Nortel Minor Glass Torch

The Nortel Minor is the small, affordable bench burner that a huge number of lampworkers light first and, just as often, keep lighting for years. It is a single-stage, surface-mix torch with a 7-port stainless front end and precision needle valves, its flame runs from about 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch, and Nortel’s own US-dollar listing puts it at about $325. It is built for beads, small sculpture, and small borosilicate, it is the wrong torch for large tubing or thick solid work, and it has a reputation as a reliable, near-indestructible classic that turns up in studios and classrooms everywhere. If you are starting out and want a low-risk, well-understood torch, the Minor is the default answer.

What the Minor’s flame gives you

The Minor is surface mix, meaning fuel and oxygen meet at the face of the torch rather than premixing inside the body. The practical payoff is a clean, quiet, color-friendly flame that’s easy to read and forgiving to learn on. Its precision needle valves let you dial a tight flame from about 1/8 inch up to 3/4 inch, small enough for fine bead and detail work, with enough control that uneven technique is punished less than on a sharp, high-output torch. For the wider context on why surface mix matters, see surface mix vs premix torches.

Who the Minor is for

This is a beginner-to-intermediate torch aimed at beads, small sculpture, and small boro. It’s about as gentle an on-ramp as the craft offers, which is why it’s such a common first recommendation, and why it shows up on our list of the best beginner glass torches. It’s not just a starter, though: plenty of soft-glass artists run a Minor for a lifetime because it simply does what they need and never gets in the way.

Glass, fuel, and oxygen

The Minor comfortably handles soft (soda-lime) glass and small borosilicate, beads, small sculpture, and marbles up to roughly 3 inches. It isn’t built for large boro tubes or thick solid work, which need more heat than a single-stage burner delivers. It burns propane or natural gas with bottled oxygen or an oxygen concentrator, and its small flame keeps oxygen demand modest.

Nortel publishes no LPM figure for the Minor. Our catalog carries about 9 LPM as our own documented estimate, taken at the largest usable flame rather than at a working bead flame, so treat it as a sizing figure and nothing more. Size your supply against the work you actually do; our guides on how many LPM your torch needs and oxygen concentrator vs tanks walk through the math.

Where it sits in the Nortel line

The Minor is the bottom of Nortel’s bench range and the reference point the rest of the line is described against. The closely related Mega Minor is the same 7-port face with slightly larger ports and a flame to 7/8in, which is the usual step for someone heading toward boro. When you want more flame, the Mid Range adds size while staying easy to learn on, and the Red Max adds a second head and a lot more versatility, see our Red Max vs Minor comparison. For the whole line in one place, including the hand torches, read our Nortel torch lineup guide. Thinking about a different brand’s beginner torch? Compare the Minor vs the Carlisle Mini CC.

Before you buy

Budget for the whole system, not just the torch, because Nortel’s listing names only a cleaning needle and your choice of barb or B fittings with the burner (our guide to what a torch kit includes compares makers): oxygen (a concentrator or tanks), the correct propane or natural-gas regulator, flashback protection matched to your torch and gas supply, didymium or boro-rated eyewear matched to your glass, and ventilation. New to plumbing a torch? Start with the fittings, hoses & connectors guide and the glass torch safety setup guide.

Editor’s note: spec details reflect Nortel’s own materials for the Minor (flame size and surface-mix front end). The oxygen figure is our own estimate, not a Nortel number, and the price is the US-dollar figure on Nortel’s own store, read 2026-10-17. Nortel prices in Canadian dollars and its US figure is a currency conversion that moves with the exchange rate, so confirm both with Nortel before purchasing.