Small gas torches are very versatile tools, and are used for a wide range of tasks where heat is required. Small gas torches come in different types, using different types of gas to get the right heat for the task. From small culinary torches to high heat blowtorches, there is a gas torch that is perfect for the job. Let’s take a look at some common uses of gas torches and what sort of gas torch is best suited for each use.
What are the three main types of small gas torch?
The three main types of small gas torch used for DIY and light commercial work are culinary and soldering torches, blowtorches, and high power heat guns and gas torches. Each type has specific tasks they are well suited for, and often give you a choice of the gas you can use for different heating levels or to cope with cold weather use.
- Culinary & soldering torches
- Blowtorches
- High power heat guns & gas torches
Small gas torches are great for culinary & soldering uses
Small gas torches are great for culinary work, soldering, heat shrink, and silver and gold jewelry making. They can also be used to apply pinpoint heat for loosening small seized fasteners for DIY automotive and workshop machine maintenance. A high quality gas soldering iron, like the Iroda SolderPro 110K, can be used as a pencil flame gas torch to do these tasks efficiently.
- Culinary searing, browning and sugar caramelization
- Heat shrink & soldering
- Silver & gold jewelry making
- Loosening small seized fasteners
Small gas blowtorches give you intense, focused heat for plumbing
Gas blowtorches deliver higher, more intense, focused heat and are used by plumbers for soldering and brazing copper pipes, and making pipe connections using pre-soldered connectors. They are good for automotive workshop use for rapidly heating frozen, rusted or seized bolts and other fasteners to break them free and enable them to be removed. Iroda butane gas blowtorches are also excellent for removing paint from heat resistant surfaces.
- Soldering & brazing copper pipes
- Sweating & removing pre-soldered connections
- Freeing corroded, rusted or seized bolts & fasteners
- Paint stripping & removal using scrapers
High power gas torches are great for heavy duty work
High power gas torches and hot air guns, like the Iroda HT400 shown above, are great for heavy duty work. This includes rapid paint removal, soldering and brazing, freeing corroded or frozen fasteners, separating cold welded metal surfaces, annealing and tempering metal components like springs. MAPP gas torches are also great for smelting lower melting point metals for home workshop jewelry and component sand casting.
- Cold weather and large surface soldering & brazing
- Annealing springs and other metal components
- Low melting point metal smelting for DIY sand casting
- Rapid separation of seized fasteners & automotive components
What types of gas are used for gas torches?
Smaller, low heat, culinary and soldering torches usually use butane gas, but many are also compatible with propane. In cold temperatures it is necessary to use propane or MAPP gas instead of butane because butane has a higher boiling point and is hard to vaporize when temperatures go below freezing.
- Butane for general low intensity use
- Propane for higher heat levels and cold weather use
- MAPP gas for intense heat output and heavy duty use
Propane has a higher heat output that is good for plumbing, metalworking and automotive applications. MAPP gas has the highest heat output and is excellent for rapid heating of metals to red hot temperatures for tempering, spring compression, brazing and smelting.
What small gas torches does Iroda make?
Iroda makes a very wide range of gas torches, gas soldering irons and gas heat guns that give you a choice to get the best tool to any of the heating, brazing and soldering tasks that we have discussed in this article. For the full Iroda range, please have a look at the Iroda Amazon store, which has more information and details on our products.
FAQs
What’s the difference between propane and butane gas used for gas torches?
Butane has a higher boiling point than propane, around 0.5C / 33F, this means that at cold temperatures butane does not vaporize and you need to use propane, which has a boiling point of -42C / -44F. Propane also has a higher heat output and produces a hotter flame.
What is MAPP gas?
MAPP (methylacetylene-propadiene propane) is a mixed gas that is about 25% hotter than propane, with a flame temperature in air of over 2,000C / 3,600F. It gives a very clean, high temperature flame that is very good for brazing and annealing work.
What is the difference between a gas torch and a blowtorch?
A blowtorch is a type of gas torch with a more focused, narrower, flame that makes it easier to get a blowtorch into narrow and confined spaces and focus the heat more precisely. This makes blowtorches a common choice for plumbing where it is important to focus the heat on pipework and avoid heating the surrounding area.
