The first year or so when I initially opened my business, I started out small. That meant my budget wasn’t very big at all. In fact, I used my own money to pay my way. That included paying for supplies, advertising and all the other aspects of running a small business, on my own dime. So naturally, I invested in a small soldering kit that included a small micro-flame butane torch. I watched the DVD that was included in the kit, but never fully worked the courage to begin soldering until I took a class. In the class, I learned to solder with a propane-oxygen mixture– something I wasn’t prepared to invest in because it was expensive. Once I learned the basics, I decided to give my small butane torch a try. For the first few times, the torch worked magnificently, for I only aspired to solder very small insignificant objects. After that though, I began to struggle with my torch. I must say, I abandoned a lot of projects because I could not get the torch to solder the way I needed it to. For two years, I played with different mediums and for some, the torch worked; others– not so much. My frustration with the micro-flame torch had reached its climax. One day, I was watching a YouTube video and I realized that the instructor in the video was using a torch, only a lot bigger than the one I owned. I fired up my Amazon account and started my search for a new torch. I spent much more on the new product, and boy has it made a difference! I’m not sure I can get the preciseness that I’ll be looking for in my future projects, but for now, it does the job. In just three days, I was able to finish multiple projects which I had postponed or abandoned. The fact that I finished the projects encouraged me to start looking at a few craft fairs to sell products this coming summer and fall. I’m just saying that in my experience, bigger is definitely better. Until the next time!