How to make an Improved Propane Forge or Foundry Burner Build (minimal tools / no welder) 

This design is much better than mine- way more controllable- my, "regulator" is the ball valve! I need barely crack ot open. I made one that works with the 1lb. bottles. One bottle gets me around 2.25-2.75hrs approx with a .028 MIG nozzle. I plan to eventually get a 20lb bottle but then I will only need to take the 1lb fitting off the burner, the rest are 1/4" pipe fittings so a standard hose should attach without needing to buy or rig anything more than just the bottle-burner stuff.

Finally, a DIY burner that doesn't use a lathe and welder. Thanks for the ideas!

why not use allthread instead of the lamp pipe? No need for the cap.

How much psi at the orifice?

I’ve been looking for a cheap DIY gas burner so I can get back into making knives. I’m going with this one! I’ll build a ribbon burner later. I’m 35 now and I started making knives when I was about 9 years old and I sold and traded quite a few! I started out with a small propane torch then charcoal then moved to coal. Time to go full circle and go back to gas. I got into a depressed slump after a string of traumatic life events and I haven’t made anything at all in about 5 years. Wish me luck folks!

Please tell your viewers to use gas rated sealing tape not teflon. Its yellow not white.

Thanks for the video. Your presentation style makes it very easy to follow, including the hole drilling fail which shows that diy doesn’t always go to plan. I’ve just purchased all the bits to make two Alex Steel style burners but I think I might have a go at yours. Thanks for sharing your hard earned work 👍

Just curious, approximately how long does that tank last under normal working conditions with this burner?

I never worry about air regulators, it hard to get too much air, you light it and adjust the flames at the propane regulator wit pressure....

Great burner design! I’m almost done but I don’t have the high temp tape in the description. Instead I have yellow “gas line thread seal tape” that says it tolerates up to 500F. I’m assuming the tape shouldn’t go on the parts that touch the flame (everything that isn’t brass) anyway so does the high temperature part matter here?

Good build, I would suggest testing the pressurized end of the build with soapy water especially that barb fitting.

I just got done watching several other burners with the same design because I am about to build one along with a forge made out of a big fire extinguisher (the irony) and yours is the only one that was not only simple, but didnt require 10k worth of tools that I don't have, so thank you for the vid!

Just a heads up, the MIG tips listed in the description fit a 1/4" x 28 tap not an M6 tap.

Just completed this burner, it is a great design and works perfect. Thanks for the video.

Disposable chop sticks work great for working JB Weld

You need to have pipe tape or dope on ALL threads.

Not really sure you need the air flow regulator. These run fine without it (I've built a few very similar). One thing though, I believe you should shut the burner off with the ball valve, then turn off the regulator. Zero pressure all the way back to the tank is not a good thing. Nice burner. Well explained too. Thanks!

Great build but almost 200$ for just the fittings and that's if you already have a propane tank....let alone a 40 lb propane tank. I love the build but the links to all of the parts (not including the tools) just add up too quick. I'll go check the hardware store to see how much of it I can find and add up that cost....but there's gotta be a cheaper way to aquire these parts.

just noticed your telfon tape is white, I think you want to use the yellow, it's rated for corrosive gases, FYI

The Hobart tips in the description don’t work with the 6mm bit. Not sure which tips he used but the threads don’t line up. 🤦🏻‍♂️ also, the lamp nipple doesn’t thread into the t in the description either.

Nicely done Sir. I've watched about 20 burner vids, including your first one. Definitely looks like something I'm capable of building, and I plan on doing so soon. The ol' brake drum forge is fun, but getting coal in my town is difficult and charcoal is expensive..... one question: how does it mount to your forge? I saw a firebrick forge in one of your thumbnails. Is that what your still using? Thanks! --- Chris

drill bell reducer for two grub screws to hold in place

Hey it means a lot hearing everything in Feet and Inches-istill work in ft and inches and we been decimal now since the 1970s...uk

Could you remove the old video or have a link on screen to this video? I almost made the old one needlessly. This is what I’ll build. Great vid

how difficult would it be to make this into a 2 burner setup? Thanks!

Excellent. Can I use stainless steel instead of black steel to build this burner,

I Built this burner this past weekend. Works great! Thank you for such a wonderful video! Liked and subscribed!

Hi guys! I followed every step like in the video, got all the parts together... the darn thing wouldn't stay lit, I tried everything I could think of... started at 0 psi, there's no flame. Worked my way up to 10 psi, it lights up, then 2 seconds later it dies down, and is the same if I go up to 50 psi. What am I doing wrong? I took pictures of the setup and regulators... please help me out, I spent two weeks just waiting for the parts to arrive, and I was hoping that today I can fire up my new forge... thank you! Update: I did fit the flare at the bottom , now it stays lit but the flame doesn't grow in pressure, no matter how high I work the regulator or the air flow. If it helps I can post a video. Thanks again!

