Setting up a Berzomatic JTH7 torch

[Emanuel Nicolescu]

Hello,

 

My name is Emanuel and I've been lurking around the forum for a while. I collect ethnographic swords and daggers, and I'm interested in starting bladesmithing.

 

I settled on a simple stacked brick gas forge and I tried building Reil and Zoeller burners but I can nevver get the gas jet hole small enough. For the life of me I cannot find a #60 drill bit in the suburbs of Toronto, and a 1/32" hole seems to be too large. The flame burns well but the temperature isn't high enough.

I've used a .025 contact tip for the Zoeller sidearm burner but it doesn't work at all as the flame chokes in the pipe before getting to the flare. Zoeller recommends a .035 or .045 tip so is the .025 just too small?

 

Now I've read that a Bernzomatic JTH7 torch could burn hot enough for a small forge and I'd like to give it a try. The torch comes with a hose and a connector for a gas tank. Can the connector be fitted to a simple regulator or other threaded gas fittings or must I get a special adaptor connector?

 

Best regards,

Emanuel

Edited September 23, 2007 by Emanuel Nicolescu

[Ken Kelley]

Emmanuel,

 

Try a .035 Tweco tip in the Zoeller sidearm burner. Mine works just dandy and I'm going to try a bigger one soon to see how it works. I built a Reil burner not long ago and used a #58 drill for the gas jet. It also works very nicely. #57 should work as well. The critical thing with both types is alignment of the jet in the tube. Get it a little off and it just won't work right.

[John McPherson]

Numbered drill bits are pretty darn small, and are usually sold as a set, also known as wire bits. Try an industrial tool company, not a home center. Even in (metric) Canada, someone should sell American style bit sets.

 

Here, Harbor Freight and other importers sell a complete set of 115 bits, fractional (inches), letters, and numbers for $30US and up.

 

BTW, trying to drill out copper MIG tips with a power drill is an exercise in futility, copper is too soft and 'grabby'. Try a cheap tip cleaner set used for Oxy-acetylene torches to ream out the tips to change sizes, instead.

 

Look up "one brick forge" on anvilfire.com to see how to set up a propane torch forge.

 

Good luck!

[Emanuel Nicolescu]

Thank you both for the replies.

 

I just bought a drill bit set off ebay with #1-60 bits. After reading some more about the micro-forges and the gas torches I think I'll just return the torch and spend the money on fixing up the burner. I'm attaching a pic of my present setup...the fire chamber is about 5"x5"x10".

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Regards,

Emanuel

[Mark Parkinson]

instead of e-bay next time try Princess auto they have # etc. in stock in the stores and the catalog is great for all kinds of stuff for building power hammers, grinders etc.

 

http://www.princessauto.com

 

Mark

[Bret]

Ive built alot of these burners and have run across the same problem your having. Use the .035 tip and shorten your 3/4 pipe by about a 1/2" at a time untill you get a flame that will burn in open air without sputering in the tube, Then take off another 1/2" and you will have a smoking burner. Also the volume of the forge may require an additional burner, thats a lot of room to heat

Edited September 26, 2007 by Bret