Hi all,

I've been considering building some gas tiki torches like you see all
over the place in Hawaii (like these:
http://www.beachsidelighting.com/products/TK1NP.html).

There seem to be vry few vendors and the prices are in the $200 range
each. They seem like a relatively simple concept to build, soooooo, I
was wondering if anyone here had some expertise to share.

I've got a nicely lanscaped tropical theme backyard and I thought about
6 or 8 of these would be cool.

Thoughts?

Viewer wrote:

Hi all,

I've been considering building some gas tiki torches like you see all
over the place in Hawaii (like these:
http://www.beachsidelighting.com/products/TK1NP.html).

There seem to be vry few vendors and the prices are in the $200 range
each. They seem like a relatively simple concept to build, soooooo, I
was wondering if anyone here had some expertise to share.

I've got a nicely lanscaped tropical theme backyard and I thought about
6 or 8 of these would be cool.

Thoughts?

No experience with them, but if I were doing it I'd buy one unit to save
the design work and then clone it exactly. Of course if you don't
already have a well equipped metal working shop you aren't going to save
any money since a number of the parts are not off the shelf items.

Pete C.

I was tinking about either getting some funnels in the approximate
size, or simply making a wooden form over which I could shape the torch
body, and then braze it closed. Then an appropriate bottom plate and
the burner -- that's the challenging part. I'm not sure whatt he burner
entails. It just seems to me as I look at them that there really isn't
$200 worth of "stuff" or proprietary technology. If they were in the
$60-$75 range, I'd be all over it.



Pete C. wrote:
Viewer wrote:

Hi all,

I've been considering building some gas tiki torches like you see all
over the place in Hawaii (like these:
http://www.beachsidelighting.com/products/TK1NP.html).

There seem to be vry few vendors and the prices are in the $200 range
each. They seem like a relatively simple concept to build, soooooo, I
was wondering if anyone here had some expertise to share.

I've got a nicely lanscaped tropical theme backyard and I thought about
6 or 8 of these would be cool.

Thoughts?

No experience with them, but if I were doing it I'd buy one unit to save
the design work and then clone it exactly. Of course if you don't
already have a well equipped metal working shop you aren't going to save
any money since a number of the parts are not off the shelf items.

Pete C.

On 10 Nov 2006 07:59:45 -0800, "Viewer" wrote:

I was tinking about either getting some funnels in the approximate
size, or simply making a wooden form over which I could shape the torch
body, and then braze it closed. Then an appropriate bottom plate and
the burner -- that's the challenging part. I'm not sure whatt he burner
entails. It just seems to me as I look at them that there really isn't
$200 worth of "stuff" or proprietary technology. If they were in the
$60-$75 range, I'd be all over it.


It ought to just be some sort of venturi nozzle, and
a baffle to spread the flame around, all wrapped in
a shade to keep the wind from blowing the thing out.


You could probably make something workable with
a propane torch head, a metal tea-strainer, and a
soup can.

True,

I hadn't really considered any shape other than the typical tapered
cylinder. I was getting held up on that rather than considering the
actual burner and flame holder.

I would think that the burner needs to be little more than some small
jet to allow the natural gas to pass through at residential gas
pressure (~4 inches of water -- I'll verify) and a flame holder which
looks to be little more than a perforated metal cup.

Thanks for helping unblock the brain!


Goedjn wrote:
On 10 Nov 2006 07:59:45 -0800, "Viewer" wrote:

I was tinking about either getting some funnels in the approximate
size, or simply making a wooden form over which I could shape the torch
body, and then braze it closed. Then an appropriate bottom plate and
the burner -- that's the challenging part. I'm not sure whatt he burner
entails. It just seems to me as I look at them that there really isn't
$200 worth of "stuff" or proprietary technology. If they were in the
$60-$75 range, I'd be all over it.


It ought to just be some sort of venturi nozzle, and
a baffle to spread the flame around, all wrapped in
a shade to keep the wind from blowing the thing out.


You could probably make something workable with
a propane torch head, a metal tea-strainer, and a
soup can.

replying to Viewer, Shawn wrote:
boraxxarob wrote:

True,
I hadn't really considered any shape other than the typical tapered
cylinder. I was getting held up on that rather than considering the
actual burner and flame holder.
I would think that the burner needs to be little more than some small
jet to allow the natural gas to pass through at residential gas
pressure (~4 inches of water -- I'll verify) and a flame holder which
looks to be little more than a perforated metal cup.
Thanks for helping unblock the brain!



Did anyone make these? I'm interested as well!!

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