I built this burner and it is not coming out as fast. I have the nice blue but it seems slow. I only have a 30 psi regulator. It says 40psi on my dial and you said high pressure. Do I need even higher than 40 psi?

how long estimated does a tank last with this setup?

Nice to see someone using a file properly.

why did you use the NPT tap for the flow damper 'lamp stem' isn't it just a simple tap? Did you use the the NPT for the mig tip as well?

Did anyone else cringe a little when he chucked the tap into the drill?

Does this burner make enough heat to melt copper in a 20# propane tank furnace in a reasonable length of time.?

what is the thread size on your 6M tap? I used a M6x1 tap but the threads did not match the Miller Mig tip.

What kind of thread tape is that? Is it made for gas lines?

Most of your descriptions are alien. For one thing rattling off 100 different imperial measurements is confusing, and then using terms like lamp rod, instead of threaded rod?

How many BTU's you think it puts out?

Adding up just what you need to make one , I believe it would be cheaper to buy one

Thanks! Built and burns great. I had an RV Supply shop build crimped hoses. This let me avoid bushings as the hose could be built with needed ends. I could only locate a 0-30psi regulator, seems like it will be enough but might try a .035 tip later.

You could have just added a swing door to your old one. Tap a screw on the back edge of the big reducer and screwed on a rounded aluminum disc.

I made the burner but the regulator listed in the description is no longer available. The only ones I can find are 0-30 psi regulators. Will this have an impact on the performance since its max is 10 psi lower? I can't seem to find a 0-40 psi regulator anywhere.

U gift this to me😂

Excellent video and burner design. I researched several propane burners as I am starting out in the backyard foundry hobby, and I decided to build this burner. Took me a couple weeks to get all the parts/tools together between Home Depot and Amazon. But they finally all arrived and I did my build. SUCCESS!! I ran it for the first time this past weekend. I am VERY pleased with it, and I am glad I built this model. There are some who said you don't need the airflow adjustment, but I think I'm going to be happy to have it! I went with the 40-psi regulator, and I also installed a pressure gauge in its gauge port. I also ended up getting a 12-foot propane hose (very happy to have that), and I got the necessary flare fittings to interface the burner to the hose so I didn't have to cut the hose to use a barb connection. Next up I will be constructing my metal bucket furnace. I wanted to have the burner built first so I would know dimensionally what hole I would use entering the side of the bucket. Not having the actual furnace yet, I do have some questions... When you are using this burner do you know what pressure you are setting the regulator to for melting the metals? There is a WIDE range of pressure with this regulator... do you max it out? How do you know what size flame do you want? With my regulator installed, I get a seriously powerful flame at 20psi... do I need to go to 40psi? Just curious. I wonder if there is a "law of diminishing returns"... where if you keep cranking up the pressure do you get a proportional increase in HEAT or does the efficiency fall off? Any words of advice? Thanks!

Thumbs up and a new subscriber.

Is this burner big enough for knife making in a forge built in a 20# propane tank? Volume will be about 600 cubic inches, lined with 2"" of ceramic wool, refractory cement, IR reflectant, and sliding brick doors closed on the back and semi-closing the front.

Ive been experimenting with this style burner vs a "frosty T" style. Curious to your opinion on the efficiency of one vs the other. Ive found I get more flame coming out of the forge with the frosty T leading me to believe I'm getting an incomplete burn despite air intake adjustment. Do you think putting bolts or similar through the 3/4" pipe to add turbidity would increase fuel air mixing and create more efficient burn?

I have a question in regards to building a forge with multiple burners (I’m thinking 3) of this type. My plan would be to daisy-chain the burners with a valve in between them so I can turn off burners down the line when I don’t need them. My question is what would I need to do assure a consistent burner output when all burners are on? Can all the mig tips/valves be the same size or does the size increase or decrease down the line? My thinking is whether the same situation occurs here as it does with water pipe in that when a pipe is supplying multiple outputs you have to reduce the pipe, down the line, in order to maintain adequate pressure. Thoughts?

Great Video! And much cheaper than having to buy a ready made burner for a build it your self forge/foundry. Thank you for the knowledge.

very impressive video , but one question: where did you put the gas backflow stop ?

suggestion: can you not buy two extra 1/8” x 3” Lamp Nipples to attach to the brass T and have two nuts (one on the inside and one on the outside) to securely attach the fitting center on the end of the pipe?

Looks good! I think I'll solder the brass nipples to the reducing coupling. And put a nut on the lamp nipple to lock the primary air shutter in place, once adjusted.

the first 1/8" T looks bigger than 1/8". Is the second one 1/8"? I notice it's a different type(squared)? How much was the total cost for all these parts

Crikey id never find the parts i need for this project , hardware places here have only some of the parts and you have to scrounge around everywhere to find the rest, less parts would be great and more simplified .

