Quartz Glassblowing - Hydrogen or Propane Flame

A quick internet search showed that a hydrogen torch can produce a flame about 420 K degrees hotter than a propane torch (depending on your set-up). The higher temp might make it easier to work the quartz glass as compared to other more common types of glass due to quartz's high melting point.

I'll add my two cents in relating my first and only experience with a hydrogen torch. I'm familiar with propane and when I light a propane torch, I open the valve until I can hear the hiss. That way I know there's enough gas coming out and I strike the ignitor.

With hydrogen, there's enough gas coming out long before the hiss is audible. In this instance, I opened the valve until I heard the hiss. Unfortunately that was way too much gas. I struck the ignitor to watch a fireball appear before my eyes. The nozzle of the torch blew off and for a moment the body of the torch had a flame blowing from it. I recovered quickly enough to shut it off within a few seconds but I still had to change my shorts afterward.

your story made me chukkle. .

I have heard in a few instances that hydrogen can damage the torch alot easier than the propane can so i will be sure to install the correct safety measures and limits.

did you not have regulators on the line to limit its inlet working pressures of hydrogen are around 5-10psi (quartzwork) so limiting a regulator to this should prevent what you experienced.

It's been a few years. I'm not sure what regulation there was on the hydrogen gas. My guess, there probably was a regulator, just set a little high and still more than was safe.

That was one of those experiences where a lot is learned and fortunately not at great cost.

Just a quick update on my findings. We have been working with some guys from germany. .

Hydrogen has a flame speed of 9 inches /s (beware without the correct tip the flame produced can be quite long!! as we found out when first starting up the torch, the flame produced was nearly 2 feet long)

Propane has a flame speed of 0.9 inches /s

Hydrogen produces alot more energy and this helps when working quartz glass. the high flame speeds also allow you to create very fine flames when reaching small hard to reach areas.