Facing the truth about silversmithing...

[bobby1]

Acetylene shouldn't be an unreasonable source of fear. It has safely been around for a few years. If you notice some of the designations on the smaller tanks they are labeled as "MC" and "B". These came from when cars and buses has acetylene fueled headlights, a few years back. "MC" was for Motor Car and "B" was for Bus.
Bob

[Steve]

It's been a while since anyone wrote on the subject........I even been warned on the top of the page.......but I wasn't around then, so...........

Safety is an important factor to consider when you are shopping around for a torch set up.  When I had out grown the propane canister torch I started smith with, I decided I wanted an air/acetylene system - oxy/acetylene was just too much for what I wanted to do.  I then went around to the several jewelry supply outlets and also a welder's supply outlet and looked and handled several types of these torches from different manufacturers.  I opted for the 'Uniweld' TH-9 set up.  The shape of the handle is comfortable to hold when torching and the location of the on/off valve can be operated by the holding hand - one hand operation.





The ease of operation of the torch one used instills confidence in your abilities with that torch.  The rest is common sense - as with guns a torch should not be pointed where it isn't meant to be used.  Additionally, the acetylene tank should be closed when not in use.

For the work that I do I have two tips that I use.  My everyday utility tip is a UCA-2 and for larger items like belt buckles where a broader flame and heat is needed I use a UCA-3.

[spirit bear beads]

I too use an acetlylene only torch, and hold it in my left hand (non dominant)  I can easily spray any small fire  with my liquid flux bottle with my right hand.

The only time I came close to setting anything on fire was dropping a really hot piece of silver on the carpet!

When I took my first silversmithing class I was rather amazed at the women there who professed to be afraid of the flame.  I mean, how did they expect to solder w/o a torch?  Don't these women cook with FIRE every day in the kitchen? or BBQ?  I guess I never learned to fear a torch, another gift from my father.  We were always welding or melting something out in the garage!   

[Enchantra]

At my full time job we fill propane tanks aside from selling all the other pet supplies, lawn and garden and farm supplies.  When I was first learning how to fill them it scared me wittless!  I didn't like the sound of the gas.  I didn't like the noise of the machine.  The whole experience just left me feeling a bit unnerved. 

I have over time more or less overcome that fear to a degree.  It's still there but I deal with it.  The only tanks I still refuse to fill are RV tanks.  Sorry but I have a fear of blowing up someone's RV along with me!

On a given day our store fills mostly Forklift tanks, standard gas grill size, 30# and 40# with the occasional 100# tank. 

The smell of propane certainly is something to watch for.  You smell it, you'll know it.  Always a good parctice to bleed the lines.  We bleed the hoses after every tank as standard practice. 

Now if I could just get the idiot customers to understand that you don't park your car five feet from the scale on the fill station because it is illegal, I'd consider it an accomplishment!  I had one guy back his car up to it to unload his grill tank.  He looked at me like I had grown horns when I told him I refused to fill it till he parked his car in a real parking spot that was a safe distance from the fill station.  Why do they park so close?  Lazy - plain and simple they are lazy.  I loathe lazy people. 

[woodyrock]

One thing that I have never even considered was to be afraid of a torch, or flammable/explosive gases. If you keep them in the cylinder where they belong until you need them, all will be well. After leaving the Navy, I worked in commercial deep diving for a few years breathing mixed gases. I Europe where helium is very expensive, it is common practice to use a oxygen/hydrogen gas mix for deep diving. The 'normal' reaction of an American at seeing a high pressure cylinder filled with a hydrogen/oxygen mixture is either bomb, or Hinddenburg.  In actual fact, this mixture is much better breathing than is oxygen/helium.
Woody