In response to a post on Orchid about what torches could be recommended, I once again slammed the Little Torch, calling it a “toy”.
A professional jeweler in Denver called me to task, telling me that he uses that torch to do much of his work, and that is is a highly important piece of equipment in his shop. I apologised to him in my post, as I needed to do.
Well duh, of course there are people out there who use the Little Torch, and love it! What was I thinking??!
Many professional shops don’t work with lowly old silver in their shops, working instead in high karat gold, palladium and platinum. A small torch like thge Little Torch would have a good use there, although getting enough heat to solder a platinum ring would be tricky, I’m thinking.
Most of my students are working with silver, and many are making some fairly large bracelets, rings, and pendants, which require, when soldering, some pretty serious flame. A big part of my job is showing students how to correctly use torch flames safely to accomplish what they want to in the studio.
I see an almost universal unwarranted fear of fire in my students. A large part of being a jewelry instructor is just getting students over their unreasonable fear of fire. I try to convey the idea that fire is just another tool we use to get the results we want, and that conquering that fear is vital to metalsmithing effectively.
So using the torch scares them initially, until they get used to using it, then it becomes routine. But too many fearful students, realizing that when they need to buy a torch for their own studio, think that if they buy just a little cute torch, that it won’t be a scary as a bigger (hotter) torch. Then they start using this new little torch in their studio, and just can’t seem to develop the heat they need to do effective soldering, much less melting metal to pour an ingot. So to avoid being scared ( not scarred ) they handicap themseves with a too-small torch.
A question…
Growing up male, we took many risks, including playing with firecrackers (the bigger the better), building fires, home-made explosives, mom’s hairspray “flame-throwers”, you name it. Fire in nearly all its forms was a huge attraction. It is lucky we survived all the crazy stuff we did.
Now women had a different reality, I am certain. I am imagining that it was understood by girls growing up ( who were very likely more mature than guys anyway) that their beauty was an important asset, and blown-off fingers and burn scars were not going to help much in the dating/mating arena. So this fear of disfigurement, in my opinion, is what has helped cause a life-long fear of fire in many women, and what makes using a torch such a difficult fear to overcome.
Women, thoughts here?
jaywhaley
Latest posts by jaywhaley (see all)
- Interview with Thomas Mann on Metalsmith BenchTalk on BlogTalkRadio! - October 21, 2010
- Gold prices headed for steep drop? - September 29, 2010
- Fabrication: Modifying the elements for a better effect. - September 26, 2010
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I must disagree with your thoughts about women and fire!
Just look at the world’s social history now and through the millennia …. who is in charge of the family fire? of cooking, washing and everything that has to do with the use of fire in the home? Women.
Who learns as a child how to cook and clean – how to wash clothes – how to bathe younger siblings safely? Girls!
Boys may be prone to abusing fire, and becoming pyromaniacs … but girls develop a healthy respect for fire and its power – and also learn how to use it wisely and intelligently.
I like my Little Torch, oxy/propane, for most things, even in silver. I also like my big casting torch, and my med.-duty welding torch for making steel sculpture. And I love a bonfire, and loved cooking for years on a wood range. Yes, I am a bit of a pyro. And a bit of a risk-taker, though I am trying to be more responsible as an “older woman”. But I still love a thrill!
– M’lou
Hi Jay – great question! I think it’s great to CONSIDER a gender-based reason for “torch phobia”, but I would caution you about ASSUMING it. Just because I’m a chick doesn’t mean that I am more mature or more afraid of fire. After 8 years of fighting both structure and wildland fires, I’ve grown weary of genitalia-based assumptions. Most of my coworkers assumed that I couldn’t drive a shift stick, hike with a 50 lb. pack, pee in the woods, handle cold weather, or use a chainsaw, because of my gender. But I’ve lit (legally, on the clock) more acreage on fire than I can count – and LOVED it. So no, I don’t think the fear of fire is gender based.
Try asking your students – what about this scares you? What’s your #1 concern? – then address it. Perhaps more education (on the mechanics of the gas flow, the safety measures taken) would do it. I found that extraneous flashback arrestors addressed my (acquired) “potential explosion discomfort”. (While I don’t think there is anything more soulfully beautiful than a 40′ tree torching out in front of me, I’ve spent too many hours waiting to die near overturned propane trucks. Fire I love – gas, not so much.)
