new kind of used oil lead furnace FREE

[bigbird1]

I just got done building a lead furnace out of a old 100 lb propane tank, I cut it in two, removing about a foot out of the center section then cutting three half moon shapes in the top of the bottom section. then put top section on top and weld around. then put lead in top part , about a gallon used oil in bottom part and light with a paper towel . I mounted a small fan to the side of it, but I started out with a old house fan . keep in mind it is open flame and needs to be done in a safe place. and make sure the propane tank valve is removed several weeks before cutting, to air out the tank, (I used a steel plug to fill that part) BEST PART IT"S FREE TO MELT MY WHEEL WEIGHTS DOWN NOW

[DLCTEX]

I hope you did more than just air out the propane tank before cutting! We had an old fella killed here recently while cutting a tank that had been "empty" for years". I also knew a man who was welding on a tank that had been steamcleaned and pronounced safe.He was also killed. Both of these individuals had done these actions for years. How about using a refrigerant tank instead? Refrigeration businesses have them in abundance and IME will give them to you free.

[montana_charlie]

I have links (someplace) to a website where a guy shows how to build oil fired furnaces that use old oil. He has the fuel gravity fed through a valved tube so he can control the flow...and a fan piped into the side near the bottom.

He uses it to melt scrap aluminum...to cast useful articles in moulds he makes from sand.

It doesn't sound like you have any way to control temperature. You might want to think about that...
CM

[bigbird1]

I have links (someplace) to a website where a guy shows how to build oil fired furnaces that use old oil. He has the fuel gravity fed through a valved tube so he can control the flow...and a fan piped into the side near the bottom.

He uses it to melt scrap aluminum...to cast useful articles in molds he makes from sand.

It doesn't sound like you have any way to control temperature. You might want to think about that...
CM

my fan has a air cover to control the air/ heat

if you have any worries about the propane tank , start up a lawn mower and pipe the exhaust into it. no oygen no fire.

I m made a wood boiler to heat my house with a 500 gal and 250 gal propane tank and after letting them sit open for months (they even filled half full of water) I used a lawn mower and piped into them when cutting the ends off.

[briang]

How clean does the oil burn, does it make a lot of smoke? I've always got oil around, with 7 vehicles to maintain it adds up quick.



I have links (someplace) to a website where a guy shows how to build oil fired furnaces that use old oil. He has the fuel gravity fed through a valved tube so he can control the flow...and a fan piped into the side near the bottom.

He uses it to melt scrap aluminum...to cast useful articles in moulds he makes from sand.

It doesn't sound like you have any way to control temperature. You might want to think about that...
CM

This guy? http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/

[Marlin Hunter]

my fan has a air cover to control the air/ heat

if you have any worries about the propane tank , start up a lawn mower and pipe the exhaust into it. no oygen no fire.



Can't you just fill it with water than let it drain? I know some water would still be left, but that would turn to steam and escape. Just don't have your face over the exit hole. When I had to repair car fuel tanks, I would first fill them with water. I think the steam may help prevent ignition.

[StarMetal]

Can't you just fill it with water than let it drain? I know some water would still be left, but that would turn to steam and escape. Just don't have your face over the exit hole. When I had to repair car fuel tanks, I would first fill them with water. I think the steam may help prevent ignition.

Steam smothers a fire. Navy use to use steam a lot for fire fighting where the area could be shut off and filled with steam.

Joe

[montana_charlie]

This guy? http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/
I think that's the same guy...

[DLCTEX]

How clean does the oil burn, does it make a lot of smoke?
All the oil burners I've seen smoke worse than a coal stove. A local shop used one to heat the shop and the plume of smoke was visible for miles. I think it would definately not be for urban use.

[1874Sharps]

There are safety issues with a refrigerent tank as well. If there is residual halogenated hydrocarbon refrigerent in the presence of atmospheric moisture and flame, hydroflouric/hydrochoric acid and phosgene (COCl2) can be formed, all of which can be deadly in certain concentrations. You sure do not want to breath any of it! Back in my naval aviation days the mechanics would run a low pressure air hose into a fuel cell for a number of hours (I do not now remember how many) to completely purge the vapors before working on it. The bottom line is that you just do not want there to be anything like propane or refrigerent in a tank when you go cutting on it with a torch.

[RP]

oil will burn fairly smoke free if you get it hot enough with the air right air is the main control factor I think but not a expert some shops around here use oil to heat their shops and you dont see any smoke. I use gas to smelt with (gasoline) in a mil cook stove it burns nice and blue flame looks just like lb burning even when I use gas I have used to rinise my shot with and its good and red still no smoke. But just pour some gas in a can and light it it will smoke air air heat goes up and smoke goes away, Just my two cents iam sure someone will correct me on something.

[Triggerhappy]

Ditto 1874Sharps, Phosgene gas will kill you. Many refrigerants will produce phosgene when burned. Chlorofluorocarbons are bad for it.

