Help with, or suggestion on fryer/burner for melting lead

[JeepsAndGuns]

I have a turkey fryer base/burner I got at lowes last year. I originally bought it for doing small batches of hot salt bluing, but then got into casting and started using it for that too.
I have been using it with a old non stick frying pan (that was no longer non stick) that was retired from the kitchen. I have melted down several pounds of lead with it, but it seems to take a long time, even with small batches in it. (it will hold about 20 pounds I think).
When I first fire it up, I can only turn the gas up a little, if I crank it up, it will just blow itself out. After running for a while, I can slowly turn it up a little more, but am still limited as it will blow itself out. The regulator knob says 10 psi on it.
I recently tried to use it with a cast iron dutch oven I got from harbor freight on clearance. It took it a very long time to melt anything (even with the lid on to try and trap heat). The lead on the outer edge also did not want to fully melt. Once I had a pool of melt, when I added more ingots, it took a very long time for them to melt. Longer than it does when I add one to the frying pan.
I am thinking it is just not powerful/hot enough to keep larger quantities molten and melt new that is added in. Maybe a little weak for the frying pan too, but it does work with it.
Looking for suggestions on what I should check. If I turn up the gas, the flame will lift up off the burner head and if I turn it up more, it will just go out. I will have to turn it down to re light.
Am I getting too much gas and not enough air, or too much air and not enough gas?
It has a sheet metal disc over the opening where the gas goes in, that you can turn, but turning it does not block anything off to any extent. It does not change the flame any. I can block it off with my fingers and the flames get taller but turn orange instead of normal blue.
If there is not really anything I can do with this one, I will start looking for a different one. If I start looking for a different one, any suggestions would be great.
Here are a couple pictures if it helps:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795551620_aa04f2d424_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795551495_3063f96055_b.jpg

[358429]

I love to cast with this.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220102/7d6d9963c0d06fe02b83fcf61d002dea.jpg A 1 quart stainless saucepan full of frozen room temperature lead is molten in four minutes. That's 20+ pounds of lead!

It handles 50-100 pounds so easily for any purpose.

I've put 150 pounds in a large stainless pot and my only major concern is the feet sinking in the soft soil.

If I was using it on a concrete floor I'd load more.

I stood on top of it first to test that it is secure. I weigh 235 pounds and it did not wriggle too much.

And it beats the Coleman camp stove for propane fuel efficiency! It's way more powerful. When I'm casting bullets I do it on the lowest setting or second lowest setting and that exceeds what the Coleman does cranked all the way up. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220102/256f036adf42dae9e3868942bacb0d67.jpg

[country gent]

Inside that windscreen up under the pot may be starving it for oxygen some, the bigger pot is filling it more and may be restricting air flow.

I use a 50,000 btu weed burner and its mounted just inside the windscreen at the bottom i can open it up and melt 120 lbs in 20-25 mins much more and it also will go out.

Try setting you dutch oven up on sole steel blocks a couple inches higher maybe

[358429]

PS I forgot disassemble that little cover with the air fuel mixture adjustment and removed the spiderweb or leaves or dust that are trapped in there anything that will affect air flow. You want a bright blue flame that burns lean and clean and hot.

[Hossfly]

I had dirt (mud) dobbers get into some of my propane equipment burners and they really mess things up. Also spiders like to build inside those air inlets. I run a wire in mine to check it’s clear.

[AlHunt]

Something is definitely wrong if it's blowing itself out. Maybe it came with the wrong regulator? I'd be surprised if it did but my turkey cooker melts lead in ... maybe 15 or so minutes? A 40 or so pound load.

I needed a new regulator a few years back and I remember one specifically said it was for a turkey cooker. It was high pressure or volume or something. Sorry I can't remember more about it.

[GregLaROCHE]

Where the hose goes into the burner, there is an adjustment for the amount of air that gets mixed with the gas. Try adjusting that to see if you can’t get it to burn more efficiently and hotter from the beginning.

[JeepsAndGuns]

A 1 quart stainless saucepan full of frozen room temperature lead is molten in four minutes. That's 20+ pounds of lead!

It handles 50-100 pounds so easily for any purpose.

I've put 150 pounds in a large stainless pot and my only major concern is the feet sinking in the soft soil.


Yea definitely something wrong with mine then. Melting down 20 pounds would take 20-30 min.
Melting what I had in the dutch oven took probably a hour. Once it had a couple inches in it, I added more ingots slowly to get it full. In total I probably spent a couple hours getting that melted.
It only held half what I had. I have roughly 150 pounds I want to melt all at once to get it all uniform.