I know you’re not saying that women can’t use a torch, but you are saying that many of the women you teach have a “life-long fear of fire” – I’m saying not to assume it, and that the answer to “torch fear” might be more education or a different approach.
Sorry for the rant, but you did ask for thoughts 🙂
By the way, if you or your students ever burn yourself, put honey on the burn – it’s amazing.
We use the little torch for EVERYTHING in our store . With a combined experience base of close to 50 years, my partner and I very successfully solder gold, silver, platinum and god knows what else with it. Just change the tip for the job. DUH.
In OUR real world it works. Beautifully well.
Fear of fire a female trait. Give me a break. That is really the stupidest thing I have ever heard from any contributor on Orchid.
Somebody, quick, help me escape this bad dream… I think I must have gotten off in the wrong century.
I love fire, and I am a girl. What is your favorite torch, Jay? My Little Torch is lovely for the fine silver that I work with, but I’m looking to upgrade it.
A really interesting and eye-opening article. It is so true about women’s fear of fire and the impluse to go small at the beginning. Why wouldn’t a male instructor take for granted what they were exposed to growing up? That you understand where your female students are coming from is a very good thing. They are lucky for your insight. Perhaps you can look at the small torch as a good stepstone tool to help women overcome their fear of fire. As a matter of fact, initally I went even smaller!, starting out with a hand-held butane torch (Creme Brulee) for simple soldering. I now use this torch with my students to get them accustomed to using fire. Initially, they’re afraid, but become comfortable pretty quickly. As my skills have grown, I can really see the need for more heat in the projects I want to do, and am ready for a larger torch.
I would extend your observations to other tools, as well. In my classes, I constantly have to remind women on the proper way to hold a hammer. A choked up grip is nearly universal!
I grew up in the 60s with two older brothers, and we were raised in separate universes. They were taught carpentry skills while I was supposed to stay in the house and help mom with the housework. (Gag!) At the time I didn’t know why that made me feel so rebellious. I’ve spent years overcoming those deficiencies, getting my hands on the power tools when my husband and I built our house together. In my studio, I started out stealing my husband’s tools, and now have become quite a tool addict myself. I had sons, but believe me, any granddaughter of mine will be fully welcomed and encouraged to join in my workshop!
Well Jay, I use my “toy” to do almost all my silver work, and love it. I do have a “big” torch for the few times I need major heat, but most of my work is much more delicate, and much better served by the Little Torch. The day I took a workshop where they had a Little Torch was the day I discovered that my problems were not caused by my lack of soldering skills, but by using the wrong torch for the job. I immediately ordered the Little Torch and haven’t regretted it for a minute.
Next on the fire thing…. I live in the South. Rural. Country. No yard trash pick up. I have MAJOR fires regularly! My husband calls me a pyromaniac, and hides in the house when I burn off yard trash ! So sorry, throwing your surmise on women out the window here…. My burn piles tend to be about 5′ high and 10 – 15′ long when I finally get around to burning them off. Of course I call the state fire department and get my permit to burn, and follow all the safe fire practices – safe area around the fire, plenty of water available, not on windy days, etc. and so forth. But no – I love fire. It never has bothered me.
I think the fear of fire is an individual thing, not a gender thing. I would also imagine that those growing up in the city might have more fear than those living in the country, especially farmers, where fire is more a part of everyday life.
My grandparents heated and cooked with fire – even after they got electricity. So I grew up with this as an everyday thing.
Most of the men that I associate with have a streak of pyromania in them. An acquaintance of mine from a few years ago, that was a volunteer fireman, found that most fires were started by little boys and not little girls so you may be right about girls and fire but they do cook, lucky for you. I use an old Hoke torch, propane/ oxygen, and an old Presto-Lite torch, acetylene/air, both work very well for silver. I don’t work gold or any of the other more expensive metals so I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of these two torches for them.
I don’t know that women are totally alone in there fear of extreme temperatures in metals though. While most men may love fire, molten metal kind of scares them. I have taught some folk to solder, both men and women and it does take time.
The thing with the Little Torch is that it is cute and women like “cute”. It may not work well with silver but it is big in the cute factor.
Jay,
I think you need to qualify your statements – most men are not afraid of fire and most women might be.
I know several men who hate working with torches and I know many women who are NOT afraid.
But in general I would agree as most women are not shown, as little kids, how to be safe around it let alone use it.
We can discuss further in the studio, during tonight’s workshop!