View Full Version : Help with Sargent Welch torch
JGMoore
04-08-2016, 01:00 PM
I scored a bunch of glass stuff on Craigslist and have some questions. First, I got an old Sargent-Welch torch. I hooked it up and the flame is really wonky. Candles, such as they are, are smeared and irregular. Center fire won't seem to be anything but yellow reducing mess. I am using a GTT and have no experience with this sort of torch. (Not a lot of experience at all, really. Kind of a newbie). Are there some things I can tweak, adjust, clean, etc. to try and fix this or do they just wear out?
Also got the plastic handled gizmo in the photo. Labeled "Bethlehem Apparatus" and I haven't got the first idea of what it is. Any help?
The other thing I think is a lathe burner which i don't need. Do they have any value?
Lastly I got a case of flint glass tubing of assorted diameters. No clue what I can do with it. Any ideas?
Thanks
John in Arroyo Grande, 836978369883699
Cosmo
04-08-2016, 01:02 PM
Got any pictures of the torch with the flame going or the face of the torch?
Hook up the lines backwards, see if it helps. (a known trick on sargents, to get around patents from Carlisle)
JGMoore
04-08-2016, 02:50 PM
BoRo - DUDE! You the man. Hooked up backwards (oxy on fuel valve and v.v.) Works like magic! Not perfect, but usable. A little trouble adjusting the centerfire down low. Keeps flashing back/going out. First time on this kind of torch and is scaring the $#!+ out of me. Five times more heat then I'm used to. Cognitive dissonance when adjusting the flame but I'll switch knobs so my brain doesn't explode. Many thanks.
JGMoore
04-08-2016, 03:11 PM
OK, I gotta ask. Backwards. Why is this a thing? Has this torch been hooked up wrong since the sixties? I kinda see why I got it so cheap.
Patent on the cc... (Carlisle)
Center fire on the Sargent is known to be a little jumpy.
I own the same torch w/cc valves. Congrats. Its the stainless version.
JGMoore
04-09-2016, 08:46 AM
Are CC valves interchangeable with the sargent? One of mine has been replaced and doesn't quite shut off properly. Also, is there a recommended pressure for gas and O2?
28 o2
5 propane. (what I run)
If you can give the center fire a lower pressure, it would shine. Like 14# and 3-4# gas....
Give the outer full pressure. Or give it all full pressure. Unless you have 2 sets of regulators.
Yes cc valves fit. Lots of times its crud in the valve seat. You should try to open the valve and clean the seat.
JGMoore
04-09-2016, 12:50 PM
FWIW here are some photos of the updated flame patterns. Thanks again for the info.
837578375883759
JGMoore
04-09-2016, 01:33 PM
I read on another thread that N. M. Knight will rebuild these torches. Has anyone here done this?
hammer
04-10-2016, 03:27 AM
I'll give you 100.00 for the Bethlehem gizmo
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Jackass Glass
04-10-2016, 04:56 AM
I'll give you 100.00 for the Bethlehem gizmo
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What is it?
hammer
04-10-2016, 05:18 AM
What is it?
I think Bethlehem called it a glassblowing mandrel.
It just holds tubing to make perpendicular (T) seals. I chuck it in the lathe to refurbish old vacuum valves. I have one but it is in rough shape.
Losiwells
04-10-2016, 08:37 AM
What is it?
It's worth some bucks to the right person. The pic below will shed some light on what the gizmo is used for.
83767
Losiwells
04-10-2016, 08:43 AM
Here's another view of the tube clamp.
83768
hammer
04-10-2016, 10:55 AM
They actually came with a glassblowing kit Bethlehem used to sell. Bethlehem used to be an awesome company. I've seen them go for 100 on eBay. I thought about designing my own.
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