Treadle Torch

Hi Stumptown:

That's an entertaining version of the treadle torch...cool!

If you adjust the acet side of the gas saver so it doesn't quite close when your pedal is up...

Then you have a built in pilot lite and can dispense with the secondary hose assembly.

About 27 years ago i saw George Dixon demonstrate on the first treadle hammer i'd ever seen...I was very excited

as it solved so many problems i was stuck on.

George kept stopping to light and adjust his heating torch for every heat,

and i asked if there wasn't some way to automate that time consuming action.

He clearly said it couldn't be done, he'd tried and failed more than once.

I took it as a challenge, went home and after a couple of weeks of false starts,

invented the treadle actuated pop-up torch, which i later demonstrated for a CBA conference.

Since then a whole lot of smiths have either copied it or done their own versions.

Makes me happy to see my idea spread so widely now.

How old are you Clang? We had gas savers in Father's shop in the 60's he bought them because he liked them so much from his time at Boeing pre WWII. He said they were old school then.

The things have been around since the last century in one form or another, probably since people have used gas torches.

I run an All States oxy prop torch, if interested buy the Harris oxy prop rig, same unit a lot better price. Anyway, it has a thumb valve in the handle you adjust it once and that's it for the day. you can use a striker or do what I do and attach the negative lead from a trickle charger to the torch body and the positive to the table. Thumb the valve on and touch the table with the tip and it's lit.

You can buy an electric striker for the torches but it's the same thing for bigger bucks.

Frosty The Lucky.

Looks like a nice 1967 Beetle!!

Neil

It's been a while since Ken posted those pictures, 18 months ago his shop still looked much the same, great place to play in!

Hi Stumptown. I thought I was on a brand new idea, and now I find I'm 70 years late. By the way, this is my first post on the site.

Hi Frosty, Hello Glenn:

I'm 72 years old Jerry, not sure how that happened. Your trickle-charger igniter is brilliant. I started doing metal sculpture for a living in the middle 60s. I'm pretty much self taught, never took an art or shop class.

National Torch used to make torches with a similar thumb valve...They made a nice  little aircraft style torch with a thumb valve that i always wanted to get but could never find used. I think they were popular around WW2.

Speaking of old torches, i lucked into a complete Victor J27 aircraft torch with a cutting attachment and a fat fistful of tips..The thing is almost new. It's a really sweet unit with a nice quiet flame. Probably made in the 50s.

Back to the pop-up torch...I came up with it sorta tongue in cheek..blowing a methodological raspberry at the masterful Mr Dixon.

But i'll be darned if i haven't used it almost every day i'm doing smaller forgings and i've worn out 3 new gas savers on it.

Abby: it was a brand new idea for you and you should be proud that you came up with it.

I ran across an item called a Torch Mate Automatic Torch Lighter in a hot glass shop a while ago. Powered by 2 "AA" batteries, just touch the tip to it and go to work. Haven't ordered one myself yet, but think about it everytime a breeze blows my torch pilot out.

Al