Please bear with me as I am unsure of the proper names for what I am needing information about. I have several large soldering coppers{irons?}{not electric} that I need to heat. I know that an o. a. torch would not be the best tool to use. I seem to remenber back in the 1960's a propane oven{proper name?} that could heat 2 or 3{or more?} of these irons at one time. It seems that soldering is becoming a lost art! I would like to be able to pass this informationon to my son and grandson. Thank you for any and all bits of education that any of you learned blacksmiths can provide. Armand

Yes there were small ovens as well as gasoline blowtorches. If you look at a blowtorch there is a semicircular hook on top, and a pair of ears on the front of the burner housing. The soldering copper was placed into these to hold it while heating it.

It's a fuzzy memory, but I sort of remember seeing a small coal forge a while back that was semi boxed in, with a stovepipe hole in the back. Apparantly it was a commercial soldering iron furnace. It had a small trough, looked like a helper could keep rolling them to and from the hot spot to be ready for the master-solder-er.

Armand, you could use a small gas forge, too. We used to have a cast iron fire box that was fired off of an LP tank (20 pounder) when I worked sheet metal. But I haven't seen any for years.

If you`re just doing sheet metal work then something as simple as a burner from an old BBQ grill would work.One of those deep fryer burners would work too.
These things don`t need to be anywhere near a red heat and making them that hot just makes the job harder as it will overheat your work,burn the tinning off them and oxidize the copper body making it harder to clean and re-tin.
I know one roofer who used a Coleman camp stove to heat smaller ones while doing copper flashing.

Three words of advise: Google image search.

Three words of advise: Google image search.

John: This old boy is not the best when it comes to understanding computors!! Can you provide more information about the blue roofers oven or where to find a website for this oven. Thank you for the pictures and any additional information you or others can provide! Armand

Armand, I have been dealing with desktop computers at work for almost 30 years now. Just about the time you get comfortable with a system, it changes. My advise when stumped, do what any of us does who was born under a flag with 48 stars: ask someone with facial piercings for technical assistance. Children and grandchildren can be helpful, and are more easily press-ganged than the IT folks at work. I consider it payback for years of assembling bicycles and tree-houses.

http://www.oldworlddistributors.com/soldering-iron-heater.html

Warning: it ain't cheap, it's a professional's specialty tool. They want about $300 with shipping.

Armand,
you could just dry stack(no mortar) some clay bricks(make sure that the bricks are dry) in a shape similar to the blue oven and just use a propane torch to provide the heat once the bricks are hot you will be able to turn the torch down quite low!
Ian

Warning: it ain't cheap,

In the 70's, we had an ol' boy, sheet metal worker in town who would call me occasionally to clean and dress his soldering coppers/irons. I would physically remove the 'tin' at room temp, and then reforge the pyramidal points at a low cherry red. The whole thing could have been done at ambient temp, but we gained a little length by drawing the points hot. I would then sand them lightly and deliver them. This man had a small gas furnace for his sheet metal soldering, and I offer the following about its use.

There is little written information of heating the soldering irons for use. Ludwig's "Metalwork Technology and Practice," 1947 edition, says this. For the gas furnace, the gas and air mixture must give a blue flame, because the blue flame is hotter than the yellow flame. "Gasoline, oil, or charcoal furnaces are used for outdoor work." This is a direct quotation, although I don't believe gasoline is used much anymore, if at all.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

Gotta love the corn cob handle on the soldering copper in the first picture!

The Johnson co made nice propane and NG soldering iron heaters as well as heat treat ovens and those monster gas forges with the swining top covers. The soldering heaters often show up on ebay as gas forges.
Ken.

If you can obtain a portable farriers horseshoe forge this can be used for heating soldering irons. I would make a carrier to lift the copper off the refractory floor to give an even heat over the copper.
Alternately you could make up something. If you make a base and place a hood over this, with an opening in the front to take the irons and a narrow flue/chimney. The base wants to sit off the floor with a hole in the bottom to take a propane burner. Ideally the inside should be lined with refractory and the iron placed to the side of the flame so that it is heated by radiation rather than the direct flame. Again the copper should be raised from the floor.
Hope this helps.

I happened into a charcoal heater (they use lump charcoal, not mineral coal.) and some more coppers a while back. It's about a 10 inch cyllinder with an removable lid; there's a flap in the lid for a flue and an opening with a shelf a couple inches above the floor. The whole thing sits on a base that keeps the firebox off the table. I'll try and get a picture in the next couple of days.

Lewis

I recall someone using a camp stove for this at a craft fair. It was a one-burner like used for backpacking, and he had a few "irons" on it.

Phil

The old blowtorches work great for one iron at a time and I see them regularly at flea markets for $15. I'm giving away my FAVORITE source for small,old tools here but search on: shopgoodwill.com I've bought tools and many fiddles off that site. Shipping is high due to their lack of knowledge but a lot of really neat old small tools show up there. You guys owe me if you find something neat there!!!! Just kidding. I'm at the point in my life where I don't need anything except a little more time Please God!!

The best I remember the blow torches used "white gas" for fuel. I don't know if that's available any more. I had a small Mercury outboard motor that was supposed to be run on white gas too--years ago <_<

The thing I remember from using one of the little chimny-ed gas heaters was we were told to look for a green flame which would show the copper was up to temperature.

I have a friend who does high end sheet copper work for roofing and he prefers to use real chunk charcoal in a furnace for heating his coppers---the local (to him) roofer's supply place stocked chunk charcoal just for that use! (we used to buy charcoal from them for use in Y1K forges)

The best I remember the blow torches used "white gas" for fuel. I don't know if that's available any more. I had a small Mercury outboard motor that was supposed to be run on white gas too--years ago <_<

Coleman lamp fuel is the only source I know of for "white gas"