made the comment based on something he saw in your vid but didn't elaborate more.He certainly has a wonderful collection and probably the best in NZ. I guess you saw the NIB units of which some look just like the day they were made. Those couple of 3ft long units hanging on the wall are quite impressive as are the the couple on the floor alongside all the irons.Funny I picked right out one I'd given him which is a small Primus Kero blowlamp that has curved steel rod folding handles that flip back to hug the tank so to be more compact in storage. That one and the other tautech donated one a more common and little larger Primus he has multiples of.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2021, 04:00:55 am
content: I would be interested to know if your friend has ever seen an iron like that small one I showed (not my home made one for electronics, but the old one found with one of the torches).In one of the photos, on the top shelf, there appears to be some sort of very large shell casing. Looks like about 100mm. Any idea what it is?Everyone I have shown their collection to has been impressed. The large torches are jaw dropping. Does he ever run them? If so, any videos of one of the large ones in action?

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2021, 04:36:57 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 22, 2021, 04:00:55 amMy grandfather had a torch similar to those really big two-handed ones. I remember playing with it as a child. It was called a "flame thrower", it ran on kerosene, and it was used for burning weeds and undergrowth to clear ground for planting. It made a giant flame about a foot long.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2021, 07:35:12 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 22, 2021, 04:00:55 amThis one in the OP ?He's got nothing like that that I've ever noticed but I'll ask.QuoteI'll find out.QuoteVery occasionally however if they get all cleaned up for display then not.I have seen one of the bigun's running and they are indeed fire and brimstone breathers !Pretty darn noisy too.A rainy day is what I really need to spend a few hours there however now in mid summer in NZ they are not that common and I normally need them for catching up on paperwork due to the never ending outside jobbies here at home. Let's see what I can arrange in the next few weeks however we have an expo coming up so it's gunna be a busy time.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2021, 09:01:21 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on January 22, 2021, 04:00:55 amJimz was out when I called however a pic from which I'm fairly sure it's a British 25 pounder 3.45" Howitzer casing although it looks much bigger held between knees for the pic.At one time they were common here in NZ and pop told me he had used them when he did his CMT in the late 40's.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_QF_25-pounder

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2021, 04:45:16 am
content: That's a big shell casing.I finally put the Turner back together. Your friend my not like my repair work. The handle screws are new brass as I had destroyed the original ones. I left the paint on the handle original. Note the pump stems discolored part way up. The torch was stored on it's side and the stem had corroded to the point where it was about to snap off. I welded that entire stem to build it up and then put it in a lathe to cut it back down and polished it a bit. Used some Teflon tape for the small pipe and replaced all the seals.I ran water through it today for the first time. No leaks and seems to hold pressure well.Now we just need some good weather and I'll try out the new soldering iron...

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2021, 05:35:45 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on February 28, 2021, 04:45:16 amLooks just fine in fact very tidy Joe.If it wasn't functional the only options are restoration, buying a donor to fix it or scrap/recycling.But like anything aged one must decide its value to you and whether you intend to use it or have it as a collectors piece in used, restored or NIB condition where the common models are worth more as a tool that gets used rather than just sitting on a shelf.Jimz and I chuckle at your water pressure tests where we'd just be adding some fuel and pressurizing it ready to fire up and if it leaked then back to square one. They need be in a very abused condition before leakage is likely and they were made as portable so got a pile of abuse over the years. Don't remember ever seeing a blow lamp leak.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2021, 01:57:18 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on February 28, 2021, 05:35:45 amIt held pressure overnight with just air. It's ready.Yeah, I'm not thinking these are worth but a few dollars so I'm not too concerned with keeping them original. I enjoy seeing vintage tech in operation. The labor of welding that shaft up far outweighs the value of the torch.The water makes it easier to check for leaks but I can watch the spray pattern while adjusting the jet, making sure it's steady, centered and will turn off.Suspect they left the original graphite seal an damaged it when they took it apart to pretty it up.https://youtu.be/nVuhe5IcuJA?t=595This one looks like the spray is way off center.https://youtu.be/s2vYk0b_tUI?t=413

author: PwrElectronics
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2021, 11:42:50 pm
content: Another use for a gas fired blow torch....My father's uncle on a road trip in Sept 1951. Heating up the pan for cooking supper. My father (age 18) and his uncle went on a road trip in 1951. They camped out along the side of the road for the most part.The car is a 1939 Ford, was my fathers. They are somewhere in a desert area in the US west.Either this same torch or one similar is still in the tools collection on the family farm. I've never seen it working as by the 1970's propane torches with disposable cylinders were in use.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 07:18:34 pm
content: The old one that has rust in the seam you can try to use the low damage rust remover that sells for 20$ a gallon. It may be able to clean it up enough that it can be silver soldered. You can possibly solder a copper wire around the interior seam to act as a sealer for the crimped point when its filled with low-medium flow braze but I think it will be a dangerous repair.

