# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  Crab cooker project (gas)

## PlatypusGardens

I picked up this sweet crab cooker on the weekend and am planning to build a cooking unit for it, as it won't fit on the side burner of the BBQ and could also be handy when camping or cooking lots of crabs at ol' mate's.      
Plans/ideas so far: 
-A stand/frame/box to house a 9kg gas botttle
-Gas ring burner or two burners from an old bbq (I have neither at the moment)
-About the same height as 2 milk crates as per second pic  
A few questions. 
-What's the go with distance/partition between burners and gas bottles?
-can I make my own gas ring from any old steel tube and "just drill some holes in it"?
-Should I just look for a gas ring at the scrapyard?  
Ok, fire away lads   :Smilie:

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## Bros

Gas burners are hard to build as you have to have a Venturi to draw in the correct amount of air. Doesn't hurt to try but the problem is getting the fuel/air ratio correct.
That pot is to small for our crabs.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Gas burners are hard to build as you have to have a Venturi to draw in the correct amount of air. Doesn't hurt to try but the problem is getting the fuel/air ratio correct.

  
Yeeeeeeeah didn't think it was that easy.
Might use a "real one"...    :Smilie:  
Any comments on the other points?

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## PlatypusGardens

> That pot is to small for our crabs.

  
Who said anything about putting more than one in at a time?

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## Bros

The prawn cookers I have run on high pressure gas not via a LP regulator like in BBQ.

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## Marc

What size is that pot? The crab pots I see on line have a 20 to 40 litres capacity.
Burners are cheap, not worth making them  GAS Burner Camping 4x4 Crabing Fishing Cooking CAR Tools BBQ House Garden Food | eBay 
Or get a larger one the Rambo burner ...  :Smilie:  https://youtu.be/ejR6ClRtR_A?t=16

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## Marc

Then again if you must make one, here is an easy one A simple homemade propane burner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA6R9ifuAbo

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## PlatypusGardens

400mm dia and 340mm tall. 
feel free to work out the volume in L, fathoms, cow skulls or whatever measurement you prefer   :Wink:  
Yeh nah building my own gas ring burner is not (and probably never was) an option.    :Smilie:   
I will run it on normal BBQ gas though, as it's easier and we have plenty of bottles ratrling around begging for a swap/refill   :Smilie:

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## Marc

42l, big enough for any crab I think.
As far as gas, I think Bros was referring to the regulator versus no regulator or direct bottle pressure to give that flame thrower sort of flame.
That can be achieved safely with a regulator too. Look at the video of the Rambo burner. I have one of them, it uses a regulator yet throws a flame that would melt lead in seconds.

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## Bros

Why stuff around with gas build a diesel one as they are easy to make and safer as well, never know you could sell at your market. I built one to melt whitemetal for bearing in the stern tube of the steel boat I had as i was concerned to coal burner could have contaminated the whitemetal. I sure with all the crapola you have in your shed you would have the parts.

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## Uncle Bob

> Why stuff around with gas build a diesel one as they are easy to make and safer as well, never know you could sell at your market. I built one to melt whitemetal for bearing in the stern tube of the steel boat I had as i was concerned to coal burner could have contaminated the whitemetal. I sure with all the crapola you have in your shed you would have the parts.

  Do I need to post another video from Oil Burner's youtube channel?  :Wink:

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## Bros

> Do I need to post another video from Oil Burner's youtube channel?

  Never saw the first one.

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## Moondog55

I was going to make a bad taste crab joke concerning our local "working girls" but changed my mind, but why not use a nice clean 200 litre drum so you can cook 2 or 3 nice big crabs at once?
I have heard that they actually taste a lot better simply barbecued in the coals 
and ashes tho

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## PlatypusGardens

So does anyone have any advice on how to set up a gas bottle and gas ring burner?
As that's what I'm doing.     :Unsure:   
Or are we gonna keep prattling on about "build an X" and "Build a Y or Z"?
Suppose we could.
God forbid that someone would actually take anything seriously and offer some help on the original question.   :Rolleyes:   
Barbecuing crabs in coals?
Yeh sure whatever 
Diesel cooker?
Why?
Why would I do that when I have gas bottles ready to go?  
200 litre drum?
3 crabs at once?
You'll fit 4-6 crabs depending on size in this one.
That's why I bought this in the first place.
To cook crabs in.
Over gas or fire.           
As Marc said, "Why do we bother posting?"
Why, indeed....    :Wink:

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## PlatypusGardens

Nevermind, I'll just do what I always do.  
Go work it out by myself, build it and post pics of the finished product for you lot of armchair experts to comment on   :Laugh bounce:

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## Marc

Hei hei, wait a moment I am the one grumbling about others, you are the one posting jokes, let's keep our roles OK?  :Smilie:  
The local Mitre Ten next to my office stocks a heap of different ring burners from one to 4 rings that would make a 200 l drum boil quick smart. 
For a 40L you should be fine with 3 rings. They are cast iron with 4 legs, a little tap for each ring, a nipple for the hose ... what else? Nothing to it PG
I suppose you can set the burner up higher with a 4 legs contraption. I have my wok burner set up that way to cook on the veranda. The Rambo is round so i made a ring and 3 legs with one inch galvanised pipe, about 800mm high. You want the pot full of boiling water nice and steady I suppose. just in case  http://stores.ebay.com.au/GREEN-VALLEY-OUTDOOR-COOKING 
PS
Come to think of it you could have a ring around the burner to keep the pot in place ... something like a rail (?)

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## Marc

or you could cook the crabs this way ... much faster. https://youtu.be/bHJpRpw2M2s

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## PlatypusGardens

> Hei hei, wait a moment I am the one grumbling about others, you are the one posting jokes, let's keep our roles OK?

  
Ok, sorry about that.   :Cry:   
The grumblings were posted with a smirk, does that count as joking?   :Unsure:

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## PlatypusGardens

> Come to think of it you could have a ring around the burner to keep the pot in place ... something like a rail (?)

  Yeh that's the plan, to have the burner(s) sitting inside the frame and the frame itself supporting the pot.   :Smilie:

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## OBBob

> A few questions. 
> -What's the go with distance/partition between burners and gas bottles?
> -can I make my own gas ring from any old steel tube and "just drill some holes in it"?
> -Should I just look for a gas ring at the scrapyard?  
> Ok, fire away lads

  
Funny banter. Anyway, gas rings a pretty cheap at disposals stores aren't they? I don't think you could just drill holes (remember your 'build my own rain head' thread ... think it was the same issue).   
Why not just a gas bottle with a screw on gas ring and then make (because you clearly want to make) a wind guard to go around the whole lot?

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## PlatypusGardens

Yeh well the idea of building a stand/wind guard is to make it easy to move around, set up anywhere and use.
So a box/stand/frame with handles and bottle secured inside/below is the aim. 
I like having things set up and ready to go with no need for getting this and hooking up that etc. 
Just put the pot on top and light it up.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Something like this, I suppose

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## PlatypusGardens

Or a couple of these    
What are these?
Not seen that setup before....

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## OBBob

Depends how much burner power you need. There's a lot of capacity there. I was thinking more the ones that screw direct to the bottle ... but maybe you'd have to wait too long?

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## OBBob

The top ones look BBQ burners and the second one looks like a patio heater?? 
Eerg ... please wait 30 second before replying ...

