My newest project.

Daniel Macina

Well-Known Member
Ok well I decided to try a small ribbon burner. I have heard mixed things about them so I figured I would just try one myself. Let me tell you it is not easy to get airtight welds with a little harbor freight welder. Welds are still UGLY but they are airtight. Burner is 6" long. Going to make the forms and cast it tomorrow. IMG_1301.JPGIMG_1302.JPGIMG_1303.JPG

Thanks for looking!
 
Well got it cast. I don't have very high hopes because I've never worked with castable. I don't think I mixed it quite thin enough. And for the holes I should have used crayons instead of straws. Somebody told me straws would be easier but it doesn't seem like there quite sturdy enough. We'll find out. Good thing is I have enough to recast it if need be. IMG_1306.JPG
 
Decided to take the forms off today. A few of the holes didn't come out very clean. Trying to decide if I should give er a shot or recast it. IMG_1318.JPG
 
Looking good!

A bit of advice about welding, When welding dirty or painted, clean well. They make special rods for dirty, rusted and painted.
If the material is heavy enough you can hot it up and keep moving you will lay a good bead! On a pipe like you welded in the 3rd pic down. You can buy a metal lazy Susan like this. 1535589283671.pnghttps://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Duty...hash=item3af610f4cd:m:mg2iYFhBrJGjYPWvJI_W6bg

Put a top on it out of heavy sheet metal, once you strike you arc, slowly rotate the turntable and you have a pretty weld. My lazy Susan came of an old boat seat. Seen it laying along side the road, on garbage day. The seat was no good but I didn't want the seat. I recycled the lazy Susan and took the aluminum brakets off of the sides where the seat folded down and the post and threw them in my scrap pile to be sold latter!!
 
I'm really not that familiar with these. Does the construction require precise hole (diameters and numbers) dimensions? If not why not give it a whirl. If it is really a complex design and the efficiency would suffer, I'd opt to replace it.
On entirely different subject but similar in "should I"....I made cabinets with construction grade plywood rather than birch or oak to save a few dollars. The labor is the same but the outcome wasn't. Next time I used the good stuff :)
 
@C Craft i should have cleaned it much better. To be honest I was in a hurry because I was leaving for a week and wanted to get the castable poured before I left so everything just got a quick little swipe on the grinder.
 
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