Blow torch

[pvr]

Any recommendation for one that is good to heat up bolts to get them undone? There are dozens on Amazon, seemingly the same, but if there is something that makes it more useful to heat up a very targetted area then I would like to hear

 

[smorris_12]

MAPP gas is the thing to have for decent heating power output. I've got a button igniting Benzomatic one for plumbing duties that's also excellent for car stuff. It was £70 when I bought mine and that's some years ago. Butane and propane are less powerful but a lot cheaper.

 

[markplant]

Have you looked at an ruled out the induction type
Not specifically this one put something like this

 

[Pondrew]

Rothenberger 'super fire' torch and MAPP gas. Used them for years for brazing heavy copper; much hotter than a traditional plumber's blow torch without the aggro and expense of oxy-acet. You can also get heatshields for them which clip on to the nozzle, to keep the heat where you want it.

The Rothenberger 'swirls' the flame when mixed with air; hence they are commonly known as 'turbo-torches', which gets it hotter than others when using MAPP.

I don't use them professionally anymore but have one in the garage for everything from plumbing to car stuff.

Not cheap but the best there is IMO.

If you were nearer, Paul, you could borrow mine. But you're not so you can't.

 

[pvr]

Have you looked at an ruled out the induction typeScreenshot_20230708-004605.png
Not specifically this one put something like this

I haven’t and didnt know that was an option. Have you used something like that Mark, and does it work on blocks of rust with a bolt hidden in it?

 

[pvr]

Rothenberger 'super fire' torch and MAPP gas. Used them for years for brazing heavy copper; much hotter than a traditional plumber's blow torch without the aggro and expense of oxy-acet. You can also get heatshields for them which clip on to the nozzle, to keep the heat where you want it.

The Rothenberger 'swirls' the flame when mixed with air; hence they are commonly known as 'turbo-torches', which gets it hotter than others when using MAPP.

I don't use them professionally anymore but have one in the garage for everything from plumbing to car stuff.

Not cheap but the best there is IMO.

If you were nearer, Paul, you could borrow mine. But you're not so you can't.

Thanks Pondrew, I will have a look at that as well

 

[pvr]

MAPP gas is the thing to have for decent heating power output. I've got a button igniting Benzomatic one for plumbing duties that's also excellent for car stuff. It was £70 when I bought mine and that's some years ago. Butane and propane are less powerful but a lot cheaper.

Good info, I will look at all 3 suggestions. Always useful to have the info from those who have used them

 

[Ed.Straker]

My local garage has the induction option
Generates a very localised heat
Uses it to crack track rod ends and other seized bolts and nuts

 

[pvr]

Leaning towards that to avoid an open flame

 

[markplant]

Seen it used a few of the car TV shows as above it's very localised, an use to do induction hardening to heat treat blade edges without hardening everything else

 

[pvr]

The more I read, the more I like

 

[Pondrew]

The more I read, the more I like

The only problem you could have is that an inductive 'tool' relies on the other medium to be a very good conductor of electrickery. Rust is not a good conductor. So you may have to clean it down to bare metal for it to work properly, which negates a lot of the benefits IMO.

Just saying!

 

[smorris_12]

I must say, if starting from a point of not having anything, an induction heater would be a better starting point than a blow torch. I simply had a torch first.

The rust won't affect anything greatly with an induction heater; as long as the material you're trying to heat is ferrous, it'll get hot.

 

[pvr]

As a rule, would you heat first before attacking with the power tools?

The removing of the abs sensor was done with a brute force impact driver with a bolt grabber on it and worked fine with that, but for the less accessible ones where you don’t have many options for attack, is heating it first better?

 

[smorris_12]

The trick is to know when you're in danger of either snapping the bolt or mullering the head/socket with any more force and then reach for some heat to break the seal.

In the vein of not following my own advice, I ripped the head off a hub pinch bolt the other week by putting ever more weight on the breaker bar into it gave out. The other side got a good heating and came out with huge amounts of grumbling.

[1] and if you can let me know,