Can the Bethlehem Burners Stacks glass blowing torch run on an oxygen concentrator?

Bethlehem Burners has been around since 1948 making glass working equipment. They're most known for their desktop & handheld glass blowing torches, of which they have several. Currently, we have 11 different items from Bethlehem burners available for sale. While the most popular one is surely the Alpha, the Stacks is definitely in the top 5.

Recently we received an important question from a customer. They asked: Can i use an oxygen concentrator with the Stacks torch? The short answer is Yes! However, there are some important things you should know before you do. See the long answer below.

(Pictured Above: The Bethlehem Burners Stacks Torch)

As you can see the Stacks is a tandem desktop torch, that means there's 2 torches in 1. The top is the Stacks I, and the bottom is the Stacks II. While they can be purchased separately most customers buy them together.

Kate Hayes from Bethlehem Burners recommended the Stacks I (the top burner) be run on a 10 LPM oxygen concentrator, and the Stacks II be run on a 20LPM oxygen concentrator. See below.

If you don't want to use 2 separate oxygen concentrators there are 2 good solutions:

1) Use a Y connector to attach one 20LPM Oxygen concentrator to the both the top and bottom Stacks. NOTE: Due to the bottom mount’s unique design, it is recommended to turn off the top mount whenever the lampworker is running the bottom mount. This will ensure the bottom mount has access to enough O2 to keep the flame from sitting on the torch face, causing it to overheat. See below.

2) Attach a 10LPM oxygen concentrator to the top and tanked O2 to the bottom mount. See below.

Kate does NOT recommend trying to run the Stacks torch with a single O2 concentrator that produces less than 20 LPM’s. "While the torch will function with less O2, it is more likely the lampworker will accidentally produce a lazy, gas rich flame on the bottom mount if they do not have access to 20 LPM’s of oxygen. Lazy-gas rich flames will overheat the torch face and cause the metal to deteriorate".

If you want to run a torch on a single concentrator that produces less than 20 LPM’s then the new Bethlehem Star Torch is recommended. Kate informed us that "The Star torch only needs 8 to 15 LPM’s to create its full flame range, and it produces flames that are larger and hotter than the Alpha torch. This means they will get all the flame range of the Alpha + more heat and a wider flame to work larger projects."

Feel free to visit the Bethlehem Burners resource center or contact us if you have any additional questions.