Alcohol lamp and blow pipe

I want to try the alcohol lamp and blow pipe for soldering gold and/or
silver. Can someone please point me to a picture/description of the
equipment and technique? The hits I got with Google didn't help.



--

Carl West

http://carl.west.home.comcast.net
----------------------------------
Thinking outside the box - Good
Pooping outside the box - Bad

Carl West wrote:
I want to try the alcohol lamp and blow pipe for soldering gold and/or
silver. Can someone please point me to a picture/description of the
equipment and technique? The hits I got with Google didn't help.



The equipment is very simple: the alcohol lamp is a glass bottle
(usually rather spherical approx 2.5" diam) with a wick in the lid. The
blow pipe is a tapered tube 7"-8" long, 3/8" diam at one end and 1/8"
diam at the other - all approx. The last inch or so at the small end is
bent at right angles. You put some alcohol in the bottle and light the
wick, this gives a very soft flame about an inch and a bit long. The
technique is also very simple in essence, but quite difficult to master.
You put the large end of the pipe between your lips, bring the small end
so that it points into the flame, and blow gently to make a hot, narrow,
pointed flame. The trouble is, when you stop blowing to take a breath,
you lose the hot flame. This is where you have to practise: you take a
breath, fill your cheeks and start to blow. When you need to take
another breath you use your cheeks to continue blowing while you breath
in through you nose. You can practise without the lamp and pipe.
Experts could/can exercise a most remarkable degree of control of the
size and intensity of the flame

--

Regards, Gary Wooding
(To reply by email, change feet to foot in my address)

Wooding wrote:

Carl West wrote:

I want to try the alcohol lamp and blow pipe for soldering gold and/or
silver. Can someone please point me to a picture/description of the
equipment and technique? The hits I got with Google didn't help.




The equipment is very simple: the alcohol lamp is a glass bottle
(usually rather spherical approx 2.5" diam) with a wick in the lid. The
blow pipe is a tapered tube 7"-8" long, 3/8" diam at one end and 1/8"
diam at the other - all approx. The last inch or so at the small end is
bent at right angles.

I assume this is to make it easier to see what you're doing.

Approximate size(s) of the orifice in the pipe?


...
You put the large end of the pipe between your lips, bring the small end
so that it points into the flame,

Near the base of the flame? or the hot part?

... you take a
breath, fill your cheeks and start to blow. When you need to take
another breath you use your cheeks to continue blowing while you breath
in through you nose.

Ah."Circular breathing", like for playing the didgeridoo or trumpet or
clarinet or...


Experts could/can exercise a most remarkable degree of control of the
size and intensity of the flame

It strikes me as the 'simple' way of doing this work on the cheap.. If I
can manage the skill part.

Any idea how far back this technique goes?
--

Carl West

http://carl.west.home.comcast.net
----------------------------------
Thinking outside the box - Good
Pooping outside the box - Bad

On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 19:02:02 -1200, in ¤ñ Carl West wrote:

:
The last inch or so at the small end is
bent at right angles.

I assume this is to make it easier to see what you're doing.


It also lets you aim the direction of the flame with only a small rotation of the main
tube, rather than a large difference in the position of the mouth end.

Approximate size(s) of the orifice in the pipe?

small. try about 1/16 inch or so, from the ones I've seen. You can always make it
larger if you like later.

...
You put the large end of the pipe between your lips, bring the small end
so that it points into the flame,

Near the base of the flame? or the hot part?

varies. don't worry too much about this. the most effective position will be obvious
when you try it.


Ah."Circular breathing", like for playing the didgeridoo or trumpet or
clarinet or...


yes


It strikes me as the 'simple' way of doing this work on the cheap.. If I
can manage the skill part.

Low tech, yes. simple, maybe not. You have a lot less flexibility in manouvering the
flame this way than with a hand held torch, and the flame sizes attainable with this
method are small, with a somewhat cooler flame too. Good for small detailed work. Not
as suited to things needing more heat, such as, for one,
anthing but tiny silver, which often needs a hotter flame.

If you like the idea of the instant control over the flame temp that a mouth blown torch
affords, you might also consider the next step in technology that came beyond the mouth
blowpipe and open flame. Thats a mouth blown torch. You feed it just a gas supply such
as natural gas, or propane, etc. The air supply comes from the mouthpiece at the end of
a rubber hose. That gives you the flexibility of a hand held torch, with the
potentially much greater heat from a gas torch, as well as the economy and flame
variability of the mouth air supply. While one occasionally still sees little portable
alcohol torches from a hundred years ago or so, few people actually try to use them, and
the open flame with a blowpipe also seems rather rarely used, simply because it's rather
limited. However, you'll find the above style torch, a gas supply with a mouth blown
air hose, still considered one of the best jewelers torches around, especially in
traditional european schools and studios. And though this style of torch may not be so
commonly popular in the U.S, so not as commonly found in the U.S. tool supply catalogs,
the torches ARE still made, sold, and used. Personally, Carl, though I encourage you
to try the open flame, just for fun, I'd guess if you want a simple yet actually usable
setup, you'll find the mouth blown torch a much better option.
I

Any idea how far back this technique goes?

Nope. But I'd not be surprised if it goes back to the very early days of the craft.

Peter

Carl West wrote:

The last inch or so at the small end is
bent at right angles.

I assume this is to make it easier to see what you're doing.

Yes, that's right.

Approximate size(s) of the orifice in the pipe?

I can't remember exactly; its pretty small; maybe 1/16".

I've got one tucked away somewhere. When I've got a minute or two I'll
have a look for it and if I can find it I'll send you a photo.


...
You put the large end of the pipe between your lips, bring the small end
so that it points into the flame,


Near the base of the flame? or the hot part?

You choose according to the requirements.


It strikes me as the 'simple' way of doing this work on the cheap.. If I
can manage the skill part.

Ah, there's the rub...

Any idea how far back this technique goes?

I'm afraid not.

What I forgot to mention was that the work to be soldered is supported
on a wooden/charcoal block that is held in the hand. If its wood, then
it becomes charcoal after a while all by itself.
--

Regards, Gary Wooding
(To reply by email, change feet to foot in my address)

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:


If you like the idea of the instant control over the flame temp that a mouth blown torch
affords, you might also consider the next step in technology that came beyond the mouth
blowpipe and open flame. Thats a mouth blown torch.


That's what I've been using for the last 30 years or so.

You feed it just a gas supply such
as natural gas, or propane, etc.

I have used both. Now I use propane.

The air supply comes from the mouthpiece at the end of
a rubber hose.

Yep, that's what I have.

Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com