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2021, 09:29:46 pm
content: I think I tried to solder some wire back together with a candle and a nail once, or maybe I just tried it as an experiment....or saw it on utube, I don't seem to remember if it worked or not, but I'd use a "heavy" copper ground wire if I had to try that again.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2021, 02:27:47 am
content: The Turner Brass Works torch runs again... A night time show for those of you who enjoy seeing some flames. Also a flame shootout between the Turner and the 100 year old Clayton & Lambert.Won't be long now and we can try doing a little surface mount soldering.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 02:54:35 am
content: As promised, using the 100 year old Clayton and Lambert torch to do some surface mount soldering.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2021, 09:46:27 am
content: My dad had one like that but it had a rack on top to hold the soldering iron in the flame.Fun and games! I learned a few new words when he tried to use it.Quote from: joeqsmith on January 03, 2021, 06:59:48 pm

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2021, 01:34:32 pm
content: I have few old copper billet soldering irons some are ex MOD and were unused and wrapped in grease paper when Igot them one is shaped like hatchet and weighs severl pounds. I also have very small one made for electrical work that I purchased brand new in the early 70's from a local electronics shop.I also have a couple of parafin blow lamps one of which is rather large ex British railways and made for defrosting points.

author: DenzilPenberthy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2021, 02:33:53 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on January 16, 2021, 10:42:26 amIf BOC can still have a major incident while filling acetylene bottles, I definitely wouldn't recommend it as a DIY project!https://www.avonfire.gov.uk/bristol-incidents/305-crews-attend-bristol-explosionhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-28702874https://www.shponline.co.uk/prosecutions/boc-to-pay-260-000-after-explosion-injures-workers/As to the cylinder rental - here in the UK now there are places doing rental free gasses. Maybe you can get similar in Aus now? I've got argon mix for the MIG welder and oxygen & acetylene at home for car bodywork/fabrication etc with no rental feesJust pay once for a deposit for the cylinder then pay for refills.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2021, 04:26:57 pm
content: Quote from: DenzilPenberthy on September 10, 2021, 02:33:53 pmThat's how it works in the US too - you own the cylinder, it has to pass muster (age) but you are free to refill it as often (or not) as you like...

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2021, 08:46:32 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on September 10, 2021, 01:34:32 pmNice and not very common these days. AFAIK they were for sealing folded sheetmetal seams.Those new ones should be quite valuable in decades to come.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2021, 02:52:31 pm
content: Problem with comppresed acetylene is that it can explosivly polyimerise which is why it is used as DA (disolved aceytalene) the disolving agent used is acetone soaked kapoc or some other material.Disolving it involves coppressing it so it ia wonder that there is not more explosions when filling cylinders.The HSE rules are based on standards set up by companies like BOC so I guess the reason they pleaded guilty in this case was it was the cheapest option.I had a fire officer come round the workshop years ago and say you cannot have that cylinder of acetalene in the workshop as it is flammable I pointed out that the whole idea was it burns at very high temperature and the cylinder of pure oxygen nect to it on the trolly was in many ways a greater hazzard as if it leked every thing became highly flammable. He then told me that I had to take both outside when not in use, which is something he already knew I did as I had previously shown him the gas cage outside.Guess these type just havre to have the last word.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyacetylene

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2021, 05:18:33 pm
content: acetone is not used anymore, its THF? now. It's a better solvent for many things. Also makes a super great super glue remover (the super glue remover tin squirter in the store is THF and it actually works amazing).. it is also low toxicity and the odor is less noxious then acetone.. but the odor in your acetylene comes from arsenic and phosphine related compounds in trace quantity.I believe its more stable with THF then acetone also, chemically.. you really wanna do your modern research before fooling around with anything involving acetylene transfers... very dangerous. In fact I recommend not doing it at all, for acetylene I won't use any second hand equipment and I have the welding store do the hoses etc.. its the one gas not worth fucking around with yourself IMO. You can do alot of cool things that are safe with other gases like lens/diffuser backfilling apparatus, plasma, etc.. but none of those gasesdetonate. Even if you buy all the feed plumbing primo its cheap for a shop.or maybe it was DMF.. I could be off on the THF. But I think when I was asking about the tanks he said the new ones do not use acetone for some reason... but I asked 5 years ago (for airgas).. the clerk happened to have a welding engineering degree so I talked to him a little bit about the specifics and he I recall him correcting me on the acetone remark when I was asking about how they do tank maintenance and stuff (I happened to have possession of a old out of hyrotest spec bottle that was real nasty looking (I cleaned it up, but I was worried about rust along the bottom that seemed to be penetrating a 'seam').. thankfully he took that in as a trade in for a new cylinder since I wire brushed it good.. it belonged to a plumber that I got it from when he retired ).

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2021, 05:39:49 pm
content: Timestamp 6:07