GOOD Butane Torch Lighter?

[DIY_Guy79]

I'm putting together a mini portable soldering kit based off of the Pinecil soldering iron. Going to make a case from wood and will be routing a place for each piece in the kit. I'm wanting to include a butane torch lighter for heat shrink... However, I dont know who makes a good one outside of perhaps Zippo. But I dont care for the Zippo ones as they have a button you have to hold. I'm looking for a torch with a valve you open/close and a flint/grinding wheel... ie: open the valve to let gas through, strike the grinding wheel like a regular lighter... the torch will stay lit til you close the valve. There are plenty of chinese options out there, but as I said, I'm going to be routing a place specifically for the lighter I buy, so I dont really want to do this for a POS that may or may not survive the test of time and may or may not be able to get replacement parts for it. Or worse, not be able to replace the entire lighter if need be. Also, seeing as its a mini kit, size matters.

A standard Zippo case seems like a no brainer for the kit as they'll always be readily available. Would be nice to find a zippo insert that fits the bill. And would love to hear any other suggestions.

 

[darkzero]

Do you need it to be a torch as in do you need it for other uses besides heatshrink? I personally don't like open flame from a torch or lighter for heatshrink (even though not directly touching with the flame). I use a butane tool with a hot air blower attachment for heatshrink, well for my portable soldering kit.

For larger heatshrink (which I rarely work with) or large amounts of heatshrinking I'll use a heat gun but that really only happens at home and never away from home.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

Do you need it to be a torch as in do you need it for other uses besides heatshrink? I personally don't like open flame from a torch or lighter for heatshrink (even though not directly touching with the flame). I use a butane tool with a hot air blower attachment for heatshrink, well for my portable soldering kit.

For larger heatshrink (which I rarely work with) or large amounts of heatshrinking I'll use a heat gun but that really only happens at home and never away from home.

No dont have any other uses for it. I use a heat gun as well most often. I dont like an open regular flame for heatshrink either, otherwise I'd just toss a zippo in and be done with it. Always turns it black and ugly. Never actually tried a butane torch for it, I assumed since it burns cleaner it wouldnt turn it black. I dont really know of anything else small enough that I could use. The butane tools are nice. But it would kind of defeat the purpose of my Pinecil, and I really like being able to run it off of a cell phone charger rather than a fuel like butane. And the appeal of putting the kit together for me, is the size of it. The pinecil is tiny, combined with a pen style multimeter like the Aneng A3008 (or whichever chinese rebrand of your choice of this meter), a small pair of wire strippers/crimpers, a small tube of flux core solder, and a small heat source for heatshrink it will be an awesome little kit. Also considering a better pocket meter like the Sanwa PM3 over the pen meter, but the form factor of that chinese one is on point and doesnt really have any good competitors, unfortunately.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

Wonder if there is a Zippo insert that would fit the bill. Just found a Vector Thunderbird insert that is close. Its butane, and the valve is open/close with the lid cam so it stays lit like a traditional zippo, but its not a torch. Just a regular flame. Perhaps there is one out there that is the same but a torch...

 

[ATC]

No dont have any other uses for it. I use a heat gun as well most often. I dont like an open regular flame for heatshrink either, otherwise I'd just toss a zippo in and be done with it. Always turns it black and ugly. Never actually tried a butane torch for it, I assumed since it burns cleaner it wouldnt turn it black.

A butane torch is all I've ever used for heat shrink. I don't even own a heat gun
Yes, it's nice and clean, no residue.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HT8U9M/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[dchawk81]

Just about any chef's torch will work. They're pistol style for burning brulee tops.

I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y5M5V3X/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Xcursion88]

I use this for many things....

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

But I exclusively use this for shrink tubing....


Automotive stuff like wiring around gasoline the soldering iron works great for the shrink tubing without an open flame

 

[RTM]

I usually buy a cheap butane torch lighter at the flea for a couple of bucks, and they change every other year or so, so I don't think that is your best bet, even though they are refillable, etc.

If you are going to build it in, I think the creme brulee kitchen torch might be your best bet for the long run.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

A butane torch is all I've ever used for heat shrink. I don't even own a heat gun
Yes, it's nice and clean, no residue.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HT8U9M/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Thanks for the confirmation.

