FAQ
Glass torch FAQ
Quick answers to the questions that come up when choosing, setting up and supplying a torch: your first torch, bench or hand, setup cost, fittings and hoses, oxygen and fuel, glass types, leak checks, and ventilation. Each links to the full guide. Tap a question to open it.
How do I choose my first glass torch?
Start from four things: the glass you work, what you make, how you will supply oxygen, and your budget for the whole setup, not just the torch. Get those right and the shortlist gets short. The torch finder filters the catalog on the same questions.
What is a good beginner glass torch?
Look for a forgiving, gentle flame that melts soft glass without fuss and runs on a modest oxygen supply. Our beginner guide starts with the Carlisle Mini CC and the Nortel Minor, both surface-mix bench torches that many beadmakers learned on.
Should I buy a bench torch or a hand torch?
A bench torch mounts to the worktable and holds the flame still while you bring the glass to it. It is the standard for beadwork and nearly all lampworking, and it is the one beginners want. A hand torch is held and moved to the work, mainly for lathe work and assembly.
How much does a beginner lampworking setup cost?
More than the torch. Oxygen, regulators, an annealing kiln, tools and eyewear can outweigh a first bench torch, so budget the whole system. A Hot Head style torch avoids the cost of an oxygen supply, but it is a different class of tool from an oxygen and fuel bench torch.
What is a B fitting on a glass torch?
A "B" fitting is the most common oxy-fuel hose connection size on lampworking torches and regulators. The fuel-gas side uses a left-hand (reverse) thread and the oxygen side a right-hand thread, so the two lines cannot be accidentally swapped.
What does a notch on a gas fitting mean?
The groove (notch) cut into a B-fitting nut marks it as a left-hand thread, the standard for fuel-gas connections. The reverse thread is a safety feature: it makes it physically impossible to connect a fuel hose to an oxygen fitting. Fuel nuts tighten counter-clockwise.
How do I tell the fuel fitting from the oxygen fitting?
Look at the nut. A notched or grooved nut with a left-hand thread is the fuel side; a smooth nut with a right-hand thread is the oxygen side. Never adapt or force a fitting to make a wrong connection work.
What are Y connectors (splitters) used for?
A Y joins or branches compatible lines of the same gas; it does not establish compatibility or provide flashback protection. Follow the torch, supply and device instructions, including any premix circuit or shared supply. GTT warns against its conventional arrestors on a direct oxygen concentrator output because they may not open or may restrict flow. Resolve protection and supply conflicts before lighting.
Grade T vs Grade R welding hose, which do I need?
Grade T welding hose is rated for all fuel gases (including propane and natural gas) and is the correct hose for a lampworking setup. Grade R is acetylene-only, its tube is not oil/flame-resistant, so it is not suitable for propane/LP. Use grade T, or the matched twin oxy-fuel hose.
What do I need to connect a single-stage vs a multi-stage torch?
A single-stage torch needs one fuel line and one oxygen line. Multi-stage (2- and 3-stage) torches have independently valved fires and generally need more oxygen, sometimes two concentrators or teed lines. Four-stage torches are vanishingly rare.
How do I check my torch and hoses for gas leaks?
Use the soapy-water test: brush a 50/50 dish-soap-and-water solution onto every fitting with the gas turned on but the torch unlit. Growing bubbles mean a leak. Never use a flame to check, and re-test after any new connection.
What ventilation do I need for lampworking at home?
Active exhaust that pulls fumes and combustion byproducts (including carbon monoxide and metal-oxide fume) away from your face and out of the room, plus make-up air to replace what is exhausted. Confirm specifics before you light up.
Can you use natural gas instead of propane?
Yes, if your space is plumbed for natural gas and you use the correct regulator/orifice. Natural gas is lower pressure and energy density, so flame behavior differs; many torches support both fuels.
Can you use hydrogen?
Hydrogen is used mainly in quartz and scientific glasswork. It needs its own handling and a torch its maker rates for hydrogen, and some families run it only in a dedicated version (Carlisle's CC family runs hydrogen in its CC-H configuration). Confirm with the maker before you switch fuels; it is not typical for soft glass.
Soft glass vs boro vs quartz, what is the difference?
Soft glass (soda-lime, ~104 COE) melts cooler and suits beads and soft-glass art. Borosilicate (~33 COE) needs more heat and is used for pipes, sculpture, and marbles. Quartz is higher still and mostly scientific.
Can I run a glass torch on a single oxygen concentrator?
Smaller surface-mix torches (e.g. GTT Bobcat or Cricket, Nortel Minor) run on a single ~5 to 10 LPM concentrator. Bigger multi-stage torches need two concentrators or tanks.
How much does oxygen cost and where do I get it?
Oxygen comes from welding-gas suppliers, by lease, purchase, or cylinder exchange. Costs vary by region and cylinder size. A concentrator avoids refills entirely for smaller torches.
Safety information here is general and not a substitute for the manufacturer's instructions or advice from a qualified professional for your specific setup.