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## PlatypusGardens

> Depends how much burner power you need. There's a lot of capacity there. I was thinking more the ones that screw direct to the bottle ... but maybe you'd have to wait too long?

  
Yeh they're maybe a bit small....dunno...we have one for a 2Kg bottle which works well for smaller stuff.

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## PlatypusGardens

> The top ones look BBQ burners and the second one looks like a patio heater?? 
> Eerg ... please wait 30 second before replying ...

  Yeh I know what the top one is hehe, the second one is a bbq burner as well.  :Smilie:   
Google "infrared BBQ burner"

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## Bros

How do you cook your crabs, do you have a big pot of water and drop the crabs in and then bring back to the boil? If you do you have to have a lot of heat to bring them back to the boil.

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## PlatypusGardens

> How do you cook your crabs, do you have a big pot of water and drop the crabs in and then bring back to the boil? If you do you have to have a lot of heat to bring them back to the boil.

  Yes 
Muddy creek water 
15-16 minutes   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

You been catching any down your way recently, Bros? 
Pretty quiet up here.
Need more rain...

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## Bros

Haven't been out for ages so I can't comment

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## Moondog55

The thing I would be worrying about is "IF" the big gas bottle got overheated and the safety valve blew the resulting flare-off might scare people
I just tried and my 9kg bottles don't fit inside the 20 litre paint drum or I WOULD BE SUGGESTING USING ONE OF THEM AS THE BASE
Sorry Stupid laptop keyboard
How about using weldmesh for the gas bottle holder and then a windshield of some roofing iron rolled and bolted together? Windshield only needs to come up to the pot handles and only needs about 40mm clearance from the pot for fast heating of the water
No more jokes I promise
Even one of the stove top BBQ burners [ Big one tho] will boil water pretty quickly if the pot has a windshield

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## PlatypusGardens

A partition between the burner and the bottle is something I'm planning.
And yeh a wind shield for the burner as well. 
At about 2 milk crates tall, there should be enough room between the burner and bottle to be safe, no?
That's about the same distance as our BBQ which has the bottle in a cabinet below the burners.    
Haha keep the jokes coming.
I was just playing the grumpy old fart there for a while.
All tongue in cheek   :Wink:

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## Marc

> Yeh well the idea of building a stand/wind guard is to make it easy to move around, set up anywhere and use.
> So a box/stand/frame with handles and bottle secured inside/below is the aim. 
> I like having things set up and ready to go with no need for getting this and hooking up that etc. 
> Just put the pot on top and light it up.

  That is how I have my Wok burner set up. Made a tripod, whack the Rambo on top and screw the bottle to it. 1.something meters of braided hose and the bottle can be anywhere out of the way. 
My tripod is a bit low to work the wok and I need to extend the legs some 100mm,  but it would be ideal to cook in a big pot like that. 
All you need is a boat oar cut in half to stir the pot and you are done ...  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

A mate reckons he has an old BBQ I can have.
Will check that out. 
Might be able to use the lines and burners from it   :Smilie:

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## Bros

> That's about the same distance as our BBQ which has the bottle in a cabinet below the burners.

   I hate that as I see them like that at some camp kitchens and I thing it is asking for trouble as a gas leak will pool gas until it gets to the ignition source, the bottles are better off in the open as any leaks will get dispersed.

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## PlatypusGardens

I know what you mean.
This particular BBQ though has vents at the back, and note the void between the roof ofnthe cabinet and the drip tray as well. 
Those camp "kitchens" if we're thinking about the same ones, the ones that got banned/recalled are a completely different hazard with the little gas canister very close to the burner.
Plus many people didn't secure the bottle properly. 
I don't like those things and would never use one. 
Neighbour went camping a while back and one of them blew up in someone else's camp.
Got taken away in chopper with severe burns.   :Unsure:

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## Bros

No they are not the same thing. You would be thinking of these http://www.renovateforum.com/f85/por...arning-115331/
The camp kitchens I am referring to are those in caravan parks that are mounted on besser blocks all closed it with just a door to access the valve. One I saw had the door locked and a brick left out to get to the valve.

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## PlatypusGardens

> The camp kitchens I am referring to are those in caravan parks that are mounted on besser blocks all closed it with just a door to access the valve.

  Oh right yeah gotcha.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Anyway, my crab cooker probably won't be enclosed around the bottle....too much work 
and when I use the BBQ as pictured above, I usually open the doors a bit.
Even though it is designed to be used with the bottle in the cupboard and the doors closed.   :Smilie:

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## Marc



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## PlatypusGardens

That's cool but yeh probably a bit low.   :Biggrin:   
And.....someone laid your deck boards upside down!!!!!!   :Shock:  :Shock:  :Shock:

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## OBBob

> And.....someone laid your deck boards upside down!!!!!!

  
Uh oh ... start a new thread (impending debate ...).  :Doh:

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## PlatypusGardens

> uh oh ... Start a new thread (impending debate ...).

  
hahahahahaha

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## PlatypusGardens

Picked up that old BBQ earlier.
Will have a look at it tomorrw and see if it will be of any use. 
It's a 4 burner so I'd have to shorten the gas line as I only need 2   :Unsure:  
We'll see.
Should be able to get a mate to do that.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

So I'm having a squizz at this BBQ....
Seems the main gas line is steel. 
So I should be able to just cut n shut it to make it shorter?
Thinking of basically cutting the BBQ in half and use parts of the front plate and surround to make it a bit easier.
The spark igniter even works.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Well that was a first.
Cutting a 4 burner down to a 2 burner  :Biggrin:    
This thing is gonna be peeeeerfeeeeect.
The pot sits nicely in there.   
I'm planning to make a grate to sit on the lower level, closer to the burner for max crab cooking POWERRRRR
(said in Jeremy Clarkson voice)     
Gas line cut and shut (I hope)    
Should make a start on the stand tomorrow.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

The plan is to also use this for smoking. 
We have something similar to this which has hever been used   
If I shorten (or narrow, I suppose) the hood for the BBQ I can heat the smoking chips in a tray, duct the smoke to the barrel and smoke some sweet meat 
Much easier than stuffing around with coals and whatnot.   :Wink 1:

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## PlatypusGardens

:Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  
http://www.renovateforum.com/f249/crab-cooker-project-gas-117812/#post995253   
*cough*

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## Bros

You should get something for that.

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## PlatypusGardens

> You should get something for that.

  
A gold star for being right?

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## PlatypusGardens

Getting a bit done here  :Cool:

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## PlatypusGardens

Perfect fit  :2thumbsup:     
Off to get a gas hose and regumulator as the only one I could find looks a bit worse for wear...      :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Oh how I love this hard plastic packaging around everything these days....

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## PlatypusGardens

Oh yeah   :happy:   :Biggrin2:   :Trumpet:

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## Marc

That thing is going to boil the pot in 10 minutes.
Make sure you don't smother the flames. Barbeque burners need a lot of air. if you are not adding a plate with a round hole you should be OK.

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## PlatypusGardens

I'll either use the grate/grill that came with it or make something. 
Should be giving it a test boil tomorro.
Will report back.

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## Marc

Back to the ventilation issue ... your flames will squeeze through the corners, and that is ok, however they will overheat the handles of your pot and make it impossible to handle. May be you can find a way to divert the flames from the narrow section to shield the handles?