[358429]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220102/d08f781b929711b337ed8476d68078c0.jpg

[JeepsAndGuns]

PS I forgot disassemble that little cover with the air fuel mixture adjustment and removed the spiderweb or leaves or dust that are trapped in there anything that will affect air flow. You want a bright blue flame that burns lean and clean and hot.



I had dirt (mud) dobbers get into some of my propane equipment burners and they really mess things up. Also spiders like to build inside those air inlets. I run a wire in mine to check it’s clear.

I keep it in a closed 40 foot shipping container I use for storage. I just went and double checked, there are no dirt dobber nests or any other debris.
It has had this issue of wanting to blow itself out since I bought it.
Thinking I just need to cut my losses with it and buy something else.

[JeepsAndGuns]

Inside that windscreen up under the pot may be starving it for oxygen some, the bigger pot is filling it more and may be restricting air flow.

I use a 50,000 btu weed burner and its mounted just inside the windscreen at the bottom i can open it up and melt 120 lbs in 20-25 mins much more and it also will go out.

Try setting you dutch oven up on sole steel blocks a couple inches higher maybe

Are you talking about the large silver metal disc on the underside of the burner?

Interesting idea on the weed burner. Are you using just that by itself as the sole source of heat?

[georgerkahn]

[QUOTE=JeepsAndGuns;5327787]I have a turkey fryer base/burner I got at lowes last year. I originally bought it for doing small batches of hot salt bluing, but then got into casting and started using it for that too.
I have been using it with a old non stick frying pan (that was no longer non stick) that was retired from the kitchen. I have melted down several pounds of lead with it, but it seems to take a long time, even with small batches in it. (it will hold about 20 pounds I think).
When I first fire it up, I can only turn the gas up a little, if I crank it up, it will just blow itself out. After running for a while, I can slowly turn it up a little more, but am still limited as it will blow itself out. The regulator knob says 10 psi on it.
I recently tried to use it with a cast iron dutch oven I got from harbor freight on clearance. It took it a very long time to melt anything (even with the lid on to try and trap heat). The lead on the outer edge also did not want to fully melt. Once I had a pool of melt, when I added more ingots, it took a very long time for them to melt. Longer than it does when I add one to the frying pan.
I am thinking it is just not powerful/hot enough to keep larger quantities molten and melt new that is added in. Maybe a little weak for the frying pan too, but it does work with it.
Looking for suggestions on what I should check. If I turn up the gas, the flame will lift up off the burner head and if I turn it up more, it will just go out. I will have to turn it down to re light.
Am I getting too much gas and not enough air, or too much air and not enough gas?
It has a sheet metal disc over the opening where the gas goes in, that you can turn, but turning it does not block anything off to any extent. It does not change the flame any. I can block it off with my fingers and the flames get taller but turn orange instead of normal blue.
If there is not really anything I can do with this one, I will start looking for a different one. If I start looking for a different one, any suggestions would be great.
/QUOTE]

Just be coincidence (?) I got a Northern Tool & Equipment Winter Sale + Clearance catalog in yesterday's post, and the same burner I use is listed as a Clearance item.It is their Item #330973-2254, labeled as "Heavy-Duty Single Burner Propane Stove, now Clearance priced at but thirty-four U S dollars ($34.00)! If you have the catalogue, it is on Page 158. Or, I'm sure you -- if interested -- may view it on their web-site (NorthernTool.com).
Hope this is of help?
geo

[oley55]

Something is definitely wrong if it's blowing itself out. Maybe it came with the wrong regulator? I'd be surprised if it did but my turkey cooker melts lead in ... maybe 15 or so minutes? A 40 or so pound load.

I needed a new regulator a few years back and I remember one specifically said it was for a turkey cooker. It was high pressure or volume or something. Sorry I can't remember more about it.

concur, it is VERY most likely a regulator issue. that burner is more than adequate for our lead melting needs.

[country gent]

Yes it is the sole heat source on my big pot and stand. It does a dreat job nd when casting runs at just a crack open.

I modified my burner with an elbow, a length of pipe and 2 valves. the burner is separate from the stand just sits under it. the elbow points the burner straight up. the length od pipe moves the valves back so they dont get hot. The 2 valves 1 is a ball vale for adjusting flow to regulate temp, the other is a lever valve that is on and off. This allows me to turn the pot off and not lose the actual setting, the hose to the tank is behind the valves. My pot is a cut off propane tank that holds 120+ lbs.

