Herbert Arnold Mini Hand Torch: a fine needle flame for the smallest glass and quartz
Herbert Arnold Mini Hand Torch · Hand torch · Premix
The Herbert Arnold Mini Hand Torch is a propane/oxygen hand torch built for the smallest glass and quartz work, with a highly concentrated fine needle flame and high heating capacity. Details are limited and partly unconfirmed, verify the specifics with Herbert Arnold before buying.
Model identity needs direct manufacturer confirmation
Specs
- Mix type
- Premix
- Mount
- Hand
- Oxygen (estimate)
- n/a
- Fuel
- Propane
- Skill level
- Intermediate, Advanced
- Glass
- Soft, Boro
- Best for
- Hand torch, Detail, Quartz
- Price
- ~$420 (reference)
- Stages
- 1
Treat the oxygen figure as a rough sizing estimate, not a specification. Depending on the model it may be manufacturer full-flame consumption, a converted flow figure, or a documented estimate, and delivered pressure and purity matter as much as flow. What actually drives a torch choice is the glass, the work, and the flame, so size your oxygen supply after you pick the torch. Prices may be manufacturer list prices or observed dealer references. Use the evidence label and sources below, then confirm the exact configuration before buying.
Overview
The Herbert Arnold Mini Hand Torch is a propane/oxygen hand torch built for the production and processing of the smallest glass and quartz, with a highly concentrated fine needle flame and high heating capacity for its size. It comes from Herbert Arnold, the long-established German glass-machinery maker known for precise burners.
A note up front: published detail on this torch is limited, and some of it is unconfirmed, including the mixing type, which the maker doesn’t state. It is the only record in our 67-torch catalog flagged as needing direct manufacturer confirmation, which is what the badge above the spec table means. Treat the points below as a starting point and verify the specifics with Herbert Arnold before buying.
What it’s built for
This is a specialist hand torch for very small, fine work in glass and quartz, a focused tool rather than a general-purpose burner. Our catalog files it under soft glass and borosilicate, with quartz among its use cases, at an intermediate to advanced skill level, and records it as a single-stage torch: one flame to set, with no second ring of fire behind it. If you’re weighing the format, see bench vs hand torch.
Where it sits in Herbert Arnold’s hand torches
Our catalog carries three Herbert Arnold hand torches. The Premix Hand Torch, model 126/22, is the larger sibling: a brass-bodied torch with separately adjustable needle valves and an exchangeable upper part, shipping with three stainless groove jets for propane at 0.8, 1.0 and 1.3 mm. The Zenit Hand Torch is different again, built on the principle of the quiet Zenit bench burners with the burner head separated from the control part, and aimed at reworking borosilicate.
The comparison worth carrying away: the Mini’s two bores, 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm, start below its larger sibling’s smallest jet. It is not a cheaper route to the same flame, it is the finer end of the range.
Fuel, oxygen, and gas supply
Our catalog lists propane as the only fuel for it, run with oxygen, and the same holds for both of the other Herbert Arnold hand torches; on the bench side, the Zenit is the record that adds natural gas. Do not assume a natural-gas setup is on the table here.
We record no oxygen figure for this torch, or for either of the other two hand torches, so there is no number to check a concentrator or a tank plan against before you buy. Size the supply from the work instead, using how many LPM does my torch need.
What is supported, and what is inference
The supported facts are narrow: a propane/oxygen hand torch for the smallest glass and quartz, a fine needle flame, high heating capacity, and two tip bores at 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm. The rest is context derived from our catalog, not a maker specification.
The mix type is an inference. Herbert Arnold does not state it. Our catalog stores it as premix because the description of a sharp, hot needle flame points that way, and the spec table shows Premix for that reason alone. If the mix type decides anything in your setup, ask before you buy rather than trusting the label. The price in that table is likewise a reference figure carrying no source record, which is why no evidence label sits under it.
Editor’s note: the supported details trace to the Herbert Arnold burner brochure in the sources below and to dealer listings; the “premix” classification is an inference from a dealer description of a sharp, hot needle flame, not a maker-stated spec. Confirm the mix type, oxygen flow (LPM), and current pricing with Herbert Arnold before purchasing.
Fit and tradeoffs
Best for: Hand-held detail work on the smallest glass and quartz, for makers who want a highly concentrated fine needle flame from a precise German hand torch.
Not for: Larger work, beginners wanting a forgiving first flame, or anyone needing published specs before buying, much about this torch is unconfirmed.
Pros
- + Highly concentrated fine needle flame for the smallest work
- + High heating capacity for its size
- + Ships with two tip bores (0.5mm and 0.8mm)
- + German precision build
Cons
- − Limited, partly unconfirmed details, including the mix type, which the maker doesn't state
- − The only record in our catalog flagged as needing direct manufacturer confirmation
- − Hand torch, so limited output and scope
- − Oxygen flow (LPM) and pricing aren't published, confirm with Herbert Arnold
- − Sourcing, support, and parts can be less convenient outside Europe
Flame notes
Propane/oxygen hand torch especially suited to the production and processing of the smallest glass and quartz, with a highly concentrated fine needle flame and high heating capacity. Ships with one 0.5mm and one 0.8mm bore tip. Mix type not stated by the maker (treated as premix from the dealer 'sharp/hot fine needle flame' description) - confirm.
Maker
Herbert Arnold
Germany · Founded 1950
Focus: Scientific, Industrial, Boro, Soft
German manufacturer of burners, glassworking lathes, and production systems. Official burner materials include surface-mix hand and bench burners suitable for quartz.
Related reading
Compared with
Head-to-head guides that put the Mini Hand Torch against other torches.
FAQ
- Is the Mini Hand Torch premix or surface mix?
- Herbert Arnold doesn't state the mix type. Dealer descriptions of a sharp, hot fine needle flame point toward premix, but that's an inference rather than a confirmed spec, so put the question to the maker directly before buying.
- What tips come with it?
- It ships with two tips: one 0.5mm bore and one 0.8mm bore. Herbert Arnold is the one to ask about any additional tip options.
- How does it compare to the Herbert Arnold Premix Hand Torch?
- The Premix Hand Torch (model 126/22) is the larger sibling: a brass-bodied torch with separately adjustable needle valves and an exchangeable upper part, shipping with three propane jets at 0.8, 1.0 and 1.3mm. Its smallest jet is the Mini's largest, so the Mini covers the finer end of the range rather than being a cheaper version of the same flame.
- Does it run on natural gas?
- Our catalog lists propane only, and nothing we have from the maker supports a natural-gas setup for the Herbert Arnold hand torches. Ask the maker before planning one.
- What is it best at?
- Herbert Arnold describes it as especially suited to the production and processing of the smallest glass and quartz, thanks to a highly concentrated fine needle flame and high heating capacity for its size.