Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch: a multi-fuel premix hand torch for quartz and lathe work

The Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch is a specialist among Nortel’s hand torches: a premix burner built around a special injector-type mixer with one finger-tip control, on a lightweight aluminum handle. Its defining feature is the twin-fuel valves, which let it run varied combinations of natural gas, propane, MAPP, and hydrogen with oxygen — fuel flexibility that suits quartz and high-temperature work and makes it useful as a lathe booster.

What the twin-fuel design gives you

Most torches commit to one fuel; the Twin Fuel lets you mix and match. Being able to bring in MAPP or hydrogen alongside the usual propane or natural gas means you can push the flame hotter, which is exactly what quartz and other high-temperature work demand. The injector-type mixer and single finger-tip control keep it simple to operate in the hand. It’s a premix torch — fuel and oxygen combine inside the body — so it’s stable and predictable to run; see surface mix vs premix torches. For where these fuels differ, see propane vs natural gas for torchwork.

Who the Twin Fuel is for

This is an intermediate-to-advanced tool for scientific, quartz, and lathe work — not a beginner’s first torch or a general bead burner. Its value is in the fuel flexibility and high-temperature reach, and as a lathe booster it brings extra heat to a specific spot on a rotating piece. If your work is heading into quartz, our soft glass vs boro vs quartz guide explains why the fuel choice matters so much; on format, see bench vs hand torch.

Tips, fuel, and oxygen

The Twin Fuel accepts National torch tips (7/16-24 thread), so it slots into that established tip ecosystem. It burns propane, natural gas, or hydrogen (and MAPP) with oxygen. Nortel doesn’t publish an exact flame size or LPM figure for it, so size your oxygen supply against the work — high-temperature flames can be demanding. See how many LPM does my torch need.

Where it sits in the Nortel line

The Twin Fuel is one of Nortel’s premix hand torches, alongside the compact Unitorch. Where the Unitorch is a simple entry hand torch, the Twin Fuel is the specialist — built for multi-fuel, high-temperature, and lathe tasks rather than general soft-glass work.

Before you buy

Budget for the whole system, not just the torch: oxygen (a concentrator or tanks), the correct regulators for the fuels you’ll run, flashback arrestors on both lines, didymium eyewear (and the right shade for the fuel and 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 Twin Fuel Handtorch (the injector-type mixer, twin-fuel valves, fuel range, and National tip thread). Nortel doesn’t publish the torch’s exact flame size, oxygen flow (LPM), or current pricing, so confirm those specifics with Nortel before purchasing.