Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmontg
A propane torch won't quite get hot enough to melt copper Dave without a different tip than what you get at hardware stores though propane mixed with air definitely gets more than hot enough. Ask a weld supply, they sell all kinds of rod too, but usually by the pound and that's a lot of rod, even 1/8 stainless. Mapp gas will get hot enough and oxy-acetylene will for certain, use a rosebud tip for the Ox-Ac. The Ox-ac will melt all kinds of stuff as it's up there around 3400+. Now here's the deal, propane will get hot enough in a forge with the proper air mix. Ask Goater which type of a tip you can get for propane as it's the cheapest.
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I'm not sure but I believe there are some torches that can use propane and oxy since you have an oxygen bottle. I've always used oxy/acet for melting. I have used natural gas and oxygen for jewelry work, but I don't know if natural gas can be bought in bottles. Never used propane but I believe there are torches that work like the burner in a forge that would get hot enough. I think that's what Jim mentions above.
But no, those hardware store propane torches are too small to heat the crucible/melting dish and melt the metal. They're mostly meant for soft soldering copper pipe.