Blowtorch

[Eric The Viking]

That's the one I have (that turns into a flamethrower).

Yep had that a few times usually means the nozzle needs cleaning out or replacing.

I assume you mean the burner itself. It's true that all of mine have taken a bit of stick down the years, but I thought the liquid trap is in the valve part - all the burners do it, including the paintstripper (fan) one, which hardly ever gets used as it's way too fierce for fine work.

I agree that otherwise it's the better tool. It's easier to control than the Rothenberger for small things, but if I could find alternative nozzles for the latter that might be different. I just keep a cigarette lighter in my back pocket to light the Sievert, only for the flint really as it doesn't need a flame.

Also the picture is a bit misleading although the text makes it clear - that's for just the valve and tube - no cylinder nor actual burner.

I did state that in what I wrote

Yes, I didn't think it was you - Machine Mart being a bit awkward, as, although the Sieverts are good, they're more expensive than they probably should be when you add everything up.

E.

 

[Eric The Viking]

This is interesting.

http://youtu.be/OV0KOxQP8gk

As he says, MAPP gas is three times the price but as his test shows doesn't burn that much hotter than Propane.

Doesn't surprise me, from time to time I work for a couple of gas fitter mates they both have the MAPP type gas with the newer self igniting torches & while more convenient they've never impressed me that much much that I thought I'd have to buy one.

It is different for soldering temperatures, which are about 1/5th of what he was getting in the video. MAPP seems to be a lot quicker. Personally, I usually find that very helpful, but I have friends who hate it, and only use propane in a Bernz/Rothenberger torch.

I appreciate the guy in the video was trying to be fair, but he should really have started at the same temp, and timed how long each gas took to get to its maximum temp. I bet the MAPP was a lot faster to reach the max temp of the propane.

The MAPP flame is a lot hotter, but running a mini furnace on one burner, the limiting factor will be the flow rate and the burner size. For low temp work, eg. Tin lead soldering, there is usually ample flow, so the heat transfer rate difference is significant.

To use an analogy, you can't paint-strip a cast iron fireplace with a propane blowlamp, not because of the flame temp, but because the power of the blowlamp is too little to overcome the huge heatsink effect of the cast iron.

 

[woodpig]

MAPP gas torches are pretty much only plumbers tools, having said that a mate of mine uses a 3.9 kg Propane cylinder with a Sievert torch and hose as it's far cheaper and you can use whatever size burner you need for the job.

I only use those disposable gas bottles for filling my Airsoft guns these days!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I believe I paid about £9 for my last propane and about £12 for the MAPP - it's not 3X more. I found MAPP good for when I was at the extent of the capabilities of the torch - not often. For jewellery and small stuff it could cause problems because of its being too hot. I find that the cylinders leak when disconnected, so I put a drop of water on the valve to test that it's closed properly. (although that's not often as I have four Rothenberger torches )

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I have a cheap, ordinary propane/butane torch, and a Rothenberger with MAPP. The latter will get 10-12mm section steel to red heat in order to bend it - just. The cheapo one won't. In order to harden plane / travisher blades, I sometimes need one in each hand ...

 

[woodpig]

I use a 6kg cylinder as my "portable" setup. Paid about £16 for my last refill so it's about ten times cheaper than the throw always. Luckily there's always some monkey that throw various size cylinders away so I've never even paid for one, just the refill.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I have a cheap, ordinary propane/butane torch, and a Rothenberger with MAPP. The latter will get 10-12mm section steel to red heat in order to bend it - just. The cheapo one won't. In order to harden plane / travisher blades, I sometimes need one in each hand ...

Same here.

I find a retort stand (school chemistry lab style) is really useful to hold at least one blowlamp. With the MAPP one and the cyclone on the Sievert together I managed to harden and temper my 1/2" mortice chisel, and I have heated and bent rebar with them too. You have to "crossfire" though, as I found the air draft from one going flat out interfered with the other - they would put each other out if they came in from the same side.

I've tempered chisels with just the cyclone burner in the past, but that's a bit easier.

 

[woodpig]

Surrounding whatever you're trying to heat up with refractive fire bricks makes a huge difference.

 

[woodfarmer]

I have a little camping gaz one i bought to do some plumbing. It was fine for heating EN316 bar 12mm thick for bending to make a luggage rack for my bike.