I used to weld fuel tanks (even from the inside) and it can be done fairly safely if you purge the oxygen out of the tank. CO2, Argon etc. Dry ice can be used in a pinch but you have to be sure it's purged of O2.

Filling with H2O then draining doesn't work because air gets back in as the water drains. Just because it's rinsed out does not mean it won't off gas flammable gasses when heated.

Be very careful welding reefer or fuel tanks. Might look around for a used water heater. Some of the old ones have nice tanks inside the insulated covering. I've made some nice BBQs and shop heater / stoves out of them.

Just a thought.

TH

[joel0407]

I just got done building a lead furnace out of a old 100 lb propane tank, I cut it in two, removing about a foot out of the center section then cutting three half moon shapes in the top of the bottom section. then put top section on top and weld around. then put lead in top part , about a gallon used oil in bottom part and light with a paper towel . I mounted a small fan to the side of it, but I started out with a old house fan . keep in mind it is open flame and needs to be done in a safe place. and make sure the propane tank valve is removed several weeks before cutting, to air out the tank, (I used a steel plug to fill that part) BEST PART IT"S FREE TO MELT MY WHEEL WEIGHTS DOWN NOW

Could you drop a photo mate?

[briang]

How clean does the oil burn, does it make a lot of smoke?
All the oil burners I've seen smoke worse than a coal stove. A local shop used one to heat the shop and the plume of smoke was visible for miles. I think it would definately not be for urban use.

From what I've read oil smokes badly if it isn't burned hot enough, I was wondering how badly his smoked cause it seems a lot easier to build than others I've seen.

[bigbird1]

How clean does the oil burn, does it make a lot of smoke?
All the oil burners I've seen smoke worse than a coal stove. A local shop used one to heat the shop and the plume of smoke was visible for miles. I think it would definitely not be for urban use.

we burn oil stoves at the shop, the black smoke is from too much fuel and not enough air , thats where the blower comes into play. not much smoke at all, more like a blast furnace. It may smoke a little till it gets going , you can't just start the fan, you have to get the oil cooking, I put a cup of diesel fuel on top to light it faster. Our shop is in town limits, I once has a officer sit across the road when I first brought it out, (He may of thought I was making meth or something) he stayed till I tipped the bucket of weights toward him and poured them into the top pot then he left. LOL

[Buckshot]

..........Yup forced draft and heat can make oil burn (appearance wise) as clean as anything. First ship I was on in the Navy burned "Bunker Grade C" IIRC. It had to be heated to 300* to get it to flow well. I think they simply pumped it out of the ground, ran it through some window screen to get the big chunks out:-).It smelled strongly of sulpher and was stiffer then cold mayple syrup.

I was not a boilerman but some of our equipment was in the firerooms, and those steam plants were kind of fascinating to me. Very hot, but fascinating :-) The fuel was fed under pressure through bronze burner tubes that extended from the outer wall, through the air jacket into the firebox (I guess would be the word?). The ends of the burner tubes had replaceable burner spray plates that sprayed the oil out in a mist.

On the front face of the boiler jacket were several small round glass windows that allowed the burnerman to view the fire inside the boiler from each burner. The fire was white as viewed through these loopholes, and there was a low permeating roar of the flame. The only thing emitted from the funnels was (it seemed) roiled hot air without the faintest hint of smoke at all. In fact a black gang would find themselves in bad oder if they were, "Making smoke".

While it might not have been visible, you were for sure getting some emissions. If you were back on the fantail and the wind rolled some stack gas down, it was pretty pungent and would really make your eyes water!

...............Buckshot

[JIMinPHX]

I used to weld fuel tanks (even from the inside) and it can be done fairly safely if you purge the oxygen out of the tank. CO2, Argon etc. Dry ice can be used in a pinch but you have to be sure it's purged of O2.


That's all fine & good for welding fuel tanks, but when you start cutting them with a torch, oxygen gets pushed back inside them.

I'm with you 100% on everything else you said.

[Dale53]

Let's see:
Fish fryer or turkey fryer with a 6 quart pot that'll hold over a 100 lbs of bullet metal. I can do over a 1000 lbs on one tank (I keep the heat controlled and below 650 degrees to keep from contaminating my melt with zinc wheel weights). That's pretty dern inexpensive, it is totally convenient, no visible smoke except the flux you use, and it is just about as safe as it can get (considering we are dealing with molten metal at 650 degrees). In addition, I can set it up and have it running in a matter of minutes.

That's my choice...

YMMV
Dale53

[Linstrum]

A few years back I talked to a propane delivery business mechanic who took care of maintaining his company's 150 to 500 gallon propane tanks they leased out. When he had a "dead" propane tank that didn't pass safety inspection he was required to cut a big hole in it to prevent re-use before hauling it off to the scrap yard. He told me that the most dangerous thing about old propane tanks is the mercaptan compound used to odorize the gas since it is an oily liquid that over time makes a thin gummy coating inside the tanks on the walls. This stinky stuff burns like gasoline and is darned hard to remove, so the way he prepared the tanks for cutting with an oxy-acetylene cutting torch was to fill the whole tank full of water with just enough air left so the torch cut he was making was not below the water level in the tank. Even then he had a "woosh" of flame blow out the fitting holes from where he had removed the filler fitting, service valve, and pressure relief safety vent.

