# Torches using propane or other Natural gas



## Shock

2 local pro haunts here in Pennsylvania use real torches on the entrance way to their haunt......check out The Bates Motel in Winchester..... http://www.thebatesmotel.com/
also checkout Pennhurst Asylum

Anyway I was wondering if anybody had attempted anything like this.
I would like to build 2 Natural gas propane tiki torches to be placed on each side of our haunted asylum this year. Yes I know you can buy them, but they are expensive, around $200 a piece or more.

My idea involves using 2 pieces of steel pipe for the up rights, a home made burner apparatus like is shown in this video..... 




Just on a smaller scale, a regulator valve, high quality gas line, small copper pipe, some tin or similar material to make the flame flange.

Idea: have 1 steel pipe up right (the arm of the torch) with high quality tubing attached to copper tubing which runs up through the inside of the up rights and is connected to a small ring also made out of small copper pipe with a lot of tiny holes drilled in random places, like a burner.
The high quality gas line connects to a splitter, the main line runs off of the splitter and goes to a regulator and then to the propane tank, the other line goes to the other torch which is manufactured the same way.

I am looking for insight on this idea, especially if you have experience working with fuel systems and pyrotechnics related stuff.

Thank you!


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## Up_Up_And_Away

Six Flags Great Adventure uses wooden columns that have a metal bowl at the top for the flames, and a standard propane tank is housed in the bottom section:


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## QueenRuby