Little torch oxy acetylene adapters 9/16unf to 3/8bsp

[jon manParticipant @jonman64714]

I got one of the inexpensive oxy acetylene Little torches off ebay, it came with the american 9/16 unf connectors, i didn’t realise at the time of ordereing it didn’t have british fittings, i’ve been on ebay and google trying to find an 9/16unf to 3/8bsp male to male adapter that’s available with left and right hand threads, with out any luck, are these adapters available.

Does anyone have one of these torches, what did you do with connectors to make it useable in the UK, Thanks Jon

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

Are you sure on the male-to-male?

These ones are common from any welding supply store:

https://www.weldingdirect.co.uk/Threaded-Fuel-Inlet-Adaptor-American-B-9-16-UNF-x-G3-8-L-H-Brass-fitting

https://www.weldingdirect.co.uk/Threaded-Oxygen-Inlet-Adaptor-American-B-9-16-UNF-x-G3-8-Brass

Edit: these would make a male-to-male (and the 9/16″ male-to-BSP-female fitting is cheaper from Rapid as well):

https://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/DisplayItem.aspx?c=B45HCAL

https://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/DisplayItem.aspx?c=B45HCAR

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

DC3 beat me to it ! I think you will find these available from good welding suppliers ! I can’t find my weldability cataloge ! Noel

[jon manParticipant @jonman64714]

Hi, i’d already seen the ones in links, the weldingdirect fittings the 9/16 unf thead is female so will not screw into the torch hose connectors if they’d been male 9/16 it would have done the job.

The rapidwelding fittings are bsp so will not screw into the american b type 9/16 unf fitting.

The 9/16-18 unf fitting as to be male, the bsp fitting i’d prefer to be male but female would be ok, it would just mean an extra 3/8 to 3/8 bsp adapter.

Thanks

[jon man]

On jon man Said:

The rapidwelding fittings are bsp…

Yes. BSP male to BSP male. They screw into the BSP female of this fitting:

https://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/DisplayItem.aspx?c=H4009

The part in parentheses in my post above is not referring to the same fitting as the links below it.

The combination of the two fittings gives you the BSP male to UNF male you asked for.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

If all else fails then get the right ends – cut in half and braze together to leave you with what you need.  Often have to do this with odd hydraulic fittings when in a muddle ! Noel.

Or make them fron scratch !

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

On a similar note to Noel, I would junk the hoses fitted to your torch (I know of several people who have owned these knock-off Smith torches where the original hoses failed in a very short time) and start again. You can then leave the 9/16″ UNF problem behind you and have a slightly safer torch into the bargain.

 

 

[jon manParticipant @jonman64714]

I think i’ll junk the hoses as you say and make up a new set, this seems to be the best solution, i’ve seen 3/8″ bsp nuts with left and right threads with 3/16″ tails, i’ll now have a look for some suitable hose and clips, this seems the best way forward.

Thanks.

[Andrew SchofieldParticipant @andrewschofield]

I bought LH & RH connectors on Aliexpress for the Little Torch either short reducers or long ones with push on connector for tubing.

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Jon, I had the same problem a few years back for the same reason, I just made my own adaptors from Hex Brass bar, worked perfectly.

 

[jon manParticipant @jonman64714]

I got a pair of 3/8 bsp LH & RH connectors from welding direct that are for the smith little torch.

https://www.weldingdirect.co.uk/Smith-Little-Torch-Hose-Inlet-Adaptors

I’ve been learning how to solder and braze with silver solder,  tin/lead solder and the 1.6mm brazing welding rods.

The silver solder i’ve tried are the flux coated rods and silver wire type you have to mix the flux powder up with water and a drop of washing up liquid, the wire type works well, the flux coated rods not so, i think i got too thick a diamter for a small torch, i can get spot welds but can’t run a small seam.

Is the the little torch capable of brazing or welding with the 1.6mm copper coated mild steel rods, i tried tack welding an m6 nut to a 2mm thick steel off cut, when i apply the rod it starts to warm up and glow then starts crackling, sparking then pops and blows the torch out, when i do get the rod to melt onto the nut it sticks to the nut but not to the small steel plate.

Is the the little torch only for silver and lead solder, what are the best diameter and percentage of siver solder to use with a small torch, i’ll keep practicing as i don’t have any experience and the bits i have done are a mixed bag.

 

 

 

 

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Your M6 nut could have been plated which would cause the crackling and sparking but you should be able to weld with it it just depends on how big the parts are. As far as welding is concerned it wouild be better to practice with same thickness material, try 1.5mm and use the torch to melt the edge and move the torch along keeping the edge molten, its good practice in control. One more thing is that your reg pressures should be matched eg 3psi on each. Hope this helps and as they say practice, practice, practice!!!

[jon man]

On jon man Said:

i can get spot welds but can’t run a small seam.

Jon, you don’t run a seam or spot weld with silver solder; you get it to flow by capillary action into the prepared joint.

If you want to do fusion welding with gas you’ll need oxy-acetylene. Can I take it you’re using this and not oxy-propane?