One time about 30 years ago my dad was warming up a 5-gallon propane bottle that he had filled up with water to just below where the valve screws in the top, so it probably had I'm guessing about a 5 cubic inch air pocket in the top of the tank. The mercaptan vapors in this tiny air space were ignited by the stove burner the tank was sitting on and exhaled a jet of blue fire up to the ceiling in his workshop, making a bit of a roar even though it was blowing out a hole for a 1/2" pipe fitting. I we hadn't seen it, we wouldn't have believed it!


rl588

[bigbird1]

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh22/bigbird1-1492/chris001.jpg

[bigbird1]

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh22/bigbird1-1492/chris002.jpg

[bigbird1]

There is 1 1/2 five gallon buckets in this pot. yes I could use propane, but casting is all about saving money, and this setup is free all the way. So the way I see it I can spend the extra money on more powder or primers. happing casting guys and be safe

[mroliver77]

You win the blue ribbon in the Redneck Improvisation contest!! Really BB I like it! I think you could clean it up more but free is my favorite word.
Jay

[Cactus Farmer]

Is that a slag heap in the background?

[JIMinPHX]

He told me that the most dangerous thing about old propane tanks is the mercaptan compound used to odorize the gas

Mercaptan you say? I had always figured that they used garlic oil based on the way that an empty tank smelled. Ya learn something new every day. :rolleyes:

Does that stuff cause any trouble if you put about 150 pounds of compressed air on top of it? I know a few guys that use old propane tanks for air caddies.

[briang]

Thanks for the pics BB, I'll probably build one of those if I can find a tank.


Mercaptan you say? I had always figured that they used garlic oil based on the way that an empty tank smelled. Ya learn something new every day. :rolleyes:

Does that stuff cause any trouble if you put about 150 pounds of compressed air on top of it? I know a few guys that use old propane tanks for air caddies.

Seems to me it would fill everything they filled from it with flammable vapors.

[Frank46]

"Clear your stacks your smoking black" was a familiar sentence when I was in the navy. For some of you ex-BT's have you ever caught the fire off the back wall without using the torch to light off the burner as you were supposed to". Mercaptan is the chemical injected into gas lines to give it that "rotten egg" smell. We used to have to go and weigh the mercaptan tank once a month and record the weight. This way we knew how much was being injected into the system. if the numbers weren't right we had to adjust it and log the adjustments. Worked in a LNG plant once upon a time. Frank

[bigbird1]

You win the blue ribbon in the Redneck Improvisation contest!! Really BB I like it! I think you could clean it up more but free is my favorite word.
Jay

It did look better with the long pipe off , but the fan picked up too much heat . the fan pulls off to be taken inside, the rest sits out . bet your glad you don't live next to me. LOL ( A Redneck can survive)

[bigbird1]

Is that a slag heap in the background?

How much lead would you have if that was a slag pile? I wish :grin:

[evan price]

"Bunker C" oil is also called RFO (Residual Fuel Oil) and it is made from what is left over when petroleum is refined and all the lighter hydrocarbons are removed. You take crude oil and boil out the gasoline, kerosene, etc. then it goes to the catalytic cracker which gets out more of the light molecules. What's left is a tarry sludge that has all the impurities, sulphur, metals, etc. that was in the base petroleum.

RFO is probably the cheapest fuel to run because it's the residue leftover that otherwise would have to be disposed of. Typically to meet the requirements for the customer it is blended with lighter hydrocarbons, or they add drained used lubricating/motor oil or other additives. It has to be heated to be pumped, most ships use an exhaust heat recovery exchanger in the exhaust stack to run a boiler that circulates steam around the jackets in the fuel tank and fuel feed system so that the RFO will liquify and be pumpable. Needs a fairly high pressure pump to get it to atomize as it comes out of the fuel injectors.
Boilers were fairly simple.

They also use RFO in big main propulsion Diesel engines. Ever see one? Cylinders as big as 40" diameter, strokes up to 8' in length. Up to 115,000 horsepower. The largest Diesel is 50% thermally efficient (most efficient in the world) and is 5 stories tall and 95' long, 38" piston bore and 99" stroke. It's a 2-stroke turbocharged Sulzer engine made by Wartsila of Finland and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for cargo containerships. Runs about 100 rpm and can be up to 14 cylinders.

[jonk]

I'm confused. I have an oil burning furnace. It has an injector nozzle that atomizes the fuel. Maybe not to the extent that a fuel injector does, but it's blended with air.

Reading your description it sounds like you are lighting a puddle of oil. I'm not even sure how that would work without atomization; it is after all the fuel mixed with air that lights.

What am I missing?

[briang]

The oil evaporates and the vapors are what burns. As it gets hotter it will evaporate faster and burn better.