Just about any chef's torch will work. They're pistol style for burning brulee tops.

I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y5M5V3X/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I use this for many things....

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

But I exclusively use this for shrink tubing....


Automotive stuff like wiring around gasoline the soldering iron works great for the shrink tubing without an open flame

I usually buy a cheap butane torch lighter at the flea for a couple of bucks, and they change every other year or so, so I don't think that is your best bet, even though they are refillable, etc.

If you are going to build it in, I think the creme brulee kitchen torch might be your best bet for the long run.

I should clarify, when I said I'm putting together a mini portable soldering kit, I do mean mini. I'm going to take two pieces of 1"(if I can get by that thin) thick wood, put a hinge on them so they open/close like a book. Route a place for each tool of the kit. Put magnets on the corners so it snaps shut. The over all size, when opened hopefully wont be anymore than a 10"x10" square. So when I said a butane torch lighter, I mean a literal cigarette or cigar lighter or something equivalently sized. A chef torch or butane soldering tool is just going to be too big to fit the kit I have in mind. The idea is for it to be extremely convenient. A kit so small I can grab it, and toss it in my laptop bag on my way out the door if I need to do any soldering or electrical work. I dont typically use so much heat shrink in a single session(or even multiple sessions) that the butane capacity of a cigar/cigarette torch lighter couldnt handle the job easily.

To get an idea of the size of the kit... so far the planned contents are:
Pinecil Soldering Iron
Small multimeter, either the Aneng A3008 or the Sanwa PM3(both pictured below)
A torch lighter for heat shrink
A small pair of Wire Strippers/crimpers
Small roll of solder wick
A small tube of flux core solder(one of those little clear plastic solder dispenser tubes)
A QC 3.0 Phone charger brick(to power the iron)
A USB cord to connect it.
A small coil that fits into some holes drilled in the case to rest the iron on when hot.
And maybe a small tin of Brass wool to clean the iron.
Not sure I'll aim to add much more than that, as I want the kit to be extremely compact.

Pinecil Soldering iron:

A Pen Type multimeter(Aneng A3008) or the Sanwa PM3 pocket meter.

or:

 

[Xcursion88]

Thanks for the confirmation.





I should clarify, when I said I'm putting together a mini portable soldering kit, I do mean mini. I'm going to take two pieces of 1"(if I can get by that thin) thick wood, put a hinge on them so they open/close like a book. Route a place for each tool of the kit. Put magnets on the corners so it snaps shut. The over all size, when opened hopefully wont be anymore than a 10"x10" square. So when I said a butane torch lighter, I mean a literal cigarette or cigar lighter or something equivalently sized. A chef torch or butane soldering tool is just going to be too big to fit the kit I have in mind. The idea is for it to be extremely convenient. A kit so small I can grab it, and toss it in my laptop bag on my way out the door if I need to do any soldering or electrical work. I dont typically use so much heat shrink in a single session(or even multiple sessions) that the butane capacity of a cigar/cigarette torch lighter couldnt handle the job easily.

To get an idea of the size of the kit... so far the planned contents are:
Pinecil Soldering Iron
Small multimeter, either the Aneng A3008 or the Sanwa PM3(both pictured below)
A torch lighter for heat shrink
A small pair of Wire Strippers/crimpers
Small roll of solder wick
A small tube of flux core solder(one of those little clear plastic solder dispenser tubes)
A QC 3.0 Phone charger brick(to power the iron)
A USB cord to connect it.
A small coil that fits into some holes drilled in the case to rest the iron on when hot.
And maybe a small tin of Brass wool to clean the iron.
Not sure I'll aim to add much more than that, as I want the kit to be extremely compact.

Pinecil Soldering iron:

A Pen Type multimeter(Aneng A3008) or the Sanwa PM3 pocket meter.

or:

Post some pics of it when you're done

 

[macs_rock]

I've used a Zippo with butane insert on heat shrink with good success. This is the insert I have: https://www.zippo.com/collections/lighter-inserts/products/double-torch-butane-lighter-insert

No discoloration or blistering, but it's not the most ergonomic to use. I could definitely use some practice though.