Nortel Minor Bench Burner Lampworking Torch

I love this, I have two and use 1 as a polishing torch at the knock off and the 2nd as a small sculpting torch.

Very good torch. Hot enough but not too hot, very good for beginning lampworkers. The price I'm seeing here is ridiculous, however. If you search for Nortel Minor Torch you'll find them for WAY less. WAY less.

I got my Minor burner nearly two decades ago and found that it is a very good journeyman's level surface mix burner. I use it for COE 104 soda-lime glass such as Effetre, Moretti and competitors. I can use it to build 1.5 inch hollow beads and shooter-sized marbles using the more stable glass colors. It will work well using opalino to make small and moderate sized beads or small marbles. It can be used to apply foils and do fuming on moderate sized beads. But like any small burner it is too slow to build larger beads of the more easily burned glasses.It heats rapidly and can be adjusted for MAPP/oxygen propane/oxygen and natural gas/oxygen. I've never used it for natural gas/oxygen but the others work well.In large part its limitations are general to the size of burner. No small burner nor torch, whether Nortel or Hoke or whatever is fast enough for huge beads, especially ones of easily discolored glasses like opalino. Nor will they do well for borosilicate glass, unless a person limits themselves to very small beads. And lampworking burners, even small ones like the Minor, are all too big for jewelry making. Lampworking burners should not be run with acetylene/oxygen as the beads will come out smoky or burned by the acetylene.When a person grows out of the Minor and if they like Nortel products enough to get a Midrange, can you guess what they will find sitting on top it? You guessed it: a Minor without its cooling fins.Edited to add: My need to make a safety comment to the other reviewer points out the general problem of safety issues whenever one buys unfamiliar equipment on the web. Lampworking equipment is no exception. Check valves, flashback arresters, a fireproof work environment in a detached shop, outdoor fuel and oxygen tank placement, fire extinguisher, glasses, positive ventilation, environment free of pets and children, professional coaching are all requirements and not options. You just can't do lampwork in your bedroom and expect to survive for very long. If a propane explosion or carbon monoxide doesn't get you the cat with his tail on fire will.Edited again to add that I've recently built a freestanding studio with tile tabletop and a passive hood to direct the majority of the heat out of the building. To line the metal hood so as to keep it cooler I used Durablanket, a ceramic fiber insulating blanket similar to 1" Ceramic Fiber Insulation Blanket 2400 F for Quadrafire Stoves and Others, Kilns, Forges & More! 31" X 24" X 1" or 1" Thick Fiber Durablanket.

I've had my Minor for 13 years, and it's still in excelllent condition. I use it for beads and small sculptures, and am running it on a 5lpm concentrator and natural gas. With all the torches available today, I'd sstill choose a Minor Bench Burner.

This is a great torch. It is too bad that some people don't understand retail. As a store owner I can tell you that there are many places on the internet selling this at cost. It makes it impossible for other stores to compete and stay in business. We used to carry this torch but everyone wants to buy it at below our cost, so we no longer sell it.