tiltable flame thrower

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pyromanic13
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Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:01 pm

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/ ... abeled.jpg

Image


sorry the labels can out so small
see anything wrong with it?
Last edited by pyromanic13 on Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
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homedepotpro
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:19 am

looks great. i like the way you got around using an o-ringed piston. the tire won't inflate though if the pressure can just leave through the pilot flame.
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pyromanic13
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:21 am

I figure the pilot flame is so small it won't make a difference... I'll be using a torch head btw
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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homedepotpro
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:39 pm

if will, pressure will seek the path of least resistance. maybe if you stuck a pressure regulator on the line for the pilot flame and set it to ~2psi, then it might work
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pyromanic13
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:14 pm

have you seen just how small the torch head hole is? it's about the size of this period "."

still think it'll effect inflation?
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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rednecktatertosser
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:30 pm

if you cut down the torch head, you get a bigger hole, the small hole is just a the end of it, not all the way down.
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demilus
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:35 pm

I have a couple of suggestions/questions.

First, blowguns can leak out the side, where the button is. This would be bad for a flamethrower.

Second, I haven't used quick disconnects with propane, but there could be a little leakage around them=no fun.

Just my .02

Good luck! Be safe!
pyromanic13
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 6:13 pm

noted... I've got school tomorrow. just gonna run it by my metal shop teacher then start buying parts
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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Dornep
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:30 pm

From what I gather from the schematic and description.. The bike tire tube is filled with propane, which expands and pressurizes the "liquid" in the tank? I may be totally off but if thats how it's supposed to work I would put another ball valve or regulator between the blowgun and tank. I think that most blowguns are stamped for 90PSI but I have no clue as to when they explode, but I'm sure they will leak long before 90PSI. If I were you I would fill safer doing away with the tube and just using compressed air, what happens if the tube bursts or separates from the valve? Better yet I would design something with gravity feed for the fuel.

I'm also curious as to what your planning on using as fuel. Also make sure the hole that the fuel sprays out of isn't so small that it vaporizes the fuel. I used a plastic C&H blowgun with a cloth pilot flame on my "torch" and it gave good results. Also what pressure are you planning on taking this thing to? I would try and get the main hose crimped by a mechanics shop instead of using hose clamps, a pressurized hose spewing flamming fuel in all directions isnt a good thing.

As demilus said blowguns do leak (mine did) and so you might want to think about a longer extension tube for the blowgun as to keep the pilot flame and the main flame away from your hands just incase you do get some fuel on them. Oh and trust me if it works like mine did the heat from the flame at 2ft away is very warm on the face, the farther away the better.

Long winded but maybe it will save a life and some 3rd degree burns. :wink:

BTW is it against forum rules to talk about flame throwers?


I don't wanna hijack your thread but here are a few pic's of my setup, maybe they will be of some use to you.
Blowgun/Sprayer
Tank
More pic's and video if you would like to see.
pyromanic13
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:37 pm

so is your setup like a keg or is it pure gas? I'll probebly switch up the blowgun for another type of valve...also put a check valve in between the valve and chamber for superstitious reasons :wink:. the nozzle tube will be probebly end up being around a foot. and the liquid is undecided, I'll test the effects of gasoline on pvc. yeah feel free to post more pic/vids whatever you feel like.

I've made a flamer before.. similar to this one http://forums.somethingawful.com/showth ... genumber=1
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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Dornep
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:06 pm

I used a gravity feed setup powered by compressed air and fueled with good ole gasoline. I used a valve from an old freon tank which had 1 schrader valve, a PSI gauge, and a 1/4" threaded fittings on each end. You can get the freon tank conversion kit which includes this fitting and the crimped hose from ebay.

I also had a cheap C&H pressure regulator which really only acted as an on/off valve and pressure gauge, attached to the blowgun. For the tank I used an oxygen tank that was given to me by my brother. It held both the fuel and the air pressure. I would imagine you could use any type of tank as long as it could whatever your pressure would be and was resistant to the fuel you used.

I also read that thread about Roland Towers PVC flamer while I was designing mine. Gasoline isn't safe but I would be really paranoid using pressurized Alcohol in a PVC pipe tank. Also if you look at his pic's he gets more of a burn off before the flame can travel any distance. I thought of using diesel but if it even ignited it would burn for way to long and probably act like napalm when it landed.

This is a probably the best video I have of it, very low res and no sound but you get the idea. It's hosted on rapidshare.com and it's 1.31MB in MPEG format. My avatar is from this video, I'm 5'6" so if you compare my height to the length of the flame in this video it's reaching 25 to 30ft at 90PSI.

VIDEO FLAMEAGE HERE

In these pic's the tank is setting in a lawn chair. It's now mounted to an army backpack frame.
Image
Image

Disclaimer: If you work for any government or state agency. These photographs and video are computer generated and are completely fake.
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DYI
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:21 pm

Using one propane tank as a pressure source and for a pilot flame just won't work. It's the only reason I don't already have a working flame thrower already.

Even though PVC has been shown to be resistant to gasoline, I would strongly advise you to use steel pipe. Brass would be better, but would cost a fortune (a 2-1/2" brass elbow costs $40 here). Be careful whatever you do, as a pressure vessel filled with 100 psi gasoline and propane is something that you REALLY don't want to fail.
pyromanic13
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:49 pm

DYI wrote:Using one propane tank as a pressure source and for a pilot flame just won't work. It's the only reason I don't already have a working flame thrower already.
why? as long as the pilot flame leaks less pressure than is being put into the bladder it should work fine. infact thats how actual flamethrowers work, check
howstuffworks.com
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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DYI
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:58 pm

Well, I couldn't get it to work. With better equipment and more patience than I have, it is obviousl feasible. As long as the flow rate out of the tank is higher than the flow rate out of the pilot hole, the pressure should increase in the pressure bladder. If you are willing to spend $10 on another torch head though, using 2 tanks would be more efficient, and wouldn't need any tweaking to get it working properly.
pyromanic13
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Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:58 pm

Dornep wrote:I also read that thread about Roland Towers PVC flamer while I was designing mine. Gasoline isn't safe but I would be really paranoid using pressurized Alcohol in a PVC pipe tank.
1.)using air as a pressure source is dangerous... giant pipe bomb should a flame travel backwards. I've heard of paintball tanks, valve lubed with flammable liquid, explode.

2.)There is a test somewhere that someone tested PVC soaked in gas, showed no corrosion. I will test this myself aswell because he only did one trial.
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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