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:

[358429]

I love to cast with this. 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.

[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]

[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.

[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.