What do you use for fire in your garage?

[Alejandro__]

Hey guys,
Seems like now and then I find a need for fire in my garage. Not often... I don't weld or anything like that.
When I wax my board every now and then I'll need to melt some PTex or melt some hockey laces or something like that.
A propane torch seems a bit much... a lighter is not enough.

Those 'lighter torches' seem like a bit of a scam (like a way to make your regular lighter empty out twice as fast as normal...

What do you guys use in your garage when you need a flame?
a

 

[Ilikeike]

Since I sweat copper every once in awhile, I have a hand held torch with mapp gas.
I use it for all my fire needs. Heating rusty bolts, shrink tube, bending PVC, melting whatever, lighting fireworks, even occasionally relighting a cigar I was too busy to tend to when my lighter isn't close by.

May as well get the propane torch with the built in igniter.

 

[Playwme]

I use a little Benzomatic torch. Awesome for lighting sparklers for the kids too cause you can do them instantly and all at once.

 

[RedRabbit]

I use a propane bernzomatic torch and a Mapp torch at work and home. They work well.

 

[gungatim]

HF heatgun is my go to when I don't need flame. I even dry wet firewood with it. if you run it for a long time it will destroy itself, so i'm on my 3rd one but they are cheap. work great for heating pistons to press wrist pins, and other similar heating jobs.

 

[DangerousDan55]

Yes get a Bernzomatic. Use it on your wax. Thawing a frozen pipe, heat shrink, bending PVC pipe/ conduit, lighting charcoal, cigars, burn pile, spiders! But a AC heat gun will work great.

Myself I got the Bernzomatic hand held, ox & acet setup, 30 lb propane w/ a tourch, AC heat gun, & a small kitchen lighter. And that dont get it, I got GASOLINE!!!

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

For fire a propane torch, a camping stove, candles.
A soldering iron, heat gun, toaster oven or electric hot plate also provide heat (but no fire).

 

[kaymccampbell]

In order of size of disaster.
Propane torch.
Plasma cutter.
Acetylene torch.
Natural gas forge.
If none of the above will do it, then we pile brush and throw milk jugs full of gas at it.

 

[wssix99]

This is what the hand torch looks like:

It's a great tool. You can use it as a portable soldering iron or as a heat source. The solder tip removes to leave a heating end with fins on it that will give you intense heat but hold back the actual flame. (I use that configuration for melting things, heat shrink tubing, etc.)

 

[Farmall 1066]

O/A torch, propane torch, HF propane weed burner, OLD Pratt/Lambert white gas blowtorch, blacksmith coal forge, heat gun, Aim A Flame, Bic lighter, Fry Daddy for heating bearings.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Oh yeah... Carbon arc torch too!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Wood stove ?

Actually in the Winter I do use it to dry parts after painting them.


MAPP gas, benzomatic mini-torch, heat gun

 

[kjdhawkhill]

Hey guys,
Seems like now and then I find a need for fire in my garage. Not often... I don't weld or anything like that.
When I wax my board every now and then I'll need to melt some PTex or melt some hockey laces or something like that.
A propane torch seems a bit much... a lighter is not enough.

Those 'lighter torches' seem like a bit of a scam (like a way to make your regular lighter empty out twice as fast as normal...

What do you guys use in your garage when you need a flame?
a

I strive to prevent fire in the garage. But I did buy a multipack of 2-4-5?thousand matches about four years ago. One partial in the kitchen, one by the grill, one by bed - :hitit: - and one in the garage. The only one that gets used is the one by the charcoal grill.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I have a propane bernzomatic torch, Heat gun, various soldering irons etc, but none of it will touch any P-tex. Flame of any sort is the worst thing possible for P-tex. It introduces carbon, wich is both un-sightly and reduces its bond strength. Best thing for P-tex is a proper p-tex gun, it both heats the p-tex (think of an industrial grade hot melt gun) as well as your base to create a much better bond. Also, if you bonding to either the core or the edge, you should be using the special p-tex designed to bond to metal as a thin layer before applying the normal p-tex.

As for wax, a proper waxing iron is the way to go as you need to control the heat so you dont "burn" the wax burning off the flouro carbons that you want to increase your glide.