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## PlatypusGardens

Now.....there's two ledges here.
The upper one is where the plate/grate is supposed to sit, about 120mm above the top of the burner.
The lower one is about 70mm above the burner. 
Would there be any gain from using the lower one?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Back to the ventilation issue ... your flames will squeeze through the corners, and that is ok, however they will overheat the handles of your pot and make it impossible to handle. May be you can find a way to divert the flames from the narrow section to shield the handles?

  
I did think about that, but as the pot has a basket inside, it won't be that much of an issue..... 
(note that in the pic above the pot is sitting directly on the burners, no grate)

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## Marc

I see ... you can always make a couple of hooks bending a flat bar and welding a pipe for a handle if needed.

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## PlatypusGardens

Or an A-frame with chains...... 
*cheeky grin*  
Any thoughts on the height above burners as mentioned in the other post?   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

I've also discovered that masonry grinding disc is the only thing that will remove enamel......

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## Bros

> Any thoughts on the height above burners as mentioned in the other post?

  You use Oxy don't you so you will know where the hottest part of the flame is so that is where it should be but it would not be practical. 20 to 30 mm would be OK.

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## PlatypusGardens

> You use Oxy don't you

  no    

> 20 to 30 mm would be OK.

  hmm
Will maybe try the lower ledge then?

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## Marc

The distance between pot and burner will need some experimentation.
Get a thin wire and place it a different hights with the burner going and see how quickly it gets red. The most efficient hight will be the one you want

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## Bros

I thought you would have known this.

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## PlatypusGardens

> I thought you would have known this.

  
Yeh
just sayin, I don't have/use oxy   :Smilie:    
Did you draw that?    :Unsure:

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## Bros

> Did you draw that?

  Google university.

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## PlatypusGardens

Made a ring for the gas bottle to sit in             
Front plate          
Cut the ends off to make it fit and also the mounting tabs and welded them on from the inside             
Got a bit carried away with the polishing disc...  :Unsure:        :Cool:

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## PlatypusGardens

Grate in at lowest level.    
Well, that's this thing pretty much done for now until I start thinking about making a lid and smoke ducting for it   :Smilie:  
The front plate looks crooked in that pic.
It is a little bit out of wack, but looks way off in the photo for some reason...

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## PlatypusGardens

Now......where am I gonna store this thing....?     :Unsure:

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## Bros

Why don't you give the grate the heave ho as it adds to much weight and just drill a couple of holes in the side and use some 12mm bar as you are only putting the pot on it.

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## PlatypusGardens

Hm that's not a bad idea.

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## Marc

Technically the grate keeps the flame on the pot for a bit longer so it should make the fire more efficient. Without it the flame will flow around the pot much faster. If that translates in quicker boiling time or not is again a matter of experimentation. 
Fill the pot to the same level and check boiling time with and without.
May be the difference is just zip + 1  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> Technically the grate keeps the flame on the pot for a bit longer so it should make the fire more efficient. Without it the flame will flow around the pot much faster. If that translates in quicker boiling time or not is again a matter of experimentation. 
> Fill the pot to the same level and check boiling time with and without.
> May be the difference is just zip + 1

  
Interesting. 
I shall see how it goes. 
Considered cutting parts of the grate out, like in the middle...
Meh will leave it as is for now and try it.
Still need to get a gas bottle for it as well.   :Smilie:

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## Bros

> Still need to get a gas bottle for it as well.

  Dump is usually a good place to look.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Dump is usually a good place to look.

  
I have a couple spare ones rattling around.
Just a matter if they'll fill or swap them as they look pretty old with no labels on them. 
Last time I went to refill our little 2Kg one they (BCF) said it was too old and I had to get a new one...
Might have been able to fill/swap it somewhere else but didn't have time to shop around. 
Pretty sure most Swap n Go places take any bottle regardless of age though.
Think they have them tested and refurbished if too old?

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## PlatypusGardens

Come to think of it, the guy at the nearest servo just gives you the key to the gas bottle cage and let you swap them yourself

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## Marc

Bunnings has 9k bottles for very little this days. Way cheaper than the swap and go. $28 or so.

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## Bros

> Pretty sure most Swap n Go places take any bottle regardless of age though.
> Think they have them tested and refurbished if too old?

  They do but there are a couple of conditions, no excess rust, the top and bottom ring have to be on. Swap and go are cheaper then BCF refill. I have seen a lot of good bottles at the dump as I think people don't know you can swap them.

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## Bros

> Bunnings has 9k bottles for very little this days. Way cheaper than the swap and go.

  $32 as of yesterday. BCF fill was $22 and the swap and go was under $20.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Bunnings has 9k bottles for very little this days. Way cheaper than the swap and go.

  didn't know that.
Will have a look. 
Most of the times when I need a new gas bottle it's in the middle of a BBQ or an hour before going camping haha

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## PlatypusGardens

> Swap and go are cheaper then BCF refill

  Possibly 
I think the issue was a 2kg bottle and no swappers had them.....or something....I forget.
(just looked at swap n go and they only do 9 and 4 kg bottles)    

> $32 as of yesterday.

  
Hmm...that's not much different from swapsies....?

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## PlatypusGardens

What the  SWAP'n'GO GREEN BBQ LPG Gas Bottles | ELGAS - LPG Gas for Home & Business 
Not seen that...

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## PlatypusGardens

> Swap and go are cheaper then BCF refill..

   

> $32 as of yesterday. BCF fill was $22 and the swap and go was under $20.

  
Contradicting....   :Unsure:  
Under $20 for swap 9kg? 
Dunno about that...pretty sure it's around $30

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## Bros

> Hmm...that's not much different from swapsies....?

  That's a new empty bottle and not as Marc said 9 kg as they are all 8.5 now. Just looked at Bunnings web site and the new bottles are listed as $28.90 with swap and go $19.85. At mine the new ones were $32.

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## PlatypusGardens

This is giving me a headache

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## Bros

> Contradicting.... 
> Under $20 for swap 9kg? 
> Dunno about that...pretty sure it's around $30

  Got one 2 weeks ago and was less than $20 as I was expecting over $20.

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## PlatypusGardens

Either way 
I have two (maybe 3) 8.5kg bottles here, one of which I'll hopefully be able to swap and go and then be cooking crabs with gas

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## Bros

> Either way 
> I have two (maybe 3) 8.5kg bottles here, one of which I'll hopefully be able to swap and go and then be cooking crabs with gas

  Whats wrong with the other two?

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## Marc

Don't you love it when clean, green and emissions are thrown in a product ad, at random? 
Bunnings sells the 9 (now 8.5) k bottles for $28 but empty, so add your local refill price to that, usually from 15 to 20 (?) The swap and go price is only for the gas that is why I say it is cheaper. Of course if you have a dud bottle and can launder it into a good one you are on a winner of sort. Clearly the extra few dollars in gas go towards replacing dud bottles. No one gives stuff away for free. 
Either way we are talking very little difference. 
If you get a cheap refill at the servo, and have a cappuccino on the way, you have blown your profit  :Smilie:

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## Marc

By the way ... just read the explanation as to why the bottles are now 8.5 and not 9. Never read a lamer excuse for institutionalised fraud.   The Great 9kg vs 8.5kg Gas Bottle Puzzlement | ELGAS - LPG Gas for Home & Business

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## Marc

Old gas bottles that can not be swapped have a final use.
Find a shonk to partly refill. 
Go out in a desert location and place the bottle on the ground, possibly where there is no grass, just rocks and sand, and start a small fire next to it but not right on it.
Walk your way back 1000 meters or so depending on how good a shot you are.
Get your trusty 6.5 and practice long shots until you get a hit.
Watch the big bang ...  :Smilie:  
The blown out bottle can be used for metal art.

