Daniel J. Luevano 4 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 Good morning everyone, Been a few years since I posted last but I'm getting back into smithing more than a time or two every few months So last night I built a very simple propane burner, I haven't tested it in my newly built propane forge yet but I think its burning too fuel rich...I have a high pressure valve and such so I don't think that's the problem, or maybe I'm not opening it enough, this is my first experience actually working with a burner that wasn't already set up right. I'm using a mig welding tip for the fuel to come out. Could it be that there isn't enough air flow? Or that its igniting too early? Or should I add a flare to the mouth of the burner to help with the air fuel mixing? 20201001_195300.mp4 "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;"-Isaiah 54:16 Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,881 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) You're not getting enough air entrained. What does the top of the burner look like? With that plug in there I don't know if it's possible to get enough air going in... An 0.035" MIG tip needs around 3 1.8 square inches of inlet to get a neutral flame. Edited October 2, 2020 by Alan Longmire actually looked stuff up and corrected mistakes Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel J. Luevano 4 Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 (edited) I dont have a picture currently of it but it looks just like this....that may be an easy fix by just unscrewing the cap a bit to allow more of a gap Edited October 2, 2020 by Daniel J. Luevano "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;"-Isaiah 54:16 Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,881 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 I screwed up the calculations, it's really 1.8 square inches, sorry... Yes, try it with the gap opened. That may do it. Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel J. Luevano 4 Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 This may be a complex question but how would I figure out how much space I have on my flare on the top there? I mean I guess I could just try to unscrew it with trial and error and if that doesn't work change it to a "T" style air intake.. "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;"-Isaiah 54:16 Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,881 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 Yeah, trial and error. Open it up, fire it up (in the forge), and play with the opening at a given PSI if you have a gauge. If you don't have a gauge, a good audible hiss is usually in the 7-13 PSI range. Don't try to tune it outside a forge, that doesn't work. If you decide to switch it out, I like the Ward reducing tee as sold by www.hightemptools.com better than the Frosty T burner. The Ward tee pretty much guarantees the MIG tip is centered and concentric, as does your current setup. Plus it's easy to adjust for neutral to reducing, just slide the MIG tip in a bit. With your current setup, the unscrewing works, but tends to kink the hose. But you have it, no need to spend more money if you can make it work. Once you get it tuned to neutral, you can always get it reducing by slightly blocking one of the openings with a bit of tape or a magnetic sheet. It doesn't take much at all. Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel J. Luevano 4 Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 So just so I'm clear a good neutral flame will produce less dragons breath But enough to keep it from being too oxidizing right? "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;"-Isaiah 54:16 Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,881 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 Right. You want the dragon's breath to be blueish tending towards yellow-orange at the tip. This is slightly reducing. Pure clear blue is neutral to slightly oxidizing. Be very aware that running in reduction produces huge amounts of carbon monoxide. Lots of positive ventilation and a CO monitor are a must. Link to post Share on other sites
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