unsafe burner

27ace27 · unsafe burner

I just made this burner, and it works well despite the earlier catastrophe. I don't know what engines this will fit, but I'm pretty sure it will fit someones burner-less engine. anyway, I took one of those tiny jam jars and poked two hole in the top with a nail, then stuck some yarn in the two holes and had it dangling down into the alcohol. Put the cap on, wait for the meths to soak in, and viola! a quick and cheap and very unsafe meths burner!

and here it is lit!

Bugsy

Ace, that second photo was so big I couldn't see all of it.
640x480 is a good size for posting.
Phil

calypso

Not really sure how hot it gets in the fire box, but I would think twice about using glass containers. Could be nasty!

Meths expands considerably when it warms up. Filling it up to the top like that is asking for trouble.

You should really have the wick passing through a short metal tube which is a tight fit in the lid.

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but you have have made a perfect Molotov Cocktail!

27ace27

I was thinking it would fit more verticals, like weedens.

robertosala

add sugar and jelly..... wrap it with masking tape.....then add.....

Just joking!!!!

Hey 27Ace27.... as a starting point it is OK. I have a clear idea what else can I do... yes, for a vertical Weeden, with a metal container could be OK.

Rob

redryder

Why don't you construct a proper meths burner?
Your jar, especially when full like that, is a molotov cocktail.
There is plenty of info available here on the forum.
There are also campers that build there own meths burners for camp stoves.

You do not want to keep shooting that fire extinguisher. That stuff is nearly impossible to get out of everything and it is not good to breath.

Gil

27ace27

redryder

BK

Well said Gil, I can just see that jar cracking and burning fuel going everywhere.

If glass jars made safe/useful burners, don't you think we would be using them???

AzRob

27ace27

tmuir

Ace early AUstralian engines used metal paint sample pots for burner (new unused ones) a bit like the tins humbrol paint comes in.

Have a look round in hardware / hobby and even homeware shops for the materials.
Steam granny made a burner I think from a spice shaker, hers even came with the mesh on the lid.

Wonder round the shops and look at all the little metal tins and containers they sell and you may even find one that is perfect for a burner.
Make sure you have 2 holes in the lid though.
One for the wick and a smaller one around 1.5mm in diameter to let the meths vapour out. Else the burner will pressurise and squirt burning meths out the wick hole which isn't good.

I also test all my new burners first by themselves in a metal tray so if they do leak the burning meths is contained inside the metal tray.

scorpion2nz

not having the correct tools is no excuse
there are plenty on here how make do with what they have and do it safely.
they way you are going you are going to be the first forum funeral we all attend and i don't think you would like that distinction on your head stone or is that urn for ashes

kevininasia

Hi Ace,

Yeah ditto about that safety part.

Try the plumbing section in your hardware store. You can do some pretty nice things with chunks of copper pipe, and it polishes up nicely too. Brass strips and sheets and whatnot are pretty readily available even on ebay. For $20 you could get yourself everything you need for a batch of nice burners.

However, kudos to you for your spirit of experimentation. Too many people these days want to just buy an off-the-shelf solution. When you do things your own way, you will learn a lot more, but sometimes it costs you an eyebrow here and there. Just try to be safe, ok.

Keith S

Have any of you guys seen the "Guiness can" stoves that campers make? I made one and it is very interesting. they are made from the bottom halves of two guiness cans stuck together, with the inner concave circle cut out on the uppermost one, and a little cylindrical sleeve inserted, alcohol is poured into the top, and it seeps slowly under the bottom of the insert, and is vaporized. The vapour exits through a ring of tiny holes around the top, and burns in a ring. Initially the pool of alcohol in the centre burns with a dirty flame, but when the stove is hot enough to vaporize the small amount trapped between the inner and outer walls, the ring begins to "bloom" and the fire in the centre goes out. There are plenty of instructions for this stove on youtube. I often wonder if a vertical boiler could be fired with one of these. They only burn for a few minutes however. But they are quite safe and fun to watch, and they can boil a pot of water quite quickly.

Just looked it up, they are called "open jet alcohol stoves"
-k

xlchainsaw

lol lol ace.

you know i learnt to solder when i was 12...... i used a tin can which i filled with meths ...lit it ...and put a soldering iron on top to heat up.

i also melted lead wheel weights and made fishing sinkers over my "tin of meths" .

redryder

Have a look at these readily available.
Your local sporting goods store or catering supply may also have these.

http://cgi.ebay.com/0-3-oz-Backpa...oves-Burner_W0QQitemZ370278318010

http://cgi.ebay.com/WICKLESS-ALCOHOL-LAMP-BURNER_W0QQitemZ330273556806

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIDEJET-ALCOHOL-STOVE-BURNER_W0QQitemZ120474087495

MooseMan

Ace, I used this solderless method to make a burner for a Latimer engine once:

Very small paint tin (humbrol type). Cut a large hole in the lid so that really only the press-on rim remains. Fill the pot with cotton wool (or fibreglass insulating material) and cut a piece of metal gauze (from a tea strainer or a sieve or similar) to exactly go on the top. Press the rim of the lid back on the pot to keep the gauze in place. Hey presto, very servicable and safe small vapourising burner.

27ace27

OK, I'll be safe from now on! no more shortcuts! BTW, I hope to get over to ace hardware

and just wander around and see what I can find! should be fun.

tmuir

Mark-One

"Dollar" stores are a surprisingly good source of bits and pieces.

Splatter screens are a cheap source of steel mesh. Cheap cotton mop heads for wicks (if you don't want to buy the ceramic stuff). Metal spice tins for burner tanks.

I've also found cheap plastic circle cutters that are great for making porthole gaskets for Jensens, and a few other items that I cannot for the life of me remember...

Lots of cheap tools too. While they are rubbish, they work fine for light duty work.

Hardware stores. Look at copper pipe fittings and flanges of brass or nickled brass. Not dollar-store cheap, but certainly useful.

If you or someone you know is into shooting or has access to a gun range, spent brass casings can be very useful for burner tubes

There is so much stuff out there that can be repurposed for this hobby. I've barely touched the surface.

BK

I make my burners out of flat sheet galvinised steel, very cheap, very easy to work, and solder. Get the thinest they stock, if you can't bend it with your fingers, don't buy it.

Titan

redryder

BK