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## Bros

They are different as I had a very old bottle that I cut down  make a cooker and people told me you can fit them in a milk crate. Well no way would it fit. So I got a bottle from the dump cut it down and it fits easily into a milk crate. When you look at the bottles side by side when cut the old bottle wall thickness was twice that of the latest bottle.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Whats wrong with the other two?

  I dunno, they may all be good bottles.....guess I'll find out when I go to swap them.   

> Bunnings sells the 9 (now 8.5) k bottles for $28 but empty, so add your local refill price to that, usually from 15 to 20 (?) The swap and go price is only for the gas that is why I say it is cheaper. Of course if you have a dud bottle and can launder it into a good one you are on a winner of sort. Clearly the extra few dollars in gas go towards replacing dud bottles. No one gives stuff away for free. 
> Either way we are talking very little difference. 
> If you get a cheap refill at the servo, and have a cappuccino on the way, you have blown your profit

  
what a rant  :Rofl:   
I already have a couple of bottles here which I'll hopefully be able to swap.
No need to go to bunnings and pay the same or more for a new bottle as it will cost to refill one of my existing ones. 
When you said bunnings have bottles I took it as they have FULL bottles.

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## PlatypusGardens

> They are different as I had a very old bottle that I cut down  make a cooker and people told me you can fit them in a milk crate. Well no way would it fit. So I got a bottle from the dump cut it down and it fits easily into a milk crate. When you look at the bottles side by side when cut the old bottle wall thickness was twice that of the latest bottle.

  Yes I usually transport gas bottles on the back of the ute in milk crates when swapping  
Never come across one that didn't fit

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## Marc

Yes, the old one were bigger, but we are talking OOOLD 
The new made in china are paper thin in comparison. No chance you can drag their use past the 10 years. You're lucky if you get there at all. 
The old thick 9k bottles need a decent cartridge to make a hole in them. minimum 222 and certainly not from 1000 meters
The new one get a hole with a rimfire 22 no problem.

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## PlatypusGardens

Hehe just looked at the one I've been using as a reference point when building this contraption and it has a (large) Swap n go sticker on it. 
Should be ok then.   :Smilie:

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## Marc

Absolutely, projectiles bounce off the swap and go sticker ...  :Biggrin:

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## PlatypusGardens

The amount of times I had that gas bottle in my hands and didn't even notice the sticker on it haha.
Was more focused on measuring and seeing how it would fit I guess   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Will be trying this out tonight

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## Bros

> Will be trying this out tonight

  Full or waterbags?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Full or waterbags?

  One seemed a bit light but the rest should be ok. 
Got a nice chocolate brown one this morning.
And you know they're good

----------


## Bros

> Got a nice chocolate brown one this morning.
> And you know they're good

  Yep always full.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Hmmmm 
it's been on for a while..,water getting warm but nowhere near boiling yet....... 
might need better burners and/or the pot closer to the flames.......we'll see   :Smilie:

----------


## Marc

May be the burners are too soft. Try re-jetting them and opening up the air intake.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Still not boiling 
Redesigning required

----------


## phild01

Wouldn't you be better off with a big wok burner?

----------


## PlatypusGardens

The heat is there, just need to direct it better.
It did boil in the end.
The pot is still too hot to touch a long time after it was turned off. 
I reckon pot closer to heat and shielding around the pot will be the go.
Determined to make this work.

----------


## Marc

40L is a lot of water. Is that the burner you had in the previous photo? OOps my bad, that is Phil's photo ... yes, you can improve on BBQ burners, you need more fuel and more air. The height of the pot and ventilation another consideration.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Well I didn't fill the pot right up with water.... 
Just checked it then, the pot is 350 tall and the water is 150 from the top so just over half full.
(which was probably a bit more than we needed anyway but I got a big excited hehe) 
There could probably be more blue flame.....will try some different burners.
Would blocking some of the holes in the burner, say closer to the ends where they're not needed, make the rest burn hotter/more? 
Do these sort of burners "wear out"? 
I went over them with wire wheel and cleaned as much as I could as they were a bit flaky around the outlets...  
Will keep tinkering with it.    :Smilie:

----------


## Marc

Nee, the cast iron does burn out a bit, but the changes must be in the fuel delivery and the air used to burn it. A big wok burner makes a noise like a jet engine. That means much higher pressure in the gas and plenty of air to burn that amount of gas. A soft silent flame means minimal amount of fuel.
Think of it like a carburettor for a drag racing engine ...  :Smilie:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

The burners on the other bbq burn a lot more blue and with more noise.... 
hmm 
If all else fails I can put one of those wok burners in it I suppose

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Proof that it worked

----------


## Marc

Beautiful ! 
I bet your jets are too small. You can resize them if you have the right reamer. Do you have a barbecue galore shop in town?
Also check the regulator. Some regulators are adjustable and can be cranked up. Otherwise, open it and pack the spring or stretch it so that it pushes more against the membrane. A big roar means you have given it too much pressure  :Smilie: 
The air can also be adjusted with some sleeves that slide over a hole. If they are too close the burn is cold

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> I bet your jets are too small. You can resize them if you have the right reamer.

  Do you mean these jets, that shoot the gas in to the burners? 
reamer....i have a lathe and drillbits.....  :Unsure:             

> Do you have a barbecue galore shop in town?

  Yes           

> Also check the regulator. Some regulators are adjustable and can be cranked up. Otherwise, open it and pack the spring or stretch it so that it pushes more against the membrane. A big roar means you have given it too much pressure

  Hmmm, the regulator has a screw there on the side...?              

> The air can also be adjusted with some sleeves that slide over a hole. If they are too close the burn is cold

  Which hole....? 
This one or holes in the burner where the flame comes out?      
keep the info coming.
Interesting.   :Smilie:   
(Well....I'm interested. The dog has given up)   :Rolleyes:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Now this is more like it

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Anyway.....I should be cleaning the house, not worrying about gas burners hahaha

----------


## Bros

As I said before get rid of the mesh as it makes it inefficient and lower the pot to the top of the light blue flame. The cast iron ring burners have a piece cast in to stand utensils on.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Yes sir, lowering the pot is the first step. 
I already said that  :Smilie:  
But the other issue is there's not enough blue flame.
We'll get there in the end.

