Welding Torch

[KBar]

Try this guy: http://www.blotorches.com/miniatur.html Seems to be a collector of old alcohol torches.

Also, I think the alcohol torches they use for wax casting uses denatured alcohol as fuel.

I found this on the web site with a picture, exactly like mine. I am going to email them, see if I can get more detailed information.


One of the more interesting miniature blow torches is the two chamber alcohol. These came in two flavors, one with a baffle/mix chamber and one without. In the case of the type without a mix chamber, the auxiliary wick must be burning at all times for the torch to work. The self generation can only occur in a torch with the mix chamber/baffle and therefore, once the torch is up to operating temperature, the wick can be blown out. These are very beautiful little torches and they are lit very easily and come up to operating temperature very quickly.

[Bareback Jack]

hey, wow, there is a scene in a John Wayne movie that acutally uses one of these! It is called "The Shadow of the Eagle" and is from the 30's. They used it to "make him talk" in the movie, but it's the same thing.

[KBar]

I received this email reply from the web site. I wanted everyone to see it in case they have a torch like it.

Ken:

Sorry for the delay.

I do not recommend lighting any antique blow torch, gasoline or alcohol.

This particular torch is used for light soldering and possibly jewelry repair and other jobs that require a small but hot flame.

The two big hex nuts are for the two fuel chambers. One chamber holds fuel for the burner head, where the actual flame comes from, and the other chamber holds fuel to operate the warming wick, which is contained in the capped angular pipe that comes out of the top. The cap prevents the alcohol from evaporating during periods of nonuse.

These units use pure denatured alcohol, not rubbing alcohol. Please see my miniature torch section on my website for more information.

[dabar39]

Glad you were able to get some info on the torch, interesting stuff, but I'd still like to see one in use. Dave

[jonnymag]

Since the label is visible in your original photo, have you tried to Google the manufacturer, model name/number, etc.? You might be able to find something that way.

By the way, to narrow down your Google search, you might try the following:

1. Use " " for exact phrases:

"ACME alcohol torch"
"ACME Model 100x"

2. Use boolean logic, if you understand that stuff (AND, OR, +, -, "):

"ACME alcohol torch" OR "ACME Model 100x" - "Wylie Coyote"

(which just means, search for ACME alcohol torch or ACME Model 100x without any references to Wylie Coyote)

3. Use Google advanced search page:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en

(just fill in the proper blanks and it does the boolean logic for you)

Good luck

[jonnymag]

Something else you could try... Since he thinks it was used for jewelry soldering, you might try to find a jeweler that's been in business a long time. Maybe he/she would know.

Or maybe their retired and talkative father/grandfather. When I was a kid, I used to volunteer at a retirement home doing handyman work. There was an elderly woman, a retired seamstress, who liked to tell me everything there was to know about sewing, sewing machines, sewing machine repair, life in the 1930s, "taxi dance" clubs... You never know when that information might come in handy.