Nortel Multimix 8x8 Hand Torch
Surface mix
US price not confirmed
Confirm with Nortel
Hand configuration shown.
Overview
Best for: Hand torch, Boro, General
- Mount
- Hand
- Fuel
- Propane, Natural gas
- Oxygen (estimate)
- Not confirmed
Specs
The Nortel Multimix 8x8 is a stainless surface-mix hand torch with an 8x8 pattern of 64 orifices, the same head as the Major bench burner, on a wooden handle, with rotating fuel and oxygen valve bodies. A large hand-held flame for boro and general work.
Intermediate-to-advanced makers who want the Major's large surface-mix flame in a hand-held torch for boro and general work.
- Jets
- 64
- Stages
- 1
- Mount
- Hand
- Mix
- Surface mix
Specs
- Mix type
- Surface mix
- Mount
- Hand
- Oxygen (estimate)
- n/a
- Fuel
- Propane, Natural gas
- Skill level
- Intermediate, Advanced
- Glass
- Soft, Boro
- Best for
- Hand torch, Boro, General
- Price
- US price not confirmed
- Jets
- 64
- Stages
- 1
Figures come from Nortel's own pages and manuals where we have them; the oxygen figure is a rough estimate, not a specification. Confirm the current spec with Nortel before you buy.
How we source these figures
Treat the oxygen figure as a rough sizing estimate. 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. Where a cell carries an evidence line it says where the figure came from, the date we checked it, and links the source where we hold one; a cell without one rests on the sources at the foot of the page. On a phone those lines show while this note is open. Confirm the exact configuration with Nortel before buying.
Overview
The Nortel Multimix 8x8 is the Major’s head in a hand torch. It’s a stainless surface-mix burner built around an 8x8 pattern of 64 orifices, the same head as the Major bench burner, with stainless nozzle tubes, welded construction, a wooden handle, and rotating fuel and oxygen valve bodies. The result is a large, hand-held flame for boro and general work that brings the Major’s heat to wherever the work is.
What the Multimix 8x8 gives you
This is a surface-mix torch, fuel and oxygen meet at the face rather than premixing inside, so its large flame stays comparatively clean, quiet, and color-friendly. The 64-orifice head gives it real heat for a hand torch, and the rotating valve bodies let you orient the controls comfortably whichever way you grip it. The welded stainless build is made to take the heat of a big flame. For the background, see surface mix vs premix torches; on format, bench vs hand torch.
Who the Multimix 8x8 is for
This is an intermediate-to-advanced hand torch for boro and general work, a strong choice for someone who wants the Major’s flame in a portable form for assembly, spot heating, or larger off-bench pieces. It runs soft glass too, but the large flame leans toward boro. Weighing which glass you’re committing to? See soft glass vs boro vs quartz.
Size, fuel, and oxygen
The Multimix 8x8 is 20 inches long and weighs about 13 ounces, burning propane or natural gas with oxygen. Nortel’s suggested regulator pressures are roughly 0.25 to 5 psi on the gas and 5 to 15 psi on the oxygen, line pressures, not flow rates. A 64-orifice flame draws a lot of oxygen, and Nortel doesn’t publish the exact LPM, so size your supply against the work. See how many LPM does my torch need.
Where it sits in the Nortel line
The Multimix 8x8 is the hand-held counterpart to the Major, sharing its 64-orifice head. Among Nortel’s Multimix hand torches it’s the mid-size option: the Multimix Junior is smaller (Mid Range flame), and the Multimix 11x11 is larger.
Before you buy
Budget for the whole system, not just the torch: 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 Multimix 8x8 (the 64-orifice head shared with the Major, dimensions, and suggested pressures). Nortel doesn’t publish the torch’s exact oxygen flow (LPM) or current pricing, so confirm those specifics with Nortel before purchasing.
Fit and tradeoffs
Best for: Intermediate-to-advanced makers who want the Major's large surface-mix flame in a hand-held torch for boro and general work.
Not for: Beginners and hands-free bench production, this is a large hand torch, and the biggest boro wants a dedicated production burner.
Pros
- + 8x8 pattern of 64 orifices, the same head as the Major bench burner
- + Stainless nozzle tubes with welded construction and a wooden handle
- + Rotating fuel and oxygen valve bodies adjust to the operator
- + Surface-mix design: clean, quiet, color-friendly
Cons
- − Large hand torch (20in, ~13 oz), not for hands-free bench work
- − Big flame means a big oxygen appetite
- − Exact oxygen LPM isn't published, confirm with Nortel before sizing a supply
Reader reviews
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Flame notes
Surface-mix hand torch with an 8x8 pattern of 64 orifices, using the same head as the Major burner. Stainless nozzle tubes, welded construction, wooden handle; rotating fuel/oxygen valve bodies. 20in long, ~13 oz. Pressures ~.25-5 psi gas, 5-15 psi oxygen.
Maker
Nortel Manufacturing
Canada · Founded 1967
Focus: Soft, Boro, Beginner
Toronto manufacturer founded by Peter Norton. The current mounted line is surface mix; selected hand torches and optional top burners are premix.
Related reading
FAQ
- How is the Multimix 8x8 related to the Major?
- It uses the same head as the Major bench burner, an 8x8 pattern of 64 orifices, in a hand-held, wooden-handled form. So it's effectively the Major's large surface-mix flame that you hold and maneuver.
- Why '8x8'?
- The name describes the orifice pattern: an 8-by-8 grid of 64 orifices. The larger Multimix 11x11 uses an 11-by-11 pattern for an even bigger flame.
- How big and heavy is it?
- Nortel lists it at 20 inches long and about 13 ounces. Suggested pressures are roughly 0.25 to 5 psi on the gas and 5 to 15 psi on the oxygen, those are line pressures, not flow rates.
- Hand torch or bench Major?
- Same head, different format. The Multimix is held and maneuvered for off-bench work; the Major is mounted for hands-free work and adds a detailed top fire. Our bench versus hand torch guide, linked below, walks through the trade-offs.
Researched and edited by Joe Blanchard, sixteen years on the distribution side of the glass industry.