Burner concept questions

[Rylan Fletcher]

I was recently looking through instructable and stumbled upon this image and was wondering if it would be a suitable burner for a long and low heat treat/bladesmithing forge? Also here is the link to the instructable.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-BBQ-Burner/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email 

im mostly wondering if it would be able to get up to temperature or what modifications would be needed. I already own a small home built forge so this is strictly outta curiosity.

thanks in advance

[timgunn1962]

Realistically, probably not.

It's a pipe-or ribbon-burner and works very well for things like heating fish kettles, barbecues, boilers etc where the hot zone being heated is not particularly hot and the tube does not get hot enough to become an ignition source. The narrow slots (or often small holes instead) are narrow enough that the flame-front is robbed of its heat as it tries to pass through the slot/hole and the flame therefore stays above the burner.

Put it into a forge at HT temperature and the heat soaking into the tube is very likely to raise the temperature to the point at which the inside of the tube becomes hot enough to ignite the gas/air mixture in the tube.

If Wikipedia is to be believed, the autoignition point of Propane is 455 degC, 851 degF. That is well below Austenitizing temperatures.

A pipe burner might be ok for a tempering setup though.

Ribbon burners as used in forges tend to use a big lump of insulating ceramic ("about" the size of a brick) with holes cast or drilled through it to stop the heat soaking back into the plenum, which is usually steel and outside the forge for cooling, to overcome this problem.

 

 

[Rylan Fletcher]

Thanks for quick reply timgunn1962! 

I had a feeling in my gut it wouldn't work for similar reasons but I thought I'd ask people more qualified than me! 

Thanks again

[edennis]

I've been in the process of constructing a ribbon burner propane tank forge. You can follow the progress here. The burner is cast from Mizzou, a high temp castable refractory, not ceramic, and I am expecting it to reach forge welding temps when finished. Other people here have more experience and will likely answer your questions. But from what I understand, the ribbon burners are quite efficient and hot under the correct conditions, plenty enough for high temp forging and the like.

[Frosty]

Oops, accidental click.