If you decide to go this way be safe seal all the threads with tape or pipe dope,make sure the valves are rated for gas use, when assembled pressurize with air pressure and do both a leak test and soap water test in the joints. If you decide to make a pot from a propane tank make sure it is cleaned out soak and rinse 3-4 times with dish soap and water. Remove valve and run air in it while cutting.

When I test I remove the burner and install a pipe cap on that end, pressurize to 20-25 lbs I have a valve regulator with gauge and short hose this is screwed on end sealed. Pressurize close valve and water test joints wait 10-15 mins any appreciable drop on the gauge signifies a small leak. Please be safe

[F_L]

Disassemble the burner itself and make sure nothing is blocking the gas flow. It's just 1 bolt holding everything together located in the center. I have a couple of burners I've been using for years and occasionally I have to take them apart and clean them. Rust is a big problem after a few years. Bugs, dirt, spiders, etc. can clog the flow.

[GregLaROCHE]

Check your fuel/air mixture. It’s the stamped disk with the two screws holding it in place. Loosen them and rotate it. It looks from your picture that it is wide open. That could be why the flame is blowing itself out. It’s getting too much air. Close it until the flame turns orange with black smoke. Then open it until you have a clean blue flame. You should be able to run it wide open from the beginning.

[Wag]

I use that same Bayou Classic in the photo above. Works great. The initial heat cycle on a cast iron skillet is about 15 minutes, after that, each new batch melts down in about 10 minutes. I spend more time fluxing and filtering crud out of the wheel weights than anything else.

--Wag--

[BattleRife]

I found a great source of practical info on propane burners on a blacksmithing page:
https://ronreil.abana.org/design1.shtml

The flame lifting from the burner is usually considered a sign of a lean fuel-air mixture. But the Reil pages also describe similar problems due to inadequate mixing, caused by too short of a run between air induction and the ignition point.

My bulk melter has a burner based on the standard Reil burner shown on that website, with the addition of a 90° reducing elbow at the end to direct the flame straight up.

https://i.postimg.cc/50GytTj1/Burner.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rpwSbDHH/Burner-burning.jpg

[JeepsAndGuns]

Check your fuel/air mixture. It’s the stamped disk with the two screws holding it in place. Loosen them and rotate it. It looks from your picture that it is wide open. That could be why the flame is blowing itself out. It’s getting too much air. Close it until the flame turns orange with black smoke. Then open it until you have a clean blue flame. You should be able to run it wide open from the beginning.

I fooled around with it before making this thread. I completely removed the screws and I can rotate that disc 360 degrees and it makes no difference in the flames. If I just block it off with my fingers, the flames get high but turn orange.

[JeepsAndGuns]

concur, it is VERY most likely a regulator issue. that burner is more than adequate for our lead melting needs.

What could be the issue? Too much gas, not enough? If I turn the knob up too high it blows itself out.
I just do not know enough about propane and regulators/burners to know what could be the issue with it.

[JeepsAndGuns]

I found a great source of practical info on propane burners on a blacksmithing page:
https://ronreil.abana.org/design1.shtml

The flame lifting from the burner is usually considered a sign of a lean fuel-air mixture. But the Reil pages also describe similar problems due to inadequate mixing, caused by too short of a run between air induction and the ignition point.

My bulk melter has a burner based on the standard Reil burner shown on that website, with the addition of a 90° reducing elbow at the end to direct the flame straight up.

https://i.postimg.cc/50GytTj1/Burner.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rpwSbDHH/Burner-burning.jpg

I like that valve in the bottom of that pot! I may have to make something like that when I make a bigger pot for mine. Seems like that would so much easier than scooping it out one ladle at a time, especially with a tall/deep pot with a lot in it.

