good brazing torch for "garage gunsmith" applications

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hey now.i do a lot of "garage gunsmithing" and have recently gotten into repairing old firearms (not so much the action or modding it to do something its not supposed to, more on the repair side of things. fixing cracked parts, adding iron sights to rifle barrels, repairing magazing tubes etc) and ive looked at a lot of torches.im an out of work carpenter so price matters. im good with the stick, used o/a in lots and lots of different applications (although my set up is gonna be oxy propane, i already decided that, please dont try to talk me out of it). i dont mind buying two torches if i have too, but im really interested in the meco n-midget and the victor j40 for in close type of stuff.i was just wondering, if there were any other torches i could look into that have a decent amount of tips for what im looking to with oxy-propane. ive been using the bend-over-matic kit for a couple of months and its just horrid. i cant do specific things with it.the grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:Hopefully Yorkiepap will chime in on this since he used to do gunsmithing for years. Stick and mig will basically be useless, though tig might have some specialized applications. I know you said you don't want to be told to use acet, but you may find propane won't get hot enough quickly enough for some silver brazing operations like sights. Usually you need to go bigger with propane and that may not work well when you need a quick concentrated heat for brazing so you don't damage things. I know on the air/acet and air/propane kits like Turbo Torch and Goss has the propane tips are signifigantly larger and most guys who do small detail work like AC lines go with acet rather than propane because of the high heat for doing silver solder as well as the control they have with the smaller flame. You might be able to get away with some of the other acet fuel gas substitutes but I'm not familiar with them. Be aware that true welding is not possible with propane and most other fuel gasses other than acetylene. At best you will most likely be limited to soldering/brazing..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I use an old Harris welding torch (one piece dedicated welding torch) or a Victor journeyman handle with the smallest welding tips I can find.  I prefer the  heavier torches to balance out the pull from the hoses, with the smallest tips for control, it makes me smoother in my opinion - what works for you is what you are most comfortable with.   One thing to keep in mind with "garage gunsmithing", it only takes one chickensh!t to make life miserable unless you've got your FFL.  Its not as hard to get as most dealers make it sound (just trying to protect their market) and the cost in the long run is well worth the protection.  If you dont have it I can PM you info on how to get it - I think we need all the good gun folks we can get  out there and I hate to see somebody lose or almost lose (in my case) everything over one lousy piece of paper.   Your torch is a very small part of your set-up - Free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it so I'll just throw this out there.  Invest well in good files, they pay for themselves quickly if you buy well.added +1 to DSW - i missed the propane ref in the OP.   you want the minimum heat for minimum duration.  just enough to get the job done without overheating the entire piece.Last edited by SRO1911; 04-08-2011 at 07:34 PM.
Reply:can i use air acetylene instead of an oxy set up? is air acetylene hot enough to silver braze?the grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:I have seen some folks do it, me personally - I use oxy, just makes it easier to maintain consistency as well as being cleaner.When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.
Reply:got it. im in construction by trade (carpenter...i guess thats what call you call it. dont ask me the last time i used wood though....aside from concrete form work the last wood framing job i was on had to be 3 years ago). im always taking on projects and doing stuff with my truck so im sure i can find a good use for it. like i said i live in an apartment thats upstairs in a house. i dont feel comfortable chaining the tanks up under my stairs outside. but then again every job site im on they chain up huge *** tanks for most of the job.the grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:Originally Posted by outlawskinnydcan i use air acetylene instead of an oxy set up? is air acetylene hot enough to silver braze?
Reply:Has anyone used Hydrogen And Oxygen in a Torch to Weld Aluminum?(Some Gun Parts are Aluminum Nowadays...)I really like Oxy-Fuel Welding, and I'm rather anxious to try the Hydrogen on Aluminum.Any special tips?Saxon Violence
Reply:like i said i live in an apartment thats upstairs in a house. i dont feel comfortable chaining the tanks up under my stairs outside. but then again every job site im on they chain up huge *** tanks for most of the job.