Hi, great vids, I'm currently restoring an 1968 Snipe ( plastic) made in Denmark. It's just great to see how the original type Snipe was made and there's more to than expected at a swift glance. Anyway, can't wait for you to get it done. All the best, HAKAN in Sweden

If you installed a large wing nut behind the air flow regulator, you could lock it into any position you wanted while using it, and you wouldn't have to worry about it spinning and going out of adjustment.

I want to build a burner but l don't want to use threaded pipe, just pipes then l will weld together. Any ideas on pipe dimensions?

Sweet. Share this with food truck people. I can use this for kettle corn or under a salvaged flat top outdoors. thanks man. legit.

Do you suggest or do you need a regulator. I built this burner without a regulator and it doesn't get enough airflow. Or does the regulator have anything to do with the airflow. I also didn't use a ball valve.

Could you not fit a second gate valve as the air flow regulator instead of the metal plate? You could do it all with standard fittings....no threading either and it would be a lot neater and controllable

Doesn't the yellow mean it's not combusting right?

very easy video to follow, I was thinking just the opposite on the tip sizing.

Nice job. Could you use a quick connect for the propane hookup?

Does anyone know if there will be a significant different if an 8" long nipple is used?

Instead of using JB weld could you solder the fitting

Just found your video and i have to say, smart easy and good design

This is a good design. I like the use of the mig tip and the adjustable air intake. The only part which I'm not that keen on is using the glue to secure the assembly. I'm wondering if using some kind of set screw tapped/drilled into the housing to secure the assembly might be a possibility. You put a lot of thought and effort into this, so thanks for that!

Just built one, seems pretty good, havent even epoxied or put on the air baffle! Thanks for sharing.

Can I swap out the 1-1/2 x 3/4 reducer for a 1-1/4 x 3/4 one?

Put a light long spring behind or in front of the airflow flap and it will keep it tight and consistent

if you run the drill though the t part the drill will drift to the lowest part and you dont need to file a flat

I’ve just completed the torch only to find it isn’t working properly is there any chance I could have your email for troubleshooting purposes

Great design on the burner and for most applications create enough heat. But if your needing the kind of heat needed to make say iron or steal you need 3,000 plus farenheit. This burner can reach that kind of heat simply by adding forced air into the air intake. A good and simple way is to connect the outblow side of a shopvac to the burner intake. This gives the extra needed air to get higher heat.

Great Video! What kind of ball valve and adapter combination is required to hook it up to the regulator hose with the 3/8" flare fitting?

Hi, great video! Now...after buying all the parts for one burner I just realized that I will need two burners for my forge... so let's say I will build two of them, how do I connect the two of them? Thanks!

Very nice burner. Great job. Q: Can the lamp pipe length be cut in half.? (I noticed you never turned the air plate out more than about a half inch). Q:. Is this a better design than your previous model.? If I was only going to make one, which one should I make.? Q:. On you Home Page you have a blacksmith hammer on the top. Is that an Alex Steele made hammer.?? Thank you. PS. Love your Grand National.

Could I use this for a burner to build a turkey fryer?

That’s just Kick Ass , Great job man

Great work. I like the addition of the air flow control.

Can this be adapted to sport 3 burners instead of one?

can you/do you add any natural gas sealer to the threaded areas?

I wonder if it can be made in a smaller size for my paint can foundry

Do you know by any chances if it would work with a 0-30 psi regulator?

I used a hand drill and my hole as wasn't as straight as I would've liked. I found that I could easily straighten the crooked mig tip by just bending it slightly to achieve proper alignment, the copper is quite soft. This saves the trouble of having to screw it all up again, but good job and thanks for the vid.

Nice work making the tools and steps clear to follow

Great build! After watching the tip of the burner start to change colors I am curious how long you could run before the main body of the pipe nipple started to get hot. Also does the length of the pipe nipple effect the performance? I think I would like to make it a little longer.

You had me until using epoxy to hold the propane source in place. I’m working on an alternative to that part.

I just finished making the previous version. Shouldn't be too hard to get a similarly functioning one to this made with that as a base. Maybe just solder on a threaded pole to the 1/8" pipe.

Wonder if it gets up to welding heat ????

Is there a reason you don’t use a flashback arrestor?

Interesting and knowledgeable vid

Where can I get a parts list

Why is the brass used instead of steel/iron?

In a previous video, you used teflon tape on the mig tip, shouldn't you use trflon tape onm all the fittings (the gas lines)?

This is badass! I'm getting ready to build my forge and this is the best DIY design and walkthrough I've seen! The only question I have is how you mounted the burner to your forge. I've seen people just cement it in place and I don't trust that, I also don't know whether I'd trust an epoxy on the body of the forge.

The end where the flames coming out, how can you attach that to a forge?

Second Tee looks cooler anywho

And with glp?

fire start after @09:20

Mine backfires a lot and I can’t figure out why