Need a new burner. Help me pick.

[housedad]

I've been looking around for a new burner that won't take me forever to melt a 75 to 100 pound pot of lead. My old setup was really pathetic, a old coleman camp stove, camp gas. It worked, but only in small batches.

I now have a hoard of 2700 lbs of wheel weights and about 1200 lbs of scrap lead that needs to be smelted to ingots. All this (and more) to be put up for my retirement years. It is interesting to see how much room this stuff takes up loose. 55 gallon drums full of the WW and flat scrap stacked up the wall.

Anyway, I think I have a couple of burners that look promising, but not sure which one to get. I figure I will either use a decent dutch oven or end up making a square pot out of 3/16" plate.

Which one of these burners would you recommend? Any price below $100 is ok with me. I'm kind of leaning toward the larger unit.

What pot to use with it is a real concern. Any ideas?

Thanks.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/backyard-pro-single-burner-outdoor-patio-stove-range/554BPRD13.html

94132

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/backyard-pro-outdoor-range-patio-stove-with-hose-guard/554BPHP17.html?utm_source=Amazon

94133

[Teddy (punchie)]

turkey frier base, holders about 50-60 lbs. I used a metal 5 gallon bucket.

[2AMMD]

I just bought one of the gas cookers through ACE Hardware.
http://www.bayouclassicfryers.com
2AMMD

[dikman]

Just looking at them the second one appears to be made much stronger, so shouldn't need re-inforcing, and being a little lower to the ground is a bit safer.

[kbstenberg]

1+ for Dikman's opinion. One point to consider. I would have to build a stand for either one to sit on to bring the pot top to a height easier to dip from.
Second point build a wind screen around the heater up to just shy of the top of your melting pot.
Third point cut an old 20 lb propane tank to use as your melting pot.
Just my 2 cents Kevin

[starmac]

Turkey/fish fryer has many uses besides just smelting lead. I had always owned at least one for 30 years before the idea of smelting lead ever got in my head. I would go with the sturdiest one as some of them are pretty light. We actually used to build them before they became popular, and like most things we built they were a lot sturdier, and heavier, than store bought ones.

[RogerDat]

I would also consider which might fit better on my work table, unless the legs were sufficient to put pot up at a good working height from the ground. Bending over a pot to work for awhile then lifting weight to move ingots or scrap is a good way to end up on a heating pad with a sore back, at least for me.

[housedad]

Thanks for your insight and help, folks.

I ordered the second burner on the list. It looks like a beast. It will probably last for many a session and be really useful at the campsite.

As far as a pot, welding rectangular ones out of 3/16 Hot rolled plate seems to be reasonable. A 12 X 12 X 8 inch or 10 X 10 X 8" should do with a bottom pour for the major smelting.

[dikman]

Sounds like a plan :drinks:.

[housedad]

HOLY SKITTLES, BATMAN!!!!

It came in today. Heavy. The thing is huge. The rods that make the stand are 5/8" diameter. the skirt is about 14 guage. Built like the proverbial outhouse. The burner element is 10" diameter. 30 psi adjustable regulator. You can make it barely whisper all the way to roar. Unlike the Bayou Classic burner, the windscreen goes up pretty far to the bottom of the cook rods. Hopefully this will keep the heat in. All in all a decent burner for stews, but time will tell how it does for lead smelting.

I took it out side and fired it up. Nice and hot with about 4" blue flames. The melting pot is not made yet, so all I can do is watch it burn propane, which it does at a prodigious rate. My only issue is that it is cold weather now and the 20lb tank can't give enough gas to make it all the way to maximum heat. I think I need to warm the tanks up inside first, or get the 40 lb tanks off my trailer. a 20 lb tank is just a wee small for this beast.

Pics are coming.

[housedad]

95235
95236
95237

[dikman]

Man, that is one big burner inside!! No wonder it chews through the gas. Shouldn't have any problems melting lead with that wee beastie.

[Screwbolts]

That unit will be ideal for smelters made from 20 lbs propane tanks. Take a look at RayNH ingot molds and ladles if you need more. I have several and they work well.

[mikeym1a]

I shopped around for mine before I bought it. Ended up going to Lowes and got it. It was a 'fish fryer', and sold for $30.00 less than the turkey fryer sitting next to it. The burner was rated at 150,000 btu, according to the accompanying literature. Maybe the difference in price was the size of the cooking pots, but, as they were aluminum, it made no difference. I saved some money, and used an old freon tank as my pot. Good luck on your choice. BTW, that fish fryer was only ~$55.00. I've also used it to deep fry chichen, using my SS 3 gal pot. Not a whole chichen, need a bigger pot for that, and good SS pots run $70 - $90 at the local KMart.

[Usmc1968]

Very nice :-) This is now on my list :-)
How many BTU's are needed to get to smelting/casting temperatures quickly and efficiently without sucking propane like a Big Block V-8?

Semper fi

[merlin101]

That is one heck of a burner. I use one a little smaller than that and have noticed the support rods above the burner and under the pot get red hot and starting to sag some.
I think it would be a good idea to weld some rod in there so that they are connected. It would really suck to have a 100lbs in there and all of a sudden it started tipping!