Is BBQ grill enough BTUs to smelt?

[igolfat8]

I was just given an old propane BBQ grill with the external outside round burner. I was wondering if I used just that burner alone if it produced enough BTUs to smelt lead?

[RoGrrr]

Welcome to our forum. We're always looking for information on how to improve our hobby. We would like to help you in any way we can but you need to at least give us some dimensions of the grill you have.
There are some here who use wood, charcoal, coal, propane and other fuels to smelt their ore. Personally, I use propane in a home made smelter but one of my friends is considering hanging his pot over a campfire to smelt his ingots.
You also should consider the weight of your melt and the strength of the grill and legs. Many of the grills I've seen are flimsy, at best and I wouldn't want to do more than maybe 30 pounds of anything on them. My smelter adequately handles a couple hundred Lbs.
Wondering what part of Central Ohio you're in ?

[C.F.Plinker]

BBQ side burners come in different sizes and BTU ratings. You will just have to try it out to see how it works for you. I have an old gas hotplate that came out of an apartment years ago and was used for cooking. It works, but it also takes 45-50 minutes to get 15 pounds or so of lead melted. Even more time if there is a lot of junk in the range scrap I smelt. When I am smelting I cover a picnic table with a sheet of 1/4" plywood and set the gas hotplate on that. That gives me a very solid work surface. My BBQ grill which has a 12000 BTU side burner is about 10 feet away. I won't use it for smelting because I don't want a pot full of molten lead on anything that could tip over and spill the lead (especially on me) and I don't want lead spatters near where I cook food. The latter is part of the reason for using the plywood sheet over the table. There are many on the site who use the Coleman stoves for smelting as well as for casting so your burner will probably work.

[CastingFool]

I don't know what the btu rating is, but that's exactly what I use to render lead to make ingots. I probably should make a heat shield to go around my pot (which is a helium tank cut in half) Never timed it, just load it about 2/3's full, light it, and then I go do something for a while and come back and check it periodically. When it's fully melted, I flux it and start cleaning out the dross. Once I get it cleaned, I start pouring ingots. My ladle has a 3 lb capacity, just right to fill my Lee ingot mold.

[igolfat8]

Welcome to our forum. Wondering what part of Central Ohio you're in ?

Thanks for the welcome. I live in in NW Marion County.

If the burner is adequate I would remove the burner and fab legs substantial enough to support the weight of a large pot of lead. The grill framework is toast so I would not consider using it as is. I will give you some feedback after I use it. Thanks again for the replies.

[williamwaco]

I have a rather large one with four burners.
I have no idea about the BTU rating but it will not melt lead.

I even tried putting the wheel weights in a foot long, four inch wide steel loaf pan so the entire pan would be directly above the burner.
After an hour on high it was not even close to melting.

If you have one, try it but don't buy one without testing it first.

[Uncle Jimbo]

These old BBQ grill side burners work great with a small modification to them. The one I use was a two burner grill with the side burner. I took the grill burners out, mostly they were rusted out and disconnected the lines. The grill grates themselves make a great work area. And when I'm done and it has cool off, it makes a great storage area for my ingot molds and ladles. I then took the valve assembly out and removed the gas jet. I then drilled the the jet out with a .125 drill. Reassembled the unit and lite it up. It will be rich but not as much as you think it would be. With it burning, take the drill and start drilling holes in the air bleed venture unit, you will see where the existing holes are and that is where you want to drill the new ones. Drill and watch the flame. When you get it right, stop drilling and start melting lead. There is not need to do anything with the regulator.
You will have a controlled blow torch. And if you have a burner head that can't handle all the gas from the 1/8" hole. You have other jet from the grill burners. Just drill a little smaller hole and try it again. You will cut your melting time in half or more.

But this is just what I did and I don't recommend it to anyone.

[troyboy]

I used the side burner of my grill. I smelted 2, five gallon buckets of ww over a 2 week priod every night after work. I only smelted when calm. For small amounts a sideburner is adequate. If you plan on doing large amounts on a regular basis a dedicated setup would be much faster and convenient.

[el34]

I use the side burner of a small unmodified grill. Got a stainless 8qt pot from Walmart ($7). Smelts 40-50lb in about 30 minutes. It gets to around 670deg and no hotter so I don't worry much about zinc.

The side burner has a flip-up metal cover which forms a rear wind shield, the grill lid closed shields one side, whole thing up against my house (brick) shields the other side, and I put a loafpan for dross/clips etc in front.

