instructables How to Make a BBQ Burner by MaxPower1977 For a DIY griddle project I'm working on I need a But a warningfirst, playing with propane is propane burner that will heat up the cooking surface, I dangerous, so if you decide to try this you do so at thought the build of the burner would make a good your own risk and peril. At minimum wear safety Instructable. Buying a burner was out of the question glasses, gloves and non-flammable clothing. Also do as the size and power I require is not available of the this in a very well ventilated area, outside or in an shelf. If you need to replace or repair a BBQ burner open garage, you don't want carbon monoxide this might help you as well. poisoning. How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 1 Step 1: Materials and Tools This is what I used but other materials could be used as well depending on the application: 1" x 1/16" stainless steel tubing (could substitute this with regular steel but stainless will last longer) 3/4" to 1 1/2" black iron reducer fitting 1/8" brass NPT pipe nipple 1/8" brass NPT end cap 1/8" ball valve rated for gas 3/4" steel bar stock Low pressure BBQ regulator and hose (depending on how many burners you hook up you will need to increase the capacity of the regulator) Flare fitting to go from the propane hose to 1/8" NPT thread Propane Tank PTFE tape or pipe dope Tools: Drill and Drill bits Small Drill bits (1mm or 1.2mm) - you can get a set off amazon if you can't find them locally Tap and Die set (8-32 tap and 1/8" NPT tap) Welder with cast iron welding rods or MIG Welder with stainless steel wire (this makes things easier but it is possible to braze the parts together as well with a propane torch) Bandsaw or hacksaw Center punch Angle grinder with cutting disc How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 2 Step 2: Theory and Design So lets talk about theory, at least in my layman's terms: This burner design works off the venturi effect, as gas is being forced out through a small orifice mounted at the end of the burner, it pulls air along and mixes inside the burner tube. The mixed propane and air then is forced out of the burner holes or slots and when ignited it burns. Propane needs to mix with air to burn at a specific ratio, but with trial and error I was able to get the burner to burn with a nice blue flame. If you get a flame with yellow or orange, it means that there is un-burnt fuel and not enough air has mixed with the propane to get proper combustion. The size of the orifice hole is very critical to the size of the tube, if the tube is too small and the orifice hole too large you get incomplete mixing and incomplete combustion. For this design I tested many different orfice holes, from: 1/32" - too small - very small blue flame 1/16" - too big - lots of yellow but a very powerful flame 0.8 mm - too small 1.0 mm - just right - no yellow flame 1.2 mm - just right with a bit of yellow but a very strong flame I landed on a 1.2 mm orifice hole. Step 3: Video of the Construction of Burner Check out the video for how I build the burner, the written steps follow: //www.youtube.com/embed/ar6NGXjNRJI How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 3 Step 4: Orifice Assembly The orifice assembly is made from 1/8" brass NPT pipe nipple (length is dependent on the application) 1/8" brass NPT end cap 1/8" ball valve rated for gas 3/4" steel stock The center of the 1/8" brass NPT end cap was center punched and then drilled out using a 1.2mm drill bit, cutting oil was used too. This hole is the orifice and propane will flow out from this hole at high velocity. Also pro-tip, if the drill bits are too small for the chuck of your drill use some metal tape and wrap it around the drill bit so it will make the shaft large enough to be grabbed by the chuck. Center punch the 3/4" steel stock and drill a hole that corresponds to the 1/8" NPT tap. Using lots of cutting oil cut threads into the hole. This hole will thread the 1/8" brass NPT pipe nipple. Once the pipe nipple has been threaded through the hole, cap off the opening of the tube with the cap that has the orifice hole drilled in from a previous step. Thread the ball valve onto the other end of the nipple. Be sure to ensure a leak free seal between all the fittings by using PTFE tape or pipe dope to seal the threads. 1 2 1 1. 1/8" NPT Tap 1. 1/8" NPT Tap 2. 1/8" NPT short pipe nipple How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 4 1 1. 1.2 mm hole drilled into 1/8" NPT brass cap 1 1. The assembled unit How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 5 Step 5: Building the Burner Tube The body of the burner is made from a piece of this could be brazed and the holes could be tapped stainless steel tubing, stainless is really hard to work directly into the end of the reducer fitting. I chose to with as it work hardens. I first was going to drill burner weld on some tabs as it made it easier to work with. holes in it but it would take far too long and far too much work so I decided I would cut small thin slots in A note about welding the black iron reducer fitting: the tube spaced 1cm apart for the burner "holes". I these fittings are typically cast iron which do not weld used my portable bandsaw and made short work of very well or easy. Since I am just tack welding, it's not this but a hack saw could be used too. really an issue, also the cast iron should be preheated before welding. I am using a MIG welder The end of the stainless steel tube was heated and with stainless steel wire, which I have heard that can then bent closed in a vice. This allows the burner tube be used to welding cast iron. So far I have had no to be crimped and "capped" off, making a flat spot issues with cracking. A nickle welding rod can be where a hole can be drilled and used for mounting the used too. burner. The end of the tube was welded shut after crimping (this could be brazed as well). Line up the orifice of the orifice assembly so it's in the middle of the 1 1/2" opening of the reducer fitting, you Next the tube was welded on to the 3/4" to 1 1/2" want the propane to shoot straight down the burner black iron reducer fitting, the reducer fitting makes for tube so it can mix with air, clamp in place and mark a great burner intake for air and mount for the orifice. the holes with a marker. Holes were drilled into the Two 3/4" steel tabs were welded on to the sides of orifice assembly that match the steel tabs with the the reducer that were tapped with a hole (3-32 bolts is tapped holes so the orifice assembly could be bolted what I used) to accept a bolt for mounting the orifice to the reducer fitting. assembly. Again if you don't have access to a welder 2 1 1 1. Slots were cut into the 1" stainless steel tube. 1. Slots cut 2. End was heated and crimped shut in a vise. How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 6 1 1. The crimped end was welded closed. 1 1. 1 1/2" to 3/4" pipe reducer had tabs welded on each side. How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 7 1 1. The tabs were tapped to accept a 8-32 bolt. 1 1 1. Cast iron was preheated to prevent cracking before welding.. 1. Tacked welded in place. How to Make a BBQ Burner: Page 8 1 1. Stainless steel wire was used or a nickle based rod for cast iron. Step 6: Hooking It Up and Testing To hook up the burner to the propane I used a fitting before testing. that went from the flare fitting on the propane hose and regulator to 1/8" NPT threads, in my case the ball Turn on the propane on the tank and open the ball valve. This will depend on the fitting you used so just valve 1/4 of a turn ,you should hear gas flowing, using use what I have done as a guideline, check your local a BBQ lighter ignite the gas flowing from the slits cut area for a propane supplier or fitting shop and they in the burner tube. The whole burner should light, if it will be able to get the proper fittings for you. doesn't turn up the flow of gas. There should be a nice blue flame if everything is working properly. The propane regulator I used was low pressure one Trying adjusting the flow of gas and see if the flame is for a BBQ, it needs to be large enough to handle the burning correctly, it should be blue when turned up capacity of the number of burners, in this case I sized low or high.