[JeepsAndGuns]

Ok, after I got home from work today, I took the burner off the stand and took it apart. Found nothing out of place and nothing clogged up.
I was inside my storage building and I hooked it up and fired it up to mess around with it.
I have found setting in there, I can slowly turn the gas knob all the way wide open and it will fire up louder and taller than I have ever been able to get it. Odd I thought.
I open the door to let fresh air in and poof, it blew out. I turn the gas off and let it air out for a min or two and fire it back up. I kept the door closed and turned it back up wide open and with my head about 2-3 feet away, I just blew real hard in a small fast burst of air and was able to blow it out with very little effort. I tried it again with the same result. It is as easy to blow out as a candle on a birthday cake.
I know the wind was blowing it out sometimes so I always put a piece of cardboard up around it to help shield the wind.
It seems the higher I turn it up, the more "fragile" the flame is and it becomes super easy to blow out.
I think this might be my issue, as I turn it up to get more heat, a butterfly fart will blow it out. So I guess I thought it was blowing itself out if I turned it up to high, turns out just the most tiny disturbance in the air will blow it out. Seems the higher up I turn it, the more fragile the flames become.
Should I try and build some type of a sheet metal cylinder around the burner to shield it better from the wind?
How "fragile" is the flames on ya'lls burners? Do they blow out a lot, can you blow it out like I candle?

[ulav8r]

I fooled around with it before making this thread. I completely removed the screws and I can rotate that disc 360 degrees and it makes no difference in the flames. If I just block it off with my fingers, the flames get high but turn orange.

Try taping over 1 or 2 of the openings in the disc. That might help keep it from getting too much in the mix. If that works then you can make a new disc or modify that one in a more permanent manner.

[huntnman]

It looks like your regulater is adjustable lower the preshure. Air in take is adjustable too, losen the two screws turn silver disk to adjust. If flame doesent respond to lowering or raising regulater its bad. Ive used burners of this type, sucessfully. These regulaters are not know to be very dependable. The burrner should not be easy to blow out.

[GregLaROCHE]

How old is it? Do you have any chance of returning it and getting a replacement? Something isn’t right. The regulator could be defective or there is a problem with the gas jet etc. It shouldn’t be so difficult to get it working correctly.

[RogerDat]

I have what looks to be the same burner and probably the same cast iron dutch oven from Harbor Freight. While it does take that big chunk of cast iron a while to get up to temperature the burner does not blow out even with a pretty good breeze flowing through the garage from side door to wide open front door.

You may want to look at how tight the fitting is going onto the tank. The regulator pushes a valve open as you screw it onto the tank. It is possible to have it screwed down enough to open the valve but not open it all the way.

The burner disk is a pretty poor piece of casting and plating. You may notice some benefit to hitting the bottom of the notches with a file if the flame isn't even all the way around. I had a couple that were sort of closed off with sprue and just not open as the others, got a tiny flame out of a few notches.

I added sheet metal plates hanging from the side on three sides, just to help focus the heat up and prevent breeze from blowing my heat away. It would decrease the tendency to blow out the burner but that isn't really a solution to the issue you have. You are not getting enough gas, or the right air gas mix. Although I had the same experience in adjusting that air flow plate, didn't really make a lot of difference, still worth adjusting for optimal flame.

Weed burner such as one from Harbor Freight will really melt some lead, it does blow a pretty big flame out the end so I am reluctant to use it inside any building unless you can clear all flammable materials away for a good distance. I have used it to supplement burner when melting plumbing pipe that sticks way up out of the pot because that is only getting heat at bottom and shedding heat to the air all the way up the pipe. Aim torch at ends of pipe in the dutch oven and things start to collapse and puddle pretty fast.

I think the torch would be better for outside.

I would check to be sure the regulator is fully screwed onto the tank first, then try to swap for a different regulator or look up online how to adjust the regulator you have if it is adjustable. Reason is that flame should be a jet when turned up and not easily blown out. Since it isn't you have an issue that is related to providing gas/air to the burner. I swapped a tank out because it seemed like gas flow was really poor. Turned out I didn't have the regulator fully tightened.

I don't know about these regulators and adjusting them but I know the propane conversion piece for Coleman liquid fuel stoves has a small screw that given a tiny amount of turning can make a world of difference in how the second burner works. Goes from barely enough to heat something to "cooking with gas".

Good luck.

[Rickf1985]

I was working on one of my burners the other day that had had an issue with blowing out. I pulled the hose off the burner and the orifice was a bit clogged with corrosion so I cleaned that out and it would run wide open with no problems at all. BUT, Once I put my pot over it I had the blowing out issue again and I realized right away what it was. I have a skirt on the bottom of my pot to trap heat with holes around the sides and what is happening is it is forcing the flame back down on itself and starving it for air. If I raise the pot up I can run it a bit hotter, raise it higher and I can run even hotter. So keep that in mind when setting your burner up. Make sure it runs full blast in the open first and then if you have problems with a pot over it you know it is NOT a burner adjustment or issue.

