Alcohol/spirit Lamp/burner For Heating Leather Crease Tools?

[Art]

I've told what the old school does, Now there is me. I don't do a ton of this so it is easy for me to just use the Burny from Optimus. It works.

Art

[Tannin]

:D That's a nice one. I have a couple of "jet lighters" but mine were both v. cheap (£1 & £3 I think). One looks like a regular disposable lighter but has a jet flame - v. handy when its windy outside. The other is a bigger, more powerful version off ebay, which has a regular mode as well - prob. a good one for the workshop (or for fancy cooking?). Somebody also gave me a one of their old Zippo lighters (c. 1980's) which works well* & might also do the task. At the back of my mind, I probably had in mind that I might be able to use them for heating leather tools - so interesting to hear that it works. I don't smoke but find lighters handy in the garden/workshop/house/on holiday/fishing/.... Unsurprisingly smokers know the in & outs of lighters better than most.

*Youtube has useful videos on Zippo lighters.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Tannin

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Propane bottle torch is on or near my bench most of the time. Surprising how often it comes in handy:-)

[Tannin]

Vintage medical/military sterilizing (with tool-holder - possibly for sterlizing syringe needles?):

The above spirit burner(/spirit lamp) is mine now. I have added 38mm wick - which is an excellent fit - to the bent metal wick holder which fits in the main slot, shown above. I have come across another common use for such burners: as heaters for Victorian/Edwardian curling tongs! However I did see one that had German WWII regular army markings, which was presumably for medical use rather than hair curling. Here is another:

Edited June 18, 2015 by Tannin

[bullmoosepaddles]

Newbie question. Why does a creaser need to be heated? And how much does it need to be heated when heated?

Thanks guys.

Gene

[LumpenDoodle2]

Heating the creaser sort of presses the line permanantly into leather (think branding, but no way near so hot). I'm quite new to this myself, so best to take advice regarding how hot from a more experenced forum member, but a little practice on scrap leather soon works it out.

As to what burner to use, I just use a twee little lamp I had bought for 50p at a car boot sale.

[bullmoosepaddles]

LumpenDoodle2,

It must be time I learned this. I, by chance, ran across another thread on using electronic soldering irons as creasers yesterday. I now have a much better understanding.

Thank you kindly for your reply.