Finding too much info about propane burners

[Brasilikilt]

Hi everyone!

Anyways...I admit that I know next to nothing about forge burner construction, even though I have used gas forges on many occasions.
The problem is that when others are discussing the building and use of them, a lot of terminology is used which I am not familiar with. This has made it challenging for me to sift through the threads and find the information I am seeking.

On the forges that I have used in the past, all the burner appeared to be was a tube with a nozzle blowing gas inside, but it's obviously a bit more complicated than that.

Can anyone point me to some instructions either here or elsewhere online for a simple efficient burner design?

I don't have welding capabilities right now, but can drill holes, cut steel to length and certainly heat and flare the end of some tubing in my coal forge if need be.

I have seen the types made out of cast iron plumbing pipe and think this might be one of the better designs for me.
Venturi?? Reil??

The you tube vids I have seen are mostly guys making those "Look at how great my burner works!!" and give a very basic description about it's construction.

If you guys can show me the information you all used to build one, or point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

Iain

[DennisG]

Hello Braslilkilt,

I was kinda in the same boat as yourself, saw them, heard talk, ect. . I took the plung last fall and made my gasser, here is the LINK to it. I hope it helps you out. As to not being a welder, maybe you have other local Blacksmiths who can help you out with that.

Good luck and have fun.

[space hammer]

Google "Oliver upwind burner" that's a very simple Venturi. Also check out the stupid simple burner on anvilfire's plans page.

[Larry H]

try zoellerforge.com

[pkrankow]

I built this and it works rather well.

Phil

[kcrucible]

I won't claim to be a definitive source, but here's what I made after reading a lot of sites, sorting through the info, and trying to make sense of it all. It wasn't a slam dunk out of the gate, and you can see what I saw, what I did to correct it, etc. A good site if you're interested in theory as much as simply having a burner. Many external links and pictures.

http://kcrucible.wordpress.com/the-kcrucible-furnace/

[Brasilikilt]

Hello everyone

Thanks for the info....Unfortunately after I read these responses, my computer took a giant dump on me and I was unable to respond until now.
I don't have much time right now (visiting relatives) other than to say that when the online capabilities at home are restored, I will look over these links and information and likely put something together pretty quick (I hope!)

Thanks again....this info is already helping me understand these burners a bit better.

take care

Iain

[km69stang]

Here, I found this web site a while ago, http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/oliverburner1.html . This site has a lot of other information that would help with other questions or future pieces of equipment you want to look into. CHECK IT OUT!!!

This web site is full of information, this particular page shows a simple Oliver-Upwind Burner. What I did was use this concept and applied it to my forced air burner, the first forge that I have ever used or built myself. I have yet to see if i can achieve welding temp, but I was able to get brass to melt in it. I used a steel crucible that I made quickly, and it is not recommended because the steel starts to oxidize a lot and begin to flake off in layers, so keeping the brass clean is hard! I did this just to see what the forge was capable of. Brass melts between 1652 and 1724 depending on the alloy. But, the brass was fluid enough for me to pour it into my ingot mold, and it stayed fluid for a time after it was poured. But, as for reaching 2300 degrees for welding, I have to play with the gas/air mixture. I'll get back to you on that. I just have to find some metals I have to try welding.

I have some mild steel somewhere, I'll try a few layers of that. Or, I read somewhere that one guy was able to use old hack saw blades that have gone dull. If I remember right, he welded them together on one end and welded a rod to that end to help with the handling and welding. One useful piece of information is that if you plan to forge weld, you should use a 'flux' to help protect it and assist in the welding process. I have read where people use metal filings and grindings, but most people use plain 20 Mule-Team Borax as the flux. You can get that at most grocery stores in the laundry detergent isle.

You can see my forge in videos here, http://photobucket.com/km69stang , and there are pictures in the subfolder, so be sure to check that. And if you have any other questions, I'll try to answer and maybe post more pictures if necessary.