From the late 1890s Swedish inventor Carl Nyberg (1858-1939) was interested in solving the problem of manned flight. His numerous experiments with his Flugan (The Fly) flying machine generally proved unsuccessful, much to the amusement of local onlookers. Nyberg may not have suceeded in achieving his ambition of flight, but his flying machine was powered by a steam engine heated by four blowtorches, and it was the latter—a handy tool still widely used today—that he gave to the world.
Nyberg, a prolific inventor who also worked on cookers, steam engines, and boat propellers, invented the blowtorch in 1881, although the actual patent application was made by business entrepreneur Max Sievert who showed an interest in Nyberg's invention and began selling it from about 1886.
The blowtorch consists of a cylinder filled with fuel, usually propane, butane, or liquid petrol gas. This is vaporized and then mixed with oxygen (from the air) in a combustion chamber before being ignited to form a flame. The pressurized fuel, which issues from a small nozzle, gives the flame its direction and "strength," allowing the intense heat from the blowtorch to be applied to relatively small areas.
Blowtorches perform a wide variety of functions. Because the flame is substantially cooler than that of an oxyacetylene torch, the blowtorch cannot be used for welding or cutting, but almost anything else is possible. Blowtorches of various sizes can be found everywhere from the kitchen to the toolbox of the professional mechanic, performing tasks as diverse as crisping up a creme brulee and soldering metal.
