Fiddling with torches so you can walk between smelters or ovens seems unnecessary. You can design around it I realize. But I can't think of any case where having a lit torch equipped and Rclicking an lightable container is a bad thing. Why not save the hassle?
You might want to look inside the lightable container before lighting it.
Just use a custom client that can ctrl+1/2 or y/x to simulate clicks on the hands for an easier living.