----------


## Bros

> Yes sir, lowering the pot is the first step. 
> I already said that

  As I said great minds think alike, now get back to that cleaning otherwise Santa Claus won't stop by.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

After this coffee

----------


## Marc

In short and in order, YES,NO,YES ...  :Smilie: 
 Yes, that is the jet, and yes you can change ths size of the jet with a drill ... just don't brake it.
No the screw on the side is not the one. THe adjustable on have a screw of sort on top of that little tower. The spring is housed inside that cylindrical bit that goes up. If they are adjustable there is an opening and you can fit a flat screwdriver in a little tin disc that turns up and down to adjust the spring pressure ... gee that was harder than I thought to put into words. You will have to open one up and it will become obvious.
 The burner obviously has lost the sleeve long time ago. IT's OK, you can improvise one with a bit of sheet metal.
 I think a visit to barbecue galore will be a good thing. Their spare parts are on the cheap side and they tend to know a lot about burners and stuff.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Thanks Marc.
Much appreciated.  :Smilie:  
So the burner is meant to have a sleeve over that C shaped opening?
Never knew that. 
Yes will go to BBQ galore one day and have a look and chat to them.  
Back to cleaning the house now.   :Smilie:

----------


## Marc

Yes, sleeve is to regulate the air intake. Air gets mixed with gas due to venturi effect. So at the moment you are full blast with air. That means that if the burner flame is normal, the jet is either blocked or too small since usually you need to cover the air about half. 
I am off now, must cook a big Balti Chicken Curry to add to the Christmas dinner, then off for the rest of the year and back to work in February. 
Have a good one!

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Work???!! 
I thought you were retired and just poked around at home with pontoons and general blacksmithing....

----------


## Bros

> Yes, sleeve is to regulate the air intake.

  They haven't been sleeved for a very long time, now just sized for the burner.
This is the flame in my BBQ pretty lazy flame.

----------


## Marc

The regulator on my Rambo burner says outlet pressure 100KPA and volume is 2m3/h 
I think you need a bigger regulator and bigger jets. The barbacue galor people will have all that. You can try without regulator too.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> They haven't been sleeved for a very long time, now just sized for the burner.
> This is the flame in my BBQ pretty lazy flame.

  
Still more blue than the ones In the crab machine. 
Wonder if there would be any gain from cutting off that lip above the outlets.
Probably not. 
I'll probably still try it though   :Rolleyes:

----------


## Bros

> Still more blue than the ones In the crab machine.

  Have a look in all the holes as the brick layers could have been there. Leave a hole her open for a few days and the brickies find it and seal it up.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Have a look in all the holes as the brick layers could have been there. Leave a hole her open for a few days and the brickies find it and seal it up.

    :Signhuh:     

> I went over them with wire wheel and cleaned as much as I could as they were a bit flaky around the outlets...

    :Fineprint:

----------


## Bros

> 

  Hornets!

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Hornets!

  
Everything is clean, is what I'm getting at.    :Wink:

----------


## Bros

> Everything is clean, is what I'm getting at.

   :2thumbsup:  Just a thought.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

I know. 
I'm pretty thorough with most things tho.   :Wink:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Just remembered I have all these bits of SS tube and fittings and elbows and T-pieces.... 
Might be able to make a big burner ring/square from that.
hmm

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Watch the whole thing.
I dare ya. 
How to turn a 20-second video in to 4:30 minutes 
Talk really slowly
Describe what you're holding in front of the camera
Say everything 3 times  :Rolleyes:   
Seems to work though  :2thumbsup:

----------


## Marc

> They haven't been sleeved for a very long time, now just sized for the burner.
> This is the flame in my BBQ pretty lazy flame.

  Weeeellll ... may be in Queensland. My Sydney barbecue is not that old and has 4 very large sleeves over the air intake ready to be pushed up or down to regulate the O2. You burners may benefit from a bit of extra air ... if no sleeve, then drill a hole next to the recess for extra O2  :Smilie:   
PG
Before you embarque into making a whole new burner, drill those jets out slightly larger, or buy a bigger regulator or get rid of it and see how you go. 
No regulator is more fun ... goes WHUUUUUUUUUU  :Smilie:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Ooooo look at these pretty bluuuuuu flames   :Cool:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Yeh Marc, still gonna try drillin those jets out.
Not doing anythiing today though, part from Googling haha.
Big night last night

----------


## Marc

Blue flames ... 100% propane. OZ LPG = Butane Propane in unknown percentages variable according to the mood of the supplier. Up north due to favorable temperatures you are likely to get the lausiest mix possible, with plenty of Butane that does not burn properly down south.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

If I was to have a go at making something today it would probably end up like this

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Ok so what happens if you run it without regulator?
more gas....presumably. 
Dangerous?   :Unsure:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

So.....with all the ducks lined up (gas/air mixture, hole size etc) any old tube with holes in it, will work as a burner....?       
Woooooosh

----------


## ringtail

What could possibly go wrong ?  :Tongue:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Came across this while Googling burners.
Some interesting stuff there  Outdoor custom fire and water feature. Firefalls with fire pit. Avialable in either Propane or Natural Gas

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> What could possibly go wrong ?

  
Well, all jokes aside, that's what I want to know before making something   :Wink:

----------


## ringtail

Honestly, I don't know enough about it. Although all my gas stuff is extremely agricultural. The burners we use at the farm just have a 1/2 inch bolt that screws in and out of the airflow for O2 adjustment. The opening is about an inch in diameter so nothing accurate going on at all. The kitchen uses the double  burner in the rectangle frame and the shower heat exchanger uses 2 of those triple ring burners.   http://www.greatescapecamping.com.au...s-c-47_48.html

----------


## Marc

Let's see if I can post something that makes sense for a change ... LPG is a mixture of butane and propane under pressure. Enough to make it liquid.  
The pressure in the bottle changes dramatically with ambient temperature and to make matters more complicated, the evaporation of the gas inside the bottle takes out energy so cools the gas, the faster the gas evaporates the more it cools. 
And of course pressure varies according to content in the bottle.  
So to solve all this issues with pressure you can buy a regulator. A regulator is just a membrane with a spring against it and with a little thingy attached to it that when the pressure increases and pushes the membrane one way the thingy closes the passage of gas, when the pressure reduces the passage is opened. Nothing special about it. 
Some regulators have also a screw on the spring side to push the spring down or up and change the pressure without eliminating the regulatory effect. 
Here is an adjustable LPG regulator   
The regulator besides delivering gas at a reasonable stable pressure considering all the variations due to temperature, must also supply the right volume of gas. The volume can vary as you open the valve for more or less flame, so the regulator has to be the right one for the maximum flame needed or it will become a restriction. 
Now the burner, is the device that mixes the fuel with oxygen to allow a complete (blue) flame. Red flame = incomplete burn. 
Since the burner has no moving parts like a petrol carburetor that can vary the mixture, a burner is a bit of a compromise and will have an optimum flame only at one particular volume. Even more so if you have no adjustment on the air intake (sleeve).  
Each burner is designed to mix one particular maximum amount of gas with air for a good flame. Any extra gas will not burn properly. You can place a plate on top of the flame to slow the flow down and give it a chance to mix with more air from the surroundings but that would take away from the job of boiling the crabs, so not particularly clever.  
In your case it is a matter of determining how much LPG is your burner capable of burning reasonably hot for the task at hand. 
You can increase the flow by opening the jets leaving the pressure as it is. You can increase the pressure with another regulator leaving the jets alone or you can do both. 
if extra gas does not burn properly, then you need more air. 
Air enters the mixture through that recess just in front of the jet by venturi effect. Since those burners seem to be fixed, that is no sleeve, you are already at maximum air, so not much you can do in that department unless you make the opening bigger. That may be a delicate operation and perhaps not necessary. It is all a matter of experimentation. Luckily you have two extra burners to butcher. 
To take the regulator out completely is a bit extreme because the pressure variations will not allow for much fine tuning. Regulators are cheap and come in a wide variety of sizes. Just a matter of trying different ones. 
Hope this helps.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

It does  
Thanks for typing all of that.   :Smilie:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

One more thing about the standard flat BBQ burners.
When you look at them from the inlet end, there's an adjustable bolt that sits in the middle of the tube. 
I'm guessing this has something to do with has/air flow as well?
As the gas would hit it square on and get "divided" around it.....?  
I've got about half a dozen burners rattling around here and some have the bolt done up all the way while some have it only halfway in.   :Smilie:   
They all seem to be the same design more or less, some with different size air inlet C-shaped hole though. 
All of this is very intersting.....
There's always a lot more to everything that one may think. 
Never really pondered much on how a BBQ burner worked....gas goes in one end, flame comes out the other haha   :Wink:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

And, I guess....coming back to this...    

