Propane deep fryer/boiler

[AndyA]

Here's a propane burner and stand I made for deep frying or boiling.

See more at http://nanosleep.dyndns.org/deepFryer

[ponch37300]

looks nice. Any details about the burner setup?

[duaneb55]

Nice build. There are a few ways to design a burner. Had you considered including a diffuser for the burner to aid in spreading the flame out?

As for that fuel usage calculation issue - weight. Depending on the accuracy of the scale used, weigh the propane tank at the start and then at 5, 10, 20, etc. minutes to determine fuel use per/hour.

[AndyA]

Originally Posted by ponch37300

looks nice. Any details about the burner setup?

Follow the link. There should be enough info there for you to build the same thing. If you have any confusion, just ask and I'll clear it up where I can.

[AndyA]

Originally Posted by duaneb55

Nice build. There are a few ways to design a burner. Had you considered including a diffuser for the burner to aid in spreading the flame out?

As for that fuel usage calculation issue - weight. Depending on the accuracy of the scale used, weigh the propane tank at the start and then at 5, 10, 20, etc. minutes to determine fuel use per/hour.

The burner seems to work well without any diffuser. Every piece of the burner is thick (around 1/4") so it should take a while before it needs replacement. I'm guessing a diffuser is something that would burn out more often.

What kind of material would you use for a diffuser? Something like a wire mesh. I've seen this on those radiant propane heaters. That might make a nice uniform red hot burner without much flame. That's interesting. Dangit Duane, you're gonna make me build another one of these.

Good idea on the scales. The best scales I have are some digital bathroom ones. They might be accurate enough to get some idea. Maybe at least they can show an improvement when I change things.

[duaneb55]

Actually, the diffuser I meant diffuses the gas not the flame so durability wouldn't be an issue. Just throwing it out there as food for thought. Seems to have worked!

[farmersamm]

The wheels are turning as we speak. Squeak squeak squeak

Deep fat cookin' will kill ya anyways, so no worries about the longevity of the burner

[engineer1984]

That's cool! Good job! I made one too, it's all 304 SS oxy acetylene welded (and bent using torches too). It turned out great, much better than anticipated. First time I welded SS with O/A or welded with O/A at all, to be honest.

Cost way too much, but what the hell?

[AndyA]

Looks great. Thanks for showing me up.

What kind of burner are you planning on using?

[dubl_t]

Dambit AndyA, I sure enjoy looking at your projects.

[engineer1984]

I used a burner I bought off of Bayou Classics. We fried a turkey in a 30 qt fryer and used 3 gal of oil (if I remember correctly). The burner worked great, it got everything up to temp quickly and once the oil was at the correct temperature, it was easy to hold. I think we throttled down the burner by the air throttle in the back of the burner. The lady at Bayou Classics helped me out. I also went ahead and got the sst braided line.

It depends on how you define show you up, mine probably ended up costing over $100 to build. It's complete overkill at 3/16" thick 304. But it works great and hopefully will last forever. And, I really liked your griddle. Very cool. Your burner will look even better once it gets painted. How did you bend the circle on top? That's the main reason I didn't do your style. I've only got a vice and a set of torches as far as bending goes, I think circles are still out of my range.

Here is the link: http://www.bayouclassicstore.com/Rep...arts/BG10.html

[AndyA]

I bent both the top an bottom rings with a vice and hands. I didn't use any heat. It's only 1/8" thick mild steel. It really doesn't take a lot to bend it. After I got the ends to meet, I welded them together. Then I opened the vice fairly wide, layed the rings upright across the gap in the vice jaws, and gently tapped them with the hammer wherever I thought they needed a little more bend. The legs I bent right after welding them. They were still a bit red and easy to bend.

I don't know how much $$$ I have in it. All of the steel parts were just whatever was laying around. The hose was a damaged one from the O/A torch. The most expensive things was probably the brass fittings. There's $6 or $7 in fittings.

I don't think the burner will keep paint on it. It turns red when you have it turned up. I care more about the function than I do the looks. I doubt I'll ever paint any of it. There will probably be enough oil from frying splashed on things to help keep the rust away