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

He does mention oxygen/acet in his first post

[bernard towers]

On bernard towers Said:

He does mention oxygen/acet in his first post

Bernard, please be assured I did read his opening post very carefully; his choice of words to describe the torch he bought is no guarantee that the fuel gas he has chosen to use with it is in fact acetylene. It <i>may</i> be, but it would be rash to assume so with so little to go on. Hopefully Jon will be along shortly to clarify this point.

[jon manParticipant @jonman64714]

I’m using oxy-propane, even though i did mention oxy-acetylene in my first post as that was the description of the little torch.

Is using propane the problem when i’m trying to use the 1.6mm brazing/welding rods, do i need to use acetylene.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

Jon, let’s leave aside the copper-coated steel rods for the moment; they’re intended for Mig/Tig/Arc welding or welding with acetylene fuel gas. You can’t do much with them using your current oxy-propane set-up.

Let’s deal with the one project you’ve specified: joining an M6 nut to a piece of 2mm steel (presumably mild steel). It’s eminently doable with a genuine Smith Little Torch. I can’t comment on the functionality of non-genuine ones, but presumably they can be got to work in a similar fashion.

Clean and degrease the two parts. If it’s hot-rolled steel remove the mill scale first.

Put silver soldering paste flux on the nut where it contacts the steel and on the steel where it contacts the nut. Apply the torch (I’d recommend the no.6 or 7 tip). Watch until the flux goes clear and glassy and starts to really liquefy. Apply your stick of silver solder to the joint between the two parts opposite to the side you’re applying heat from. By the time both parts are turning a dull orange the solder should flow in an instant between the two parts, at which point you can take your torch away from the work. If any part of the joint looks starved of solder either apply more heat to that side or add more solder and heat depending on which of these two deficiencies is responsible for the solder starvation.

Brush off the flux residues in hot water.

Post a photo of your work and wait for further discussion.

[jon manParticipant @jonman64714]

I will forget trying to weld as i don’t have acetylene and concentrate on brazing, your clear instructions on brazing fixes the problems i was having, you feed the silver solder from the opposite side so it’s pulled into the joint, this is why i was having mixed results, that’s a good how to guide, Thanks Bill.

[Andrew SchofieldParticipant @andrewschofield]

Instead of bottle oxygen I bought an oxygen concentrator which seems to be working well.

Will I be able to get a high enough temperature to braze with oxy/propane, either with a Little torch or with the BOC sapphire torch with a propane nozzle?

Is there a technique to using them as at the moment after I light the propane when turning on the oxygen the flame goes out.

It seems that the pressure for both has to be very low.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

On oxygen/acet pressures are in the region of 3psi for 1 to 5 jet size so for your torch must be somewhere around that or lower. You do need quite sensitive regs. One of the big things is the pressures need to be balanced.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

IS the Little Torch the same as the FN 50, a baby version of the Saphire 3 ? If so then yes you can braze with oxy propane provide the oxygen concentration is high enough and a normal nozzle No 3, 5 or 7 but they can be difficult to light and if moved quickly may go out ! 2 stage regulators can make life easier. Noel.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

I rarely use any other nozzles on my Smith Little Torch than sizes 6 and 7. The sizes below that do have a tendency to blow out.

Personally I’ve always fed in the oxygen “on top of” the propane, not the other way round.

For tips 6 and 7 you will need about setting 1 or 2 on a 5L oxygen concentrator. Give your OC about five to ten minutes after power-up before you start trying to use its oxygen.

As Bernard says, sensitive regulators are important.. Does your propane regulator have a dial? If so, what’s its max operating pressure? You will only need a few psi for the Little Torch, and not much more for brazing small to medium work with the BOC Sapphire.

What nozzles are you using when you use your BOC Sapphire? Not the swaged nozzles designed for acetylene, I hope. They’re inadvisable for use with propane.

If everything is set up right, you should be able to braze (i.e. with bronze, not just silver solder) very easily with your two torches, providing the work isn’t too big.

Presumably you didn’t get this manual with your Little Torch. It will help. Recommended pressures for tips 6 and 7 are actually 6psi and 8psi.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Bill, Why do you say not to use swaged nozzles for propane ? I now know the little torch is much smaller than the FN 50.  Noel.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

Noel, there are swaged nozzles specifically for propane, and the advice I’ve been given is to use these for  propane/propylene, rather than the swaged nozzles that are for acetylene, because a propane flame has a greater tendency to jump off the end of an acetylene nozzle and a harder job of staying lit.

A different supplier makes essentially the same recommendation, suggesting these nozzles for propane/propylene, and these for acetylene.

It’s the same story with rosebud nozzles and cutting tips: acetylene and propane each has its own kind of tip.

The tiny swaged nozzles that come with the Smith Little Torch are apparently OK to be used with either acetylene or propane/propylene, but if you want to use a rosebud with the Little Torch there are again two different ones, depending on whether you’re using acetylene or propane.

Anyway, using an acetylene nozzle for propane isn’t half as bad as using a propane nozzle for acetylene, as this video demonstrates. For where the fun really begins, watch from 9 minutes in.

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