> What could possibly go wrong ?

  
....if I was to make a burner ring or ribbon burner as they seem to be called, what COULD go wrong?
Part from it maybe leaking and burning in the wrong place, is there any risk of the flame somehow "going the wrong way" and blowing up the bottle? 
Wouldn't have thought so, but am still a little wary of the whole idea of playing with home made gas burners.
Just a little bit...   :Unsure:

----------


## Bros

> ....if I was to make a burner ring or ribbon burner as they seem to be called, what COULD go wrong?

  Very little provided you are in a well ventilated area and you use a long igniter to ignite the gas flame.  

> Part from it maybe leaking and burning in the wrong place, is there any risk of the flame somehow "going the wrong way" and blowing up the bottle?

  None as the bottles are gas rich and can never get flame inside.
The hardest part with home made burners is getting the air in as it can be quite difficult unless you have a venturi. The cheap BBQ burners don't have a venturi and just rely on gas flow to draw the primary air in.

----------


## Marc

Had a second look at your regulator ... are you sure you can not turn that cylinder on top of it? The serrated edge seems to point to some form of adjustment ... also that screw on the side must have a purpose. I would try fiddling with it to see if you can increase pressure.

----------


## Marc

Also ... the screw in the side of the cast burner is a crude way to slow the gas flow down so if you unscrew it you should achieve better flow.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Very little provided you are in a well ventilated area and you use a long igniter to ignite the gas flame.

  yeh....the clicker on the BBQ still works so that's no dramas.        

> None as the bottles are gas rich and can never get flame inside.

  didn't think so.... Otherwise those little screw-on burners that sit on top would be quite dangerous.
And we've used them a lot.            

> The hardest part with home made burners is getting the air in as it can be quite difficult unless you have a venturi.

  You know I like a challenge, and learning something new along the way as well.  :Wink:  
Been watching a couple of home made burner vids where very small adjustments make all the difference.
I shall be googling venturi.           

> The cheap BBQ burners don't have a venturi and just rely on gas flow to draw the primary air in.

  Aaaa
The gas draws the air in? 
Would that bolt in the throat of the burner have something to do with this?
Creating some sort of "draw"?

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Had a second look at your regulator ... are you sure you can not turn that cylinder on top of it? The serrated edge seems to point to some form of adjustment ... also that screw on the side must have a purpose. I would try fiddling with it to see if you can increase pressure.

   

> Also ... the screw in the side of the cast burner is a crude way to slow the gas flow down so if you unscrew it you should achieve better flow.

  
Noted and noted.
Will report back..    :Smilie:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

If I was to build my own....  :Rolleyes:  
ok, ok, *WHEN* I build my own (we all know I will) I'm thinking this kind of shape would maybe be the go.
Keeping it simple-ish with straight sections rather than trying to go in a circle....?    
That would place the pot over the middle square.
Maybe add another bar in the middle as well...

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Mhm...mmmmm...ok, I see.....  Ray Rogers Handcrafted Knives  :2thumbsup:            
Also... I saw this and thought of Marc  :Biggrin:

----------


## Bros

You might also find the normal BBQ regulators are to low in pressure. Forced draft would make the building of burners much simpler as my oil burner relied on forced draft to work. I used a vacuum cleaner for the air flow.

----------


## Bros

> Had a second look at your regulator ... are you sure you can not turn that cylinder on top of it? The serrated edge seems to point to some form of adjustment ... also that screw on the side must have a purpose. I would try fiddling with it to see if you can increase pressure.

  That regulator is a fixed adjustment and cannot be adjusted. The screw on the regulator output is for two reasons. One is to measure gas pressure and secondly for leak detection.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> You might also find the normal BBQ regulators are to low in pressure.
> .

  
Well that's what the guy in that link I posted above reckons.
Standard ones are about 1PSI while the adjustable one he's got is up to 10.   :Shock:

----------


## Bros

> Well that's what the guy in that link I posted above reckons.
> Standard ones are about 1PSI while the adjustable one he's got is up to 10.

  Once you increase the pressure then you need a good method of getting the primary air to the burner.

----------


## Marc

Nice LPG forge burner. Check the regulator for that forge is 10 PSI or 68 kPa ... my "Rambo" burner regulator is 100 kPa ... 
About LPG forge .. They are popular for knife smithing but they are way too noisy for my liking, and the deafening noise is on all the time. A coal forge makes some very soft noise with the fan or a bit of grinding noise if hand driven but as soon as you finished heating, all goes quiet again ... and you start making noise with the hammer ha ha ...  :Smilie:  
Air to the gas .. that is what the venturi is for. A strong stream of gas at high pressure will draw plenty enough air in the burner, after all PG wants to boil water not melt lead. 
Now if you want to build a forge ... well don't even need a fan for that purpose, all LPG I have seen use ventury. 
I suppose forced compressed air and LPG is used to cut steel with an Oxy torch ... again way over PG requirements  :Smilie:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Once you increase the pressure then you need a good method of getting the primary air to the burner.

  
I'll just talk in to it.
plenty of hot air   :Rolleyes:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Nice LPG forge burner. Check the regulator for that forge is 10 PSI or 68 kPa ... my "Rambo" burner regulator is 100 kPa ... 
> About LPG forge .. They are popular for knife smithing but they are way too noisy for my liking, and the deafening noise is on all the time. A coal forge makes some very soft noise with the fan or a bit of grinding noise if hand driven but as soon as you finished heating, all goes quiet again ... and you start making noise with the hammer ha ha ...

  
A blacksmith complaining about noise?   :Rofl:

----------


## Marc

Yes ... making noise is fun sometimes like cutting firewood with a 1960 100cc chainsaw or driving an airboat, but if you want the forge on for hours it gets a bit tiring.

----------


## Marc

Check this out:     DFPROF5 Gas Propane Forge Knifemaking Farriers Blacksmiths Furnace Burner Sword | eBay  Gas pressure regulator, 1 - 90 PSI ( 0 - 6bar) gauge with manometer; 
This is the biggest swordmaking forge I have seen. Relies on high pressure gas 5 ventury no air blower.

----------


## Marc

You need one of this ... 150,000 BTU ha  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Homebrew-Bur...3D191472912302

----------


## Bros

> I'll just talk in to it.
> plenty of hot air

  Don't do anything this year as the nominations for the Darwin awards have closed so wait until Friday.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Don't do anything this year as the nominations for the Darwin awards have closed so wait until Friday.

