Old propane plumber's rig

[metalman21]

Anyone familiar with this type of propane rig? Looking for some suggestion, parts etc. to make it work to smelt scrap. I would like to make a tripod for the burner and adapt it with a hose to a new propane tank. Tank is obviously out of date. With a separate new style tank I can just bring the tank to get it filled same as the cook out grill.
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[sunburn]

Pasco part # 4599 is a stand for the burner. Look closely and ask if the old burner will thread onto the stand.
Great find BTW, I've been looking for an old lead pot for years.

[Hawkeye45]

I have one of those with a larger tank and am looking for a propane certification place that will replace the tank with a new one.

Mr. Ed

[slim1836]

My local fill station just told me to write on the tank "for lead melting only" with a marker and he would fill it.

Mine mounts on the top of the tank, however, it will not hold constant pressure to the burner. I have to adjust it too much or it will go out on its own. That's the only reason I use a turkey fryer set up.

Slim

[metalman21]

Mine mounts on the top of the tank, however, it will not hold constant pressure to the burner. I have to adjust it too much or it will go out on its own. That's the only reason I use a turkey fryer set up.

Slim
I'm wondering what caused the problem with your burner? The burner I have mounts to the top of the tank also, it screws onto the 3" threads on the top of the tank valve. Is that valve what you were adjusting? There is no pressure regulator so maybe as the fuel is used up the pressure goes down?
We did use the unit in the photos but it was 3-4 years ago to make some race car weights and don't remember any problems. I think we just opened the valve wide and melted lead. I do remember the lead being a lot hotter than necessary so maybe direct off the tank isn't the way to go. Is there a pressure regulator on the turkey fryer?

[slim1836]

I may be that the tank is low on fuel as I have never filled it since it was given to me. I just assumed I could not have had it filled, until the attendant told me otherwise.

I do have a separate regulator on the turkey fryer, it was purchased at "Academy" on sale.

Slim

[Dusty Ed]

Howdy Metalman
We have 2 of these almost exactly like yours .
What I did was to cut the bottom off of the tank and welded a 1 1/2" pipe inside the tank to cover the outlet.
Then used fittings to reduce it down to the size of the hose to hook it up with a new tank.
It is still high enough to operate with out bending to much.
Dusty Ed

[u p mike]

u p mike
have been using one of these for past 15 yrs. only problem was orfice had small piece of dirt in it cleaned out works great. our propane supplier says no problem with this tank as there is no replacement and it is grandfathered in. when working right it should sound like a jet engine as there is no regulator

[Spruce]

I use these also. No tanks came with mine, so I bought bases and installed needle valves for very fine heat control.

[metalman21]

I use these also. No tanks came with mine, so I bought bases and installed needle valves for very fine heat control.
I am very interested in the details of what you used and how you set them up, especially the needle valve control. I'd prefer not to run direct (full pressure) off the tank.

[casterofboolits]

Been using that exact set up for the last 30years.

[Three44s]

I had a small squatty little propane tank and plumber's lead burner set up given to me years ago ......... when the gas in the tank gave up ........ I tried repeatedly to find the special fitting to refill it ......... to no avail.

Recently, a friend of mine ........... located a propane guy that's a shooter .......... we introduced him to our problem and in no time at all ......... he came up with a fix:

What he did was scrap my old special little tank and refit my burner for standard fittings and a hose to go to standard propane tanks of todays persuasion.

I built the stand for burner from a wrecked car wheel and scrap 4" steel irrigation tubing and the hose attaches at ground level to a steel line that runs up the center of the larger 4" pipe to the burner.

Our propane guy is looking forward to some nice cast for his hand gun!

Three 44s

[metalman21]

I figured out the fittings and hose to run the burner from any current propane tank. But without a regulator of some sort it would run full blast as it did originally.
Anyone have any ideas of what I could use to adjust the propane?

[TreeKiller]

Some places have a hose and regulator that is adjustable. I think I got mine from Ace about 10 years ago

[metalman21]

Some places have a hose and regulator that is adjustable. I think I got mine from Ace about 10 years ago
Good info. I ordered one that it think will work.

[Patrick L]

I have one of those. It was my dad's, and I suspect its older than I am (I'm 48). It is tough getting it filled, but I have managed to find places, even here in the People's Republic of New Yorkistan. It is great for smelting, especially when paired with a weed burner from the top.

[Patrick L]

I neglected to mention, when it reaches the point where I cannot get this puppy refilled, my plan is to do as you say, which is rig up a stand for the burner and adapt a hose from a current tank to the burner.