Propane burner

Do any of you use a propane weed burner to heat up stock for blacksmith hammering types of work?

If so, what type, and where did you get it? Are there different types? Sizes? Orifice configurations? Sources?

TIA

Steve

Reply to
SteveB
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I don't use mine for forging, but I do use it for heating forged metals prior to putting on oil or wax for a finish. I got mine once when I needed a long propane hose with regulator, and when I saw how nice the torch was I kept it and now I use it for burning weeds and also general wide heating. Mine is a "Magnum" torch and it's made in Italy, and it's what a whole lot of roofers use for torch-down roofing. Mine has the pushbutton piezoelectric lighter, which is just great.

I bought mine on ebay and the Magnum torches make the HF knockoffs look sick.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

I got a 450k btu weed burner I use to preheat metal for welding, heat shrink fits, and any other use where a lot of heat is necessary. On small parts I use an oxy-xcytlene torch.

John

Reply to
John

I use a smaller burner (Reil burner type), same size as the one in my forge. Small items like sharpening one 1/2" rod (and smaller) I'll use the burner to heat to forging temp. Quick and dirty when it doesn't make sense to heat up the whole forge. Heating to forging temp works *much* better against a fire brick.

Reil burners and far more info can be found at:

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'd recommend the mig tip jet burners from what I've heard. I'm just putting my first one together, so can't comment direct.

Steve

SteveB wrote:

Reply to
Steve Smith

They're too much heat and too low a temperature. I have one, but all it gets used for is paint stripping, tar melting and hot-oil blackened finishes.

A natural air / propane torch is OK for brazing or silver soldering. Some sort of simple firebrick hearth is essential. The burner is a different design from the "bean tin" weedburners.

For bending steel I use oxy-propane. Still a struggle.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

These are great for thawing as well as starting charcoal/wood campfires, but the heat is not concentrated...most of the heat blows past the part being heated. It does generate a considerable volume of hot air. There is NO air shutter on these things, just a large opening at the back. Even a fish cooker or Reil-type burner will use the fuel more efficiently and concentrate it into a smaller area.

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

I put what I what to be heated in a steel tube or similar enclosure to direct most of the heat into the object being heated. the flame is hot enough to melt aluminum

John

Reply to
John

wow. i was disappointed when i read what thomas wrote "..too much heat and too low a temperature." etc. but heartened what john wrote "...hot enough to melt aluminum." in a previous post i mentioned i was hoping to use my weed burner to heat 1" x 1" steel bar hot enough to put a twist in it (like maybe 1 or 1 1/4 twist). i was imagining i was going to have to set up some kind of firebrick or steel tube enclosure to contain the heat to get the 1" x 1" hot enough to twist. (but obviously, not have the torch close enough where i'd "flame out" the burner.) i've always assumed the color of the flame is an indication what temperature it is. like, the outer blue flame on an oxy-acetylene flame is the same temp as the blue flame of these weed burners, just, it's the inner white cone of a o/a flame that's 6000 degrees (or whatever it is) and/but the weed burners don't have that "inner white cone". i don't know what the temperature of the blue flame is on a household gas stove. could it possibly be the same temp as the blue flame of the weed burner, AND the oxy-acetylene flame (just the blue outer portion)?

b.w.

Reply to
William Wixon

Depends how good a job you want doing. Aluminium is easy to "melt", but it's prone to oxidation and getting good castings out of it needs a rapid melt, otherwise it's full of dross.

As with any metal-melting exercise, it's not just the burner that matters, you have to look very hard at your insulation too.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Oxygen accelerates combustion, so it will cause the fuel gas to deliver the same number of BTU's (dependent on the gas) in a shorter period of time. This is a heat question, not a temperature question. When I add heat faster than it can be dissipated by the material, I can soften it, cut it or melt it.

For example, a household gas stove flame reaches a temperature in excess of the melting point of copper. Since copper is a good conductor, it will give off heat faster than the stove can add it back. It will get HOT but it won't melt.

Acetylene burns faster than propane burns faster than natural gas.

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

You're either going to have to pile firebrick around it as a temporary forge or have a loooong handled twisting wrench. Even at bright orange heat, 1" will take a bit of torque to twist.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Smith

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