Jewelry Tools Tips^2.0

Water Torches Pros & ConsWater torches use distilled water as a fuel. H 2O is separated using the electrolysis method into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, then remixed as a fuel that burns super hot–over 485°F. The amount of hydrogen/oxygen gas produced is relatively low, not enough for casting but plenty enough for repair work. Because there is no gas storage water torches are safe for use in commercial establishments that restrict the use of bottle gases.

Besides distilled water, water torches use three chemicals to produce a suitable hydrogen/oxygen mixture. Potassium Hydroxide is mixed with the distilled water to form an electrolyte solution. This electrolyte solution is critical to the gas producing process, and only needs to be occasionally topped off with distilled water to maintain optimum performance. The complete electrolyte solution will need to be changed every 12-24 months, depending on the use the water torch receives. The other two chemicals are a mixture of Methanol and Boric Acid. This is the flux mixture that is used to reduce the temperature of the hydrogen/oxygen fuel mix into one more suitable for gold and silver repair work. Platinum work is done without the flux mixture. Water Torches have been used in the jewelry industry for over 25 years and have proven to be a safe, reliable and an economical alternative to bottled gas repair torches. They require very little maintenance, consuming only distilled water and the flux mixture. Water torches are an excellent torch choice if you work with platinum, as the hydrogen/oxygen fuel mix burns very hot.

Advantages: Water torches have several technical advantages over bottled gas repair torches. For gold and silver repair the flux flame of a water torch greatly reduces fire scale, practically eliminating the pickling process. If you are doing platinum work, you can choose to use a pure hydrogen/oxygen fuel mixture, which is the ideal gas mix for that most noble metal. No matter what metal you are working with the precise flame produced by the hypodermic tips give you control not normally found with bottle gas torches, allowing repairs to be easily done on the most delicate chain work to large resizing jobs. The most practical advantage of a water torch is that you’ll never have to buy or rent fuel tanks or worry about running out of gas ever again.

Disadvantages: Water torches do not produce enough gas for casting purposes. Water torches like to stay in one place in your shop and do not travel well. Shipping them require that the electrolyte and flux solutions be carefully drained.