Brian does Ridders flame eater

[ThomasSK]

For the wick, try regular cotton yarn or even cotton rope like used on boats.

 

[gartof]

Brian
Try a fabric or upholstery supply shop they should have a selection of cotton cord for making piping in upholstery.
Gary

 

[el gringo]

The wick I use on my 'little blazer' is a rolled up piece of an old cotton t-shirt...works fine.
Ray M

 

[Cogsy]

For mine I pulled some regular cotton balls (I think the wife has them for removing makeup, they roughly look marshmallow sized) into longish strands, then twisted them into strands. Then I braided/plaited three of them into a wick. Works perfectly and I've never had to replace it.

 

[werowance]

what about oil lamp wick the flat type rolled up? Wal-Mart sales it. so does the local farm supply store nearby. or don't know if the diameter is right but zippo lighter wick. you can buy it at any tobacco shop that might be near by. (this in USA don't know about other parts of the world)

 

[sonex569]

I have heard of guys using a short length of wire cable. Wicks the same and doesn't burn.

 

[werowance]

Brian, I realize you want us to wait until the plans are ready and for sale, but in the mean time. to give me something fun to do when I get home, can I ask what the rough dimensions are for the base you used? ill start rummaging through my scrap box's to find some suitable stock so that when it the plans are ready and for sale ill at least have some materials available. and will give me some time in the shop tonight. (my peace and quite happy place)

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I had some "real" work at my office across town today, but before I went I degreased/de-oiled the engine and tried firing it with my propane torch. It didn't take off and run on it's own, but it did give some very heartening effort. It tried to run, which thrilled me all to pieces, but then I had to leave and go earn some money.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

For Werowance

 

[werowance]

Thanks Brian. ill start digging through my bin tonight.

wonder if the propane torch was to concentrated? not allowing the flame to be sucked in and blown backwards? what about a zippo lighter in the mean time? just gussing here. never ran one of these before.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And away we go with fabrication of an alcohol tank!!

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Alcohol tank--take-2--and that finishes the steel part of the tank. Next up will be the brass tank top, screw on lid, and wick holder.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

One more silver soldered joint and some polishing and we should have a finished tank.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And Hey presto!! We have a finished tank. Now all I need is my wick. Tomorrow I will counterbore the top of the base for a rare earth magnet and J.B. Weld it into place, so that when I get the tank positioned properly it won't bounce around when the engine is running.--And now you know how I've spent my day.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

This mornings work was to put a 0.140" deep counterbore into the aluminum baseplate and J.B.Weld a powerful magnet into place. This will keep the alcohol burner from jumping around while the engine is running. And now I am completely stymied because I don't have a wick. I have a 1/4" wick on order from ebay but it won't be here until mid March. I have called every model shop, upholstery shop, scientific supply shop, and coffee maker supply shop in Barrie, and nobody has 1/4" cotton rope.

 

[sonex569]

You might try three or four twisted up pipe cleaners cut to length. Worked for me!!


Regards

 

[Brian Rupnow]

The wick issue has been resolved for the moment. I found a fabric shop about one mile from where I live that sells natural cotton rope in either 6mm diameter (which is slightly to small) and 8 mm (which is slightly too big).--I have a 1/4" hole in my wick tube, which translates to 6.35mm. I will make one of them work. I also went to the pharmacy and bought a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, which is a 70% solution. I asked the pharmacist if it was available in 95% and he said yes it was, but he would have to order a small bottle for me, and it will be here tomorrow.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Well, we have an alcohol burner. I used the 8 mm rope and managed to squeeze it through my 1/4" tube, filled the body with alcohol, dribbled a bit of alcohol on the fuse to make sure it was saturated, then lit it. The good news is that it didn't explode. The bad new is----well I'm not really sure at this point if there is any bad news or not. It flamed up quite large when it was first lit, probably because of the extra alcohol I had dribbled onto the wick before lighting it. After about two minutes, the flame died down to a much more sedate pace. I'm just going to let it burn until it goes out.--I can't do anything on the engine today, because it will take 24 hours for the J.B.weld holding that magnet in place to cure.

 

[Foozer]

For my little test tube sterling I use the Yellow Bottle HEET gas additive . . Good flame, no soot . . .
Methyl Alcohol.>>

 

[Cogsy]

The 70% will probably not work. Here in Australia we can buy Methylated Spirits in any hardware store for a very small amount (maybe $5 a litre I'd guess) and it's 95% alcohol. I assumed it was available virtually worldwide. You definitely don't need expensive medical grade alcohol.

From the picture it looks like the wick is burnt black - my wicks have remained almost completely unburnt unless I run them low on fuel. Also, that flame is quite yellow, it might be just an artefact of the picture but it should be burning a bit more blue than yellow. Here's a video showing the flame on mine.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsqjzybN9Pc[/ame]