Who "knows" old/ vintage plumber's torches?

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67Dart273

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I may have screwed up (but not that bad LOL). For only 25 bucks and about a 10 mile round trip, I bought an old Ridgid plumbers torch. This is air-propane came with a ? lb ? 10-20lb LPG tank, regulator, hose. After blowing the junk out of it the only tip supplied does work. So I had ASSUMED this was something a guy might find parts for, AKA Harris, Smith, Victor, Turbo Torch, Lenox, on and on.

RidgidTorch1.JPG


Ridgid2.JPG


The ONLY thing on the torch ANYWHERE except the Ridgid name, is an unreadable patent no., and "made in Denmark" on both the tip/ mixer and the handle.

So I did a search. And finally found this:
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ARTCO - When is an Exact torch NOT an Exact torch?

When is an Exact torch NOT an Exact torch?
It's a long story, but it goes something like this ...

'Exact' was a company, founded around 1960 in Denmark, that manufactured propane torches. Although they were marketed as an industrial product (primarily in the roofing industry), they were quickly recognized as being very useful in the hot glass studio.

About 10-15 years ago, Exact was purchased by a German conglomerate called 'Rothenberger', and Rothenberger changed the name of the Danish facility to 'Rothenberger-Exact A/S'. After a couple of years, Rothenberger decided to shut down the facility in Denmark, and move the torch manufacturing to another one of their factories in Spain.

With the Danish factory being shutting down, the Danish management bought back the remains of the factory, and the rights to the name 'Exact'. They re-opened under the new name 'Exact-Denmark', and continued to sell the torches (that were now being made in Spain). Unfortunately, they were only able to stay in business for a year or so before having to close for good. Hence, the Exact name is no longer.

Meanwhile, production of the torches still continues in Spain. These are the same torches that were originally manufactured in Denmark, and are being made on the very same equipment. Rothenberger currently markets these torches under two brand names: the 'Super-Ego' brand name, and Rothenberger name. ARTCO carries the torches with the Rothenberger name on them.

So, ARTCO still carries the same exact torch (pun intended!); it just doesn't have the Exact name on it.
============================================================================


........................................But that website, "Artco" seems to not carry anything resembling what "I have."

So I got on egag and found this: an NOS unused torch, but still no idea of model LOLOL

The ONLY thing on the torch ANYWHERE except the Ridgid name, is an unreadable patent no., and "made in Denmark" on both the tip/ mixer and the handle.

So I did a search. And finally found this:
=============================================================================
ARTCO - When is an Exact torch NOT an Exact torch?

When is an Exact torch NOT an Exact torch?
It's a long story, but it goes something like this ...

'Exact' was a company, founded around 1960 in Denmark, that manufactured propane torches. Although they were marketed as an industrial product (primarily in the roofing industry), they were quickly recognized as being very useful in the hot glass studio.

About 10-15 years ago, Exact was purchased by a German conglomerate called 'Rothenberger', and Rothenberger changed the name of the Danish facility to 'Rothenberger-Exact A/S'. After a couple of years, Rothenberger decided to shut down the facility in Denmark, and move the torch manufacturing to another one of their factories in Spain.

With the Danish factory being shutting down, the Danish management bought back the remains of the factory, and the rights to the name 'Exact'. They re-opened under the new name 'Exact-Denmark', and continued to sell the torches (that were now being made in Spain). Unfortunately, they were only able to stay in business for a year or so before having to close for good. Hence, the Exact name is no longer.

Meanwhile, production of the torches still continues in Spain. These are the same torches that were originally manufactured in Denmark, and are being made on the very same equipment. Rothenberger currently markets these torches under two brand names: the 'Super-Ego' brand name, and Rothenberger name. ARTCO carries the torches with the Rothenberger name on them.

So, ARTCO still carries the same exact torch (pun intended!); it just doesn't have the Exact name on it.
============================================================================


........................................But that website, "Artco" seems to not carry anything resembling what "I have."

So I got on egag and found this: an NOS unused torch, but still no idea of model LOLOL

Ridgid_Rothenbergertorchcs.jpeg


I can tell by comparing other torch tips that "surely" the Rothenberger pictured uses the same quick connect machining pattern but I still don't have a model

Well, ...................life goes on LOL
 
HOLY COW How did you find that so fast? I did find a couple tips on egag (Both same, no. 02 and same as I have). This appears to have been made in the late 60's--70's.
 
Yup. I blew out the orifice and it works. I'd like to have bigger tips but that is a no-go. What I REALLY wanted was an air-acetylene torch which still uses one tank and gets much hotter.

I found one on marketpharce last summer but the woman would not contact me except through messaging. She was ? about 30 miles one way. I was not about to trapse off on a goose chase with no phone no. and I'd given her mine. I don't have a smart phone so once out of the house, phakebook messaging is useless

These dainty flowers are so damned afraid to give out their phone. HOW DID WE USED TO communicate?
 
LOL , no use for it now .
Post some pics of ur purple barracuda --------
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I thought I'd read that you were a plumber, figured you'd know what 67Dart273 had.
I have some more pics that I'll post in my profile / garage. I don't wanna post it in this thread.
Maybe you can post some pics of your motor plate alternator setup. I wanna do that to mine for some street use.
Thanx
 
..........................................
I thought I'd read that you were a plumber, figured you'd know what 67Dart273 had.
I have some more pics that I'll post in my profile / garage. I don't wanna post it in this thread.
Maybe you can post some pics of your motor plate alternator setup. I wanna do that to mine for some street use.
Thanx

We used those torches for quite a while when I first got in plbg. , but they were set up for prestolite , either way they were unhandy as h---.
IMG_0150 (1).jpg
best I can do at the moment. All home made , G M one wire alternator . Had a couple of 5/16'' heim joints laying around , home made spacers and staionary bracket out of alum , have never thrown a belt
 
I can see they'd be unhandy in tight places. Of course I wanted this one for a different purpose. I made an offer on egag and bought the two spare tips for 10 bucks. Unfortunately they are the same size LOL. I had an air-acetylene torch found on Phakebook Marketpharce this summer but the seller would not cooperate. I have a flip phone, so this smart phone messaging **** does not work outside of the house/ my laptop. The trip was 25-30mi one way, so I was not about to drive off into the sunset with no phone number.

Tell me again guys HOW DID WE USE TO communicate, back in the old days? Didn't we use PHONES?
 
I have the Rothenberger kit that you show in ypur first post i bought this set back in about 1990 ish, it uses lpg (propane) and mixes air into the gas at the handle or via the trigger on the handle to increase the temperature over a standard propane flame, i can try to get some measurements if you let me know which parts you want measured.
 
Actually "I'm fine." Thanks for the offer........ Someone on ebay (I found them because they were simply advertised as "made in Denmark torch tips" LOLOL) had a pair of 02 tips, one seems brand new, maybe both. I had cleaned out the tip came with mine, the ebay ones are enough cleaner that there is a TINY noticeable flame improvement. Anyhow, last night I was tearing down a 35hp with some stuck bolts and the thing is "impressively" better than a hand held bottle torch.

So at least for now I'm done mess'n with this. It works, it produces enough heat, I'm happy "for the money."

I made them an offer for 10 which was accepted and is not reflected in the displayed price

The REALLY INTERESTING thing about all three tips is that the mixer holes are some different on EACH one. I actually tried the outer part of all three on the new tip, with no real change. From smallest to largest, "it seems" that there would be, but I cannot see it if so.

torchtips.jpg
 
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