I set ingot molds on the grill grates. Everything at a good working height. The shelf on the other end is where I set my smelting paraphernalia.

[Animal]

Yes, I've done it that way in the past. Not easy, but yes.

[bangerjim]

Those side burners, like home cookstoves, run on LOW pressure LPG....not very high BTU output. Given enough time, you will melt very small amounts of lead.

The HIGH pressure burners in a turkey fryer or a plumber's furnace (which I use very successfully) are far superior.....fast.....fast!

If you have plenty of patience and time on your hands, use the little burner. I personally value my time and would buy a fryer if starting out today.

Welcome to the forum. Just be careful you do not use inferior equipment right off the bat and get discouraged! Spend a little money, forget the "gimm-me's, and you will be very satisfied......for many years to come.

Good luck. And let us know of your progress.

bangerjim

[igolfat8]

Thanks for the welcome to the forum guys. I got the burner running today and after 1.5 HOURS I only had about 1/2" of melted lead in the bottom of a small pot. Then I drilled out the orifice coming out of the valve, going to the burner. I drilled it to the same size at the orifice going into the regulator. MUCH more gas and heat. I was able to melt the pot of lead in about 20 minutes. Down side is the mixture is too rich and leaves LOTS of black soot all over the pan. Tried drilling more holes around the venturi but that doesn't help. Any suggestions beside buying a turkey fryer?

[bangerjim]

Mod'ing a gas burner is not easy! You have found out exactly why. The O2 ratio to fuel & mixing is VERY critical and you are wasting a TON of propane with that black buildup. LPG/nat gas should NOT have any black soot.

Suggest you s-can that thing and buy a fryer! "Free" is not always free.....or good!

Good luck and keep on meltin'!

banger

[woody1]

9196991970
I do not use my BBQ sideburner set up for smelting but for casting. My pot holds 2 quarts (about 40# plumb full). It could be used for smelting small quantities but would be pretty slow. However, if it's what ya got use it. With the heat shield and a loose lid on the pot it heats up pretty fast with the unmodified sideburner. Regards, Woody

[a.squibload]

...Down side is the mixture is too rich and leaves LOTS of black soot all over the pan. Tried drilling more holes around the venturi but that doesn't help. Any suggestions beside buying a turkey fryer?

Homemade burner, had same problem, have been using an air "blowoff" tool
with my compressor.
Put a hose clamp on the valve handle to hold it open a little.
Stuck it in the burner tube. Got rid of the yellow in the flames.
Air injected! Might try other mods but this works for now.

[igolfat8]

Thanks for the tip a.squibload. I brazed a 1/4" NPT fitting onto the burner tube and added a flow control then plugged my air compressor hose into it. No more blue flame and it now melts a 20 pound pot in about 10 minutes.

[a.squibload]

That's a good idea, mine is kinda hard to set precisely.
Also I just stick the blowoff tool through an existing air hole
in the side of the burner tube. Might try a fitting and valve
like you did, you know, when I get a minute!

[dikman]

If you need a forced airflow into it, a hair dryer may work as an air source (after all, you don't really need 50 lbs/sq in of air pressure!). Look up home-made gas forges on the 'net (used by knifemakers). They usually make their own simple burner out of pipe fittings and many just use a hair dryer for the forced air draft. These things are capable of getting steel up to white heat for forge welding, so while the burners may look simple they are very effective.

[a.squibload]

Seen some of those while researching mine, good stuff but
might need to spread the flame for a casting pot.
Not much air flowing for mine, might could do with a computer
fan ("muffin fan"?), just haven't figured how to connect.
Maybe a funnel & some brake line.

[dikman]

Sorry, didn't mean to suggest using one of those burners, as you say they are too concentrated a flame for a casting pot (just as likely to melt a hole in the bottom!). It was just meant to point out that gas burners don't have to be complicated.

I reckon the computer fan should work. Maybe make a small box to put it in, with a cone-shaped bit in front of the fan (or a suitable funnel, as you say) and a piece of hose to take the air to the burner. Air compressor hose should work and then you could use air line fittings.

[a.squibload]

Might try that mainly 'cause the compressor is a little noisy.
First time it came on I almost spilled the ladle!
A fan would take less electricical too...

[dikman]

Yeah, a compressor cutting in suddenly can be a bit disconcerting! Not good when you're handling hot lead. The fan should work, if not then the hairdryer will at least be a bit quieter than the compressor.