 

[rharman]

This is what the hand torch looks like:

It's a great tool. You can use it as a portable soldering iron or as a heat source. The solder tip removes to leave a heating end with fins on it that will give you intense heat but hold back the actual flame. (I use that configuration for melting things, heat shrink tubing, etc.)

I have the cheapie Harbor Freight version of this and I use it constantly. I've been amazed at how useful it is.

For heat shrink, I use an old heat gun my dad used to use for shrinking wing/fuselage coatings on his R/C planes.

 

[Alejandro__]

Yup, I have a proper iron for my wax. When I do base repair using the ptex, I usually light it on fire. You can tell when the carbon has turned the clear ptex dark... that stuff doesn't go on the board. Eventually it catches itself and there's a blue flame and it drops clear onto the board. But usually to get it to that state, I've used at least a quarter of a bic lighter.

That mini butane torch looks like its probably what I need... for now

which p-tex gun do you use?

Flame of any sort is the worst thing possible for P-tex. It introduces carbon, wich is both un-sightly and reduces its bond strength. Best thing for P-tex is a proper p-tex gun,
As for wax, a proper waxing iron is the way to go as you need to control the heat so you dont "burn" the wax burning off the flouro carbons that you want to increase your glide.

 

[Lippyp]

I also dry parts on it and it also makes damn good coffee!

For other stuff I have a handheld propane torch and an electric heat gun, that would be more than enough to melt wax I guess without the naked flame.

 

[NUTTSGT]

This is what the hand torch looks like:

It's a great tool. You can use it as a portable soldering iron or as a heat source. The solder tip removes to leave a heating end with fins on it that will give you intense heat but hold back the actual flame. (I use that configuration for melting things, heat shrink tubing, etc.)

You can go for years without one but once you buy one, you wonder how the hell you went so long not having one.

 

[jwith68]

Electric heat gun, hand-held propane torch, weed burner torch on 20 gallon propane cylinder, oxy-acetylene cutting/welding set. To be fair, weed burner is rarely used in shop, but is handy occasionally for large parts when pre-heat for welding is required. Gets the charcoal basket for my smoker ready to cook in short order, too.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

Alejandro,

I use the older grey version of this one: https://www.svst.com/svst17.aspx?Id=c8791c50-384c-42d0-ac2a-0808fa8fb0cd Sun Valley Ski tools, is the go to distributor / maker of ski/snowboard tools. Everything they carry is either made by them in the US, or is a high quality Euro import. I have a wholsale account with them, but your local ski/board shop should be able to order anything from them for you.

Also, the problem with burning the p-tex sticks is if you get them hot enough to burn you are dergading the palstic. All you really want to do is to heat them to the T.M. of the HDPE.

Yup, I have a proper iron for my wax. When I do base repair using the ptex, I usually light it on fire. You can tell when the carbon has turned the clear ptex dark... that stuff doesn't go on the board. Eventually it catches itself and there's a blue flame and it drops clear onto the board. But usually to get it to that state, I've used at least a quarter of a bic lighter.

That mini butane torch looks like its probably what I need... for now

which p-tex gun do you use?

 

[Alejandro__]

Thanks!
I'll definitely look into picking one up. I used to maintain my gear when I was younger but then started taking it in to be professionally waxed after university. Later I realized that the 14 year old behind the counter was anything but... So I started just doing mine and my families' (wife/two kids) again a season or two ago. But this past season my sister started leaving her families' gear in my garage...
I don't mind for now because I figure I can use the practice.

Slowly been putting together a decent kit. Seems like a good addition.

Alejandro,

I use the older grey version of this one: https://www.svst.com/svst17.aspx?Id=c8791c50-384c-42d0-ac2a-0808fa8fb0cd Sun Valley Ski tools, is the go to distributor / maker of ski/snowboard tools. Everything they carry is either made by them in the US, or is a high quality Euro import. I have a wholsale account with them, but your local ski/board shop should be able to order anything from them for you.

Also, the problem with burning the p-tex sticks is if you get them hot enough to burn you are dergading the palstic. All you really want to do is to heat them to the T.M. of the HDPE.