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Acrylic Torches

All that remains is to clean up the machining on the  end cap reducing the ring post down to around 5mm and fitting a small brass jump ring.

A display of finished acrylic torches plus a couple of ealier brass versions.

My original feature courtesy of ‘Divided Head’ (aka Ralph), on mini brass torches has attracted nearly as much interest as the building of steam engines and it’s easy to see why.

They are a fun way to gain experience on the lathe, turning, facing and cutting threads using taps and dies. Then over to the polisher for the application of the obligatory dose of bling They also lend themselves to personal interpretation so you can release your creative talents and really go for it. The little mini-torches are also popular with the laydees and make welcome little gifts for family and friends.

This post is all about a new slant on the mini torch. Whilst retaining the tried and tested basic design this opens up a new field of design by producing an outer shell in acrylic. Acrylic blanks used for amateur pen making are readily available and they come in a wide range of colours and patterns. Acrylic is easy to machine on the lathe – fast speeds and slow feed is the order of the day when turning and facing. For drilling, slow speeds and slow feed will help to avoid meltdown through excessive heat.

Encouraged by my first prototype I decided to go for a short production run of six torches in the hope that the economies in setting up time would show time saving per unit. Whilst working to set dimensions I wanted to change the outer appearance of the torches by using a variety of acrylic finishes.

3 comments to Acrylic Torches

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