On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:19:46 -0800, "SteveB"
wrote:

I just got home with a pretty good quality 500,000 btu propane burner. The
kind that is a straight pipe, intended probably as a weed burner. I intend
to hook it up to my old rivet forge to heat items I want to twist and bend.

Anyone use one of these for that?

Caveats?

Pointers?

Advice?

It must be a real Bad Boy, as it hooks up direct to a propane tank with NO
regulator.


Got one, made several, etc.

I think you'll be disappointed in it's performance in a open top
forge (I think that's what you're describing).

One of the more common uses for those around here is as a branding
iron heater. I just did a tuneup of a branding iron furnace the other
day and I can say that if properly done you can definitely use it for
forging heat. It got the branding iron (one I'd just made for another
customer the day before) hot in a very short time (and I mean yellow
heat). The branding iron was made from 3/16" x 1 1/4" hot rolled strap
bent into the letters and attached to the handle with 5/16" rod. I'd
say it took about 30 seconds for the iron to get hot after I'd done
the modifications to the furnace. The modifications amounted to adding
a exhaust stack and blocking the torch end so that there was no excess
air drawn into the furnace with the flame. The furnace itself was just
a piece of 6" pipe about 3-4' long with a door cut in the side about
half way.

Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm