What torch do you use for annealing?

I won’t say it’s a frequent question, but it’s one that comes up often enough, “What torch do you use for annealing your vessels?” Answering it often involves composing some long emails, with lots of research time to hunt down links and such. So I thought I’d put together this post to provide a convenient place to refer people to for all the information. Those blog readers who aren’t much interested in metalsmithing stuff may want to skip this. Today’s post is another instance of the Studio Snippet taking over! (Jargon tip for non-metalsmiths, annealing is a fancy way of saying “heating up the metal to the appropriate temperature in order to soften it, allowing it to be worked further without breaking.”)

(Please note some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. What this means is that should you click through them and make a qualifying purchase I will receive a commission which I’d certainly appreciate since it helps support this blog project. However, this shouldn’t increase your cost any, and certainly don’t ever feel like I’m pressuring you to buy things through the links I offer or anywhere else. I’m all about being frugal first!)

For normal soldering operations I use an air acetylene torch. I have a Presto Lite torch, but if I was to get another I’d probably get a Smith torch instead. Smith seems to have both better, and more tips available. These torches give me a sharper, more controlled flame which is nice for soldering.

Annealing my disks as I’m raising my vessels is another matter. I’d prefer to not use acetylene gas for that since it is not only more expensive, but I need to make a long trip into the city to exchange acetylene tanks when they are empty. Instead I like to use propane as the gas because it’s cheaper to use, and I can exchange my tanks at nearly any gas station if I’m use the standard 20 pound BBQ grill type tank. So even in the tiny village I live right outside of there are 2 places to swap tanks at. If I use my little trailer I could even get the task done using my bicycle!

When I got my annealing torch many years ago it came as a nice convenient kit with the handle, tip, hose, and regulator all together. As I recall it was marketed as a ham glazing torch. I guess there weren’t enough people glazing ham since in recent years that nifty kit has been discontinued.

Recently though a couple friends let me know that they found almost the same kit on Amazon. So hats off and thanks to James and Jamie for the info that’s getting this post under way! What I’m using is a Goss brand air propane torch. My original kit was almost exactly like this one.

This kit has a better regulator which is nice, but what it lacks is the fancier torch handle mine has. I really like my torch handle! It has a pilot light combined with a trigger you can squeeze to bring the flame to full blast, with another knob that lets you adjust your high end for “full blast”. I use this feature a lot when I’m doing patina work, dancing in and out with the torch as I heat the metal and apply my solutions with brushes. I also really like being able to control the level of flame with a squeeze during the times I find I need to solder with this torch. When I’m soldering rims on vessels where the original disk size was greater than 8 inches in diameter my acetylene torch with the biggest tip just isn’t large enough. This is when I will use the Goss propane torch to do my soldering work. It’s not an ideal torch for soldering as it’s a fuzzier, dirty flame, but I can make it work. The fact that if I squeeze the trigger handle with care I can graduate the flame anywhere from the pilot light level to full blast is a huge boon while soldering. Another thing this kit seems to lack the little attached torch stand mine has.

This torch kit has the nice handle, but a different tip. I have the BP-5 tip which is smaller than the BP-6TE tip in this kit. That said the larger tip might well be even nicer for annealing. I may have to get it some day and try it out, esp. if I ever make another huge vessel. A monster tip would have been nice when trying to anneal a 4 foot diameter disk! This kit also looks to have the more basic regulator I have that lacks the visual gauge. Personally though I’ve never had any problem with my regulator. The potential downside I see to this kit is that today, as I compose this post, Amazon is saying this kit usually ships within 1 to 2 months! Hopefully that shipping time is a temporary thing and will change.

If you wanted to get just what I have I suppose you could purchase one of these kits and then get either a replacement torch handle for the first kit, or a replacement BP-5 tip for the second kit. Though as I price that out either of these options looks to be more expensive than buying all the parts separate and assembling your own “kit”.

If you wanted to do this you would need the torch handle, the BP-5 tip, the EP-80 regulator, and the HEF-25 hose. Note that the regulator in that link above is supposed to be just like the one I have without a gauge on it despite the fact that a gauge is shown in the product picture. If you wanted a gauge then for a little more it looks like there is this one, an EP-70G regulator. Also, the hose I listed above is 25 feet long. If I recall correctly mine is 20 feet in length, however as I compose this post Amazon is listing shipping times for that size at 1 to 2 months. You could get them in 10, 12, 20, 25, or 35 foot lengths. I would make sure to check out the shipping times on the various lengths though as some seem to be kept in stock and thus would ship quickly while others are not and seem to have long wait times.

Personally I’ve found the 20 to 25 foot length nice to have. Most of the time the excess hose is coiled up and tucked out of the way. However, there are times when it’s very nice to have that length, like when I’m doing outdoor patina work on a large vessel. The hose length lets me set the propane tank down in one spot and then walk back and forth around the piece I’m working on with the torch. A shorter hose would likely limit my movement or force me to keep moving the tank.

A downside to buying the parts separate to make your own “kit” is that I don’t see any option that would get you the little torch stand. I’m sure with a bit of creativity you could make your own. I do find that stand handy to have, but it’s really only critical if you are in the habit of setting your torch down while the pilot light is still burning. Personally I don’t find I do that too often.

Here are a couple close up photos of that stand so you can see just what it is. The wing nut lets you swing the bar in line with the torch and out of the way if you don’t want to use the stand.

I feel like I should finish off this post by saying that I actually have two of these torches. My primary one I bought nearly 20 years ago and have used extensively on a nearly daily basis. It has performed flawlessly through all these years! The second one I bought several years ago for an event that involved setting up a second temporary metal studio. After this event I’ve used it as my “travel” torch, bringing it with me for demonstrations I sometimes give, or to workshops that I teach which I can drive to. (When I’m driving to a workshop I generally load up the car with a bunch of extra stuff that’s handy to have but not worth shipping for those classes farther away.) Anyway, this second one failed me a couple years ago. I think there is something wrong in the handle part, an obstruction or broken part of the trigger. I keep meaning to try tearing it apart and see if I can see something obvious to fix. It’s disappointing this second one failed after so little use, but it should be repairable. If nothing else I can get a replacement handle section. I just haven’t been sufficiently motivated to do this since I used it so rarely and my main torch is running beautifully.

So, for anyone wanting to know what torch I use for my annealing, and how you might be able to get something similar here is a post to offer that information.

I’m happy to have a site where I can again allow comments. (I had to shut them off on my main website because the spam was simply uncontrollable!) So please I encourage you to share thoughts of your own. My general rule about comments though is just to play nice. Differing views are fine, but I’m not interested in engaging in or moderating verbal fights. If I feel things get out of hand, by whatever criteria I decide, I’ll just start blocking or deleting things.