[RogerDat]

I was working on one of my burners the other day that had had an issue with blowing out. I pulled the hose off the burner and the orifice was a bit clogged with corrosion so I cleaned that out and it would run wide open with no problems at all. BUT, Once I put my pot over it I had the blowing out issue again and I realized right away what it was. I have a skirt on the bottom of my pot to trap heat with holes around the sides and what is happening is it is forcing the flame back down on itself and starving it for air. If I raise the pot up I can run it a bit hotter, raise it higher and I can run even hotter. So keep that in mind when setting your burner up. Make sure it runs full blast in the open first and then if you have problems with a pot over it you know it is NOT a burner adjustment or issue.

Air starved by wind screens is possibility. When I try lighting a propane torch off the burner it won't stay lit. Also tends to go out over the pot. Not enough air for that torch flame with the burner flame going right under it. I only have wind screen on 3 sides. Open on the front/hose side.

[Rickf1985]

But I will tell you, with that skirt on the pot I do not need to come even close to running flat out. It will melt 40 lbs. of solid and very cold lead in the pot in about 15 minutes and once melted I can turn the flame down to just barely lit and it will maintain 650 degrees all day long. I will get some pics later, I am using it as we speak so I can't get any shots underneath and that is what I need to show how it is made. This was a real quick build just to see if the idea would work, now I know that it works so well I am going to build another using a propane tank and make it a lot neater.

[imashooter2]

Bayou Classic and the Harbor Freight Dutch oven is my rig. Over 100 pound melts no issue. Don’t see why yours shouldn’t do the same. LOCO says it is a 50,000 BTU burner. Here’s the burner in action:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?42278-Smelting-day&p=457126&viewfull=1#post457126

[popper]

Most regulators now have a safety, must have reg off, turn bottle, on then reg. Disk is a mixer so air mix gets to burner. Decrease air and flame goes yellow. Light wind should not blow out the burner. If possible, take it back for a replacement.

[JeepsAndGuns]

I was working on one of my burners the other day that had had an issue with blowing out. I pulled the hose off the burner and the orifice was a bit clogged with corrosion so I cleaned that out and it would run wide open with no problems at all. BUT, Once I put my pot over it I had the blowing out issue again and I realized right away what it was. I have a skirt on the bottom of my pot to trap heat with holes around the sides and what is happening is it is forcing the flame back down on itself and starving it for air. If I raise the pot up I can run it a bit hotter, raise it higher and I can run even hotter. So keep that in mind when setting your burner up. Make sure it runs full blast in the open first and then if you have problems with a pot over it you know it is NOT a burner adjustment or issue.

Interesting.
I may try and remove that silver disc under the burner and see what happens. I will also try raising up the pot a little, if I can find a way to do it.

[JeepsAndGuns]

How old is it? Do you have any chance of returning it and getting a replacement? Something isn’t right. The regulator could be defective or there is a problem with the gas jet etc. It shouldn’t be so difficult to get it working correctly.


Most regulators now have a safety, must have reg off, turn bottle, on then reg. Disk is a mixer so air mix gets to burner. Decrease air and flame goes yellow. Light wind should not blow out the burner. If possible, take it back for a replacement.

I looked back at some pictures from the first time I used to to do some bluing and that was july of 2021. So long past any return window. Plus receipt is long gone.

[Forrest r]

Odd to have a high-pressure regulator on a single 50,xxx burner.

Really don't know a lot about lp gas & regulators but I have been using them for decades. Not only on grills and turkey cooker/smoker stands. I build a lot of my own smokers.

Living in NE Ohio it can get pretty cold along with fighting the wind. When it's +/- 80* out the wind isn't that big of a deal. 40* out and it's game on. I build these portable hog cookers (rotisserie) that also have racks in them. I use propane burners to heat 2/3rd's of the cookers and a 100,000 btu firebox to heat 1/3rd (left side). I can smoke 150# of meat with this setup when it's 20* out and windy (+/- 15mph winds). This setup that has 4 burners has a high-pressure regulator.
https://i.imgur.com/yRyFloA.jpg

Any time I see a bbq grill at the curb or someone's giving it away I grab them for spare parts. Whenever I've had an issue with the burner going out or not being able to adjust the flame to a clean burn. Changing out the regulator (that spare parts thing) has always fixed the issue.

No big help with trouble shooting, more of a plug and play solution. But it never hurts to have spare parts laying around.