ST2200T Butane Micro Torch

Yes, but torch size is relative to the amount of metal you are working with because the metal needs to be heated evenly for solder to flow. The bigger the piece of metal, the hotter the torch needs to be. If you are working on small projects like rings or earrings and this torch is not working for you, make sure your metal is very clean and use an appropriate jewelry flux with it, if you are not using paste solder.

No

on the right top palm side of the handle or support of the tool.

Yes if you have the soldering tip installed and you leave the torch turned on for length of time it will melt the frame and the inside of the torch and it will fall apart

Hello, and thank you for your question. This torch operates on butane, which is one of the cooler burning fuels. This would not heat to the temperature you would need for this type of use application. If you do make the decision to upgrade to a torch more designed to this use case, I would recommend the TS4000, high heat torch as it offers a lifetime warranty and is operational with both propane and the hotter burning MapPro. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at: Bernzomatic@WorthingtonIndustries.com or at 1-877-324-4091. Thank you.

I don't see why not........

Not sure of what you meant,but you can not torch cut stainless steel metal,you must use a plasma cutter for that application. If you do want to solder S.S. to S.S. using Silver solder and a special paste,you can bond the two together, You did not mention of what thickness of the 2 metals,anything that is at least 1/8" using this torch,can be done. Any more thicker of 1/8" will require a bigger torch style of gas system,more likely a acetylene gas and co2 gas will get the job done right.

No, this torch is definitely too small for searing steaks. I’ve used it for creek brûlée but that’s it. I cook sous vide all the time. I recommend using a TS-8000 propane torch with a Searz All attachment for sous vide searing as an alternative

Yes I use it on a Portuguese custard cup to brown the custard and the pastry she'll

When your solder balls up that usually means one of three things, either something is dirty (could be solder too), you are not applying even heat, or what you are trying to solder is too big for this torch. What type of heat you need is relative to the size of your metal. Think of it this way - it isn't just 2500 degrees. It is 2500 degrees spread over the surface area of your metal. The more metal you have, the more heat is going to be absorbed. So while you start with 2500 degrees, the further away from the "sweet spot" of your torch, the less heat is being transferred into that portion of the metal. The larger the metal, the less you'll be able to evenly transfer heat over the entire piece. At some point, it becomes impossible. If you have tried everything else, perhaps it is time to move on to a bigger torch. I would say the next logical (most cost effective, anyway) would be one of their propane/mapp pro set ups. They have a hose set-up which makes this really convenient. I used that with mapp pro for a long time before moving to a more advanced set-up.