  
See, there's that negativity and condescending tone again.
No need for that.  
I'm gonna report you to one of the mo......oh....nevermind

----------


## PlatypusGardens

So I'm just mucking around a bit at the moment.
Cut the fins off a couple of the burners
Seems to make a bit of difference....      
Played a bit with that bolt going through the inlet...meh..dunno.  
Drilled out one of the jets using the highly scientific approach of "smallest drillbit I could find" (I've since found a smaller one so will try that as well)
As expected, lots of big pretty yellow flames... 
Anyway, gonna make a lower grate for the pot so it sits as close to the burners as possible and try that first before I get too adventurous.   :Smilie:

----------


## Bros

> As expected, lots of big pretty yellow flames...

  Not enough air. Try putting the vacuum cleaner near the the air intake and it should clean up. Make sure it is on blow not suck as you might be buying a new vacuum.

----------


## Marc

What if you take that screw out of the burner altogether, that would give you an extra air intake. Put the increased air burner on the bigger jet and see if it's enough air. If not keep on increasing the air intake until it is enough to burn blue. Does the burner make a rumbling noise or is it just slow and silent?

----------


## Marc

Yes, blowing air in the venturi will work but to make that a practical outdoor cooker is certainly more work than buying a bigger regulator.

----------


## Marc

Don't you like the Bayou classic the Louisiana boys use to fry crocks?

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Yes more things to try. 
Still, pot closer to burners (and a bit less water...ahem) should get it boiling a bit quicker than the first attempt. 
Oh yeh tried it with the bolt removed,
Might bastardize a few more burners and make more holes for air. 
Won't be hooking up a vacuum cleaner to it.....no.....probably not.     :Smilie:

----------


## Marc

Bros idea of a cooking burner  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l697pB9X5TI 
Must love you tube ...  :Smilie:  
PS 
Actually this one is way better and more detailed construction. PG could do this in a few hours and cook crabs in 3 minutes al dente.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zriNb1MUJs 
PS PS 
You wife does not check your post on this forum does she?  
If so I may stop giving you incendiary ideas ...  :Smilie:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Left to right 
- original
- second attempt
- first attempt     
The middle one seems promising actually.
If I can get a wee bit more air in to it.   :Smilie:

----------


## Marc

Wee bit more air into it ...  https://youtu.be/0zriNb1MUJs?t=130

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> You wife does not check your post on this forum does she?  
> If so I may stop giving you incendiary ideas ...

  Haha all good.
She's used to my shed adventures. 
Will look at those vids later,   :Wink:

----------


## Marc

Another "technology" increases pressure by preheating the gas, a bit like when we run old cars on kero by wrapping the fuel line around the exhaust manifold before it went into the carby ... "don not try this at home" ha ha  https://youtu.be/A4M3Q03gPKo

----------


## Bros

> Yes, blowing air in the venturi will work but to make that a practical outdoor cooker is certainly more work than buying a bigger regulator.

  A bigger regulator won't fix it as the burners his is trying to use don't have any venturi as they are of poor quality.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> A bigger regulator won't fix it as the burners his is trying to use don't have any venturi as they are of poor quality.

  Just having a go with what I have at hand before trying other stuff.   :Smilie:  
4 rows of flame from these burners SHOULD be enough to boil some water.   :Wink:

----------


## Bros

> Another "technology" increases pressure by preheating the gas, a bit like when we run old cars on kero by wrapping the fuel line around the exhaust manifold before it went into the carby ... "don not try this at home" ha ha  https://youtu.be/A4M3Q03gPKo

  I think you will find it vaporizes the liquid so it can be burnt. Hot air balloons use this system as they take off liquid as taking off gas at high volumes will lower the temperature so much the gas will stop flowing so they use the liquid.

----------


## Bros

The gas is the easiest to get in but getting the air is much harder.

----------


## Bros

> Yes, blowing air in the venturi will work but to make that a practical outdoor cooker is certainly more work than buying a bigger regulator.

   Well it is not without precedent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E64CKQBsqGs

----------


## Marc

Bros inspired ... how to add air without burning your wife's vacuum cleaner. 
<br>

----------


## Marc

> I think you will find it vaporizes the liquid so it can be burnt. Hot air balloons use this system as they take off liquid as taking off gas at high volumes will lower the temperature so much the gas will stop flowing so they use the liquid.

   Mm ... that's an idea, you could do that by turning the bottle upside down.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Moving right along......   
.....To keep it simple I added some angle steel on each side for the pot to sit on.
This puts it about 15mm above the top of the burner. 
Which should be within _blue flame_ territory.....yah  :Sneaktongue:    
Don't worry about the warped sides.
I'm not   :Biggrin:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Hmm some interesting videos there...I guess....skimmed through some of them
People need to learn the art of making short straight to the point videos. 
Or make a long and one short one. 
I can't be bothered listening to some ol codger drone on for 8 minutes about how he couldn't find his favorite spanner and what he had for lunch. 
Gaaaaawd. 
It's not that hard.
Show the parts you used, show the finished product, fire it up.   :Rolleyes:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

Could always add a third burner in the middle.......
...I should...shouldn't I.... 
Probably will....  
ok I will.   :Biggrin:

----------


## Bros

> I can't be bothered listening to some ol codger drone on for 8 minutes about how he couldn't find his favorite spanner and what he had for lunch.

  Slow down Rome wasn't built in a day

----------


## PlatypusGardens

> Slow down Rome wasn't built in a day

  That video I posted earlier of a guy going on for 4 and a half minutes about how he drilled some holes in some toobing is a perfect example. 
Here's the toob
I drilled holes here here and here
Let's see if it works  
It's not that hard, and I bet the romans were way more efficient.   :Smilie:

----------


## Bros

A picture is worth a thousand words a video must be worth more?

----------


## PlatypusGardens

You're extra niggly today Bros, what's going on? 
You need a hug?   :Unsure:

----------


## PlatypusGardens

:Biggrin:

----------


## Bros

> You're extra niggly today Bros, what's going on? 
> You need a hug?

  Im fine just trying to help.

----------


## PlatypusGardens

I still don't like overly long YouTube videos though.

----------


## Bros

> I still don't like overly long YouTube videos though.

  i never posted a Utube video for you, they were for Marc.

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## PlatypusGardens

> i never posted a Utube video for you, they were for Marc.

     :Unsure:  
I never said you did...   :Confused:  
I was just having a whinge in general...about unneccesarily long videos.
that's all. 
sheesh. 
can we move on now?

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## Snipper

Everyone seems a bit touchy this week.  We're all missing work too much. :Wink 1:

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## PlatypusGardens

Xmas hangover hehe

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## PlatypusGardens

Triple burner power coming up!
Of course I didn't have a big enough hole saw (and haven't ordered the plasma cutter yet) so had to hack away with jigsaw and file.... 
All I need to do now is drill a hole in the main gas line and attach the third valve.
Which should be easy enough (to stuff up completely  :Rolleyes:  )

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## PlatypusGardens

So far so good   :Smilie:     
Of course, this means I have to either ditch the clicker igniter or put it elsewhere...as it was in the middle where the new valve is   :Unsure:

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## PlatypusGardens

Fired it up, all working well. 
Might do a test boil later

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## Bros

Looks good, now for the crabs. Have you ever steamed you crabs?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Have you ever steamed you crabs?

  
Not quite, ol mate used to have a shallow rectangular cooking pot big enough for 4 crabs "standing up".
Only about half of the crab would actually be in the water when cooking, and it worked fine. 
How long do you steam them for?

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## PlatypusGardens

Anyway, here's some more pics.   
Got rid of the igniters for now.   
And the warped edges inevitably started to annoy me so I stuck some 10mm bar to the sides and straightened(-ish) them up.

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## PlatypusGardens

Well that works a lot better. 
It took about half an hour to boil that big pot, half filled.
I say "about" half an nour as I stuffed around a bit, turned the middle burner off and forgot to turn it back on for a while etc.
But it got to full on boiling.
The lid was rattling. 
The burners make a lot of noise right at the throat, maybe because I removed those bolts completely.
Had a look underneath as it was going (living on the edge, I know) and when it was hissing, the flame was shooting towards the jets, then when it was quiet the flame was further inside the burner itself. 
A few things to fiddle with yet.
But this is heading in the right direction.   :Smilie:

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## Bros

> Not quite, ol mate used to have a shallow rectangular cooking pot big enough for 4 crabs "standing up".
> Only about half of the crab would actually be in the water when cooking, and it worked fine. 
> How long do you steam them for?

  We had a rack with legs about 50 mm off the bottom with 50 mm water. Refrigerated the crabs removed the shell roughly cleaned them broke them in half and cooked for 20 min with the lid on.

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## PlatypusGardens

Cool....might have to try that.
When you say refrigerated....so they're asleep and then you break them in half?  :Shock:  
Or do you kill them first?  :Unsure: 
Read something about killing them by shoving a screwdriver between their eyes as well as "the other end" 
umm...    
Now, another idea that's been thrown around is to make a lid for the BBQ itself and cut a hole for the pot to sit in to stop some of the heat escaping.
Might give that a shot too. 
Have a suitable piece of sheet here from anothe old BBQ   :Smilie:

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## Bros

> Cool....might have to try that.
> When you say refrigerated....so they're asleep and then you break them in half?  
> Or do you kill them first? 
> Read something about killing them by shoving a screwdriver between their eyes as well as "the other end"

  Don't kill them that way put them in the freezer and the die after about 30 min or so. If they die by refrigeration they just go to sleep and don't release any enzymes that can ruin the taste.

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## Bros

You will find they taste better as boiling them the flavor goes into the water but steaming them it stays in the crab. The other advantage is you don't need much water and you can keep it boiling but don't overload it with crabs just a couple at a time.

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## PlatypusGardens

Do you boil yours in creek/river water?
I've yet to have a non-tasty crab doing it that way....
The salt water adds to the flavour. 
many people who "tried crab and didn't think it was anything special" have tried them cooked like that and can't believe how tasty they are  :Wink:  
YMMV  
For the record, I've never physically killed a crab with a screwdriver.
I usually chuck them in an icebath for 30-45 min or in the freezer, then boil them.
(they don't die, just go to sleep....although if you freeze them long enough you probably kill them)    
Right, so here's the lid.
Will give it a shot.

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## Bros

> Do you boil yours in creek/river water?
> I've yet to have a non-tasty crab doing it that way....
> The salt water adds to the flavour.

  Clean river water   

> many people who "tried crab and didn't think it was anything special" have tried them cooked like that and can't believe how tasty they are

  I've got to be careful how much I eat as some years ago we went crabbing in Shoalwater bay and we caught a lot of big full crabs and I ate a lot and had to be taken to the doctor for an antihistamine injection. This was the first time it happened to me and now I will only eat a small amount as I don't wish to go through that painful experience again.  

> I usually chuck them in an icebath for 30-45 min or in the freezer, then boil them.
> (they don't die, just go to sleep....although if you freeze them long enough you probably kill them)

  I don't know weather they are dead or asleep I haven't asked them but they sure look dead. Cooker looking good.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Clean river water

  Muddy creek water adds a nice mangrove-y tang to them 
Sometimes we grab a bucket of water by the boat ramp in the river.
Clean?
Who knows. 
Crabs still taste good.  
On the odd occasion we just use tap water and a good handful of salt per crab.
Still delicious but not QUIIIIIIIITE the same    :Smilie:      

> I've got to be careful how much I eat as some years ago we went crabbing in Shoalwater bay and we caught a lot of big full crabs and I ate a lot and had to be taken to the doctor for an antihistamine injection. This was the first time it happened to me and now I will only eat a small amount as I don't wish to go through that painful experience again.

  Well....you possibly have a mild level of seafood intolerance then....?        

> I don't know weather they are dead or asleep I haven't asked them but they sure look dead.

  If you freeze them for too long the meat sticks to the shell.
If it doesn't they're most likely still alive (but asleep-ish) when cooking. 
I try not to look.....but two of the other pots we use have glass lids.......and there's usually a bit of movement at the start...   :Unsure:

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## PlatypusGardens

Just cranked it up again with the dunny lid on. 
We shall see how it goes.  
Oh and putting those bolts back iin the burners got rid of the hissing.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Oh yeah, that is bubbling away at 29 minutes.   :Runaway:   :Thumbup:   :Toot:   :Cheerleader:   :happy:   
Gotta be happy with that   :Biggrin:

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## Bros

:2thumbsup:

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## PlatypusGardens

Yep 
happy days.  
As I put this cover on......I can't keep an eye on the flames as much, but there seemed to be a BIT more yellow from what I could see through the gaps.
A lot quieter though.  
And faster   :Smilie:

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## Marc

That looks the part now with 3 burners.
The lid is probably reducing the ventilation for the flame, that is why the yellow flame ... That is what happens when you replace the grill for a full plate on your barbie. 
 A few large holes in the back should bring more air to the flames.

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## PlatypusGardens

Yeh was thinking of adding some vents to the side/back.
But the lid is definitely making it boil faster.
I reckn it was closer to 40 minutes without it 
So if I can get the flames sorted might get it down to 20 min or thereabouts.
The middle jet is the one I drilled out, and it burns ok-ish on low but still too much gas in that one. 
Might have a look at opening up the air inlet and making some adjustable sleeves as well for the burners. 
some other day.   :Smilie:   
Still thinking of making my own as well.   :Wink:   
That water is still luke warm BTW.   :Shock:

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## Marc

You will find that for the amount of heat you need ... that is target to boil 20/30l water in say 15 minutes, you need a lot of BTUs 
To reduce your boiling time in half, you need to burn double the amount of gas and may be more due to inefficiencies. To do that you have to increase the speed of the gas so that it draws in more air with it and burns better. Only way to do that is increasing pressure, and yes, the jets will start sounding like a jet, no doubt.  
Holes in the back to vent fumes will make the burn better for sure.

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## PlatypusGardens

Yeh. 
At the end of the day, as it is now, it's still faster to boil 6-7 crabs in this big pot than 2-3 at a time in a smaller one on the sideburner of the BBQ. 
But any little improvements are good of course.   :Smilie:  
Next step is to make another hood/lid and some ducting to the smoker box   :Biggrin:

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## Marc

Some interesting calculations here  How many BTUs does my burner need? | fermentarium

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## PlatypusGardens

Ugh....too early in the day for maths...    :Shock:

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## Marc

Hi Plasma pojke ... how is the crab boiling thingy going?

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## PlatypusGardens

Hehe, it works.
Just heed a big haul of crabs now to warrant using it    :Unsure:

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## Marc



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## PlatypusGardens

They're not mudcrabs

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## Marc

True, they look clean of any mud ... probably taste better?  :Rofl5:

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## Marc



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