Actually those old blow torches work very well for what they were designed for.They do have to be in useable condition and you need to know how to operate them.I use plain gasoline in mine and it works very well.There is a small cup on the top of the tank that you fill with a small amount of gas and light.This heats the generator in order to vaporize the fuel.When the cup is about to burn out you open the fuel valve and should have a nice blue flame.Most torches have some sort of a hook on top.This is to hold a soldering iron in the flame.Works very well for soldering sheet metal.I've also used them to melt small amounts of babbit for bearings.I probably wouldn't use one in my living room but they are no more dangerous than many other tools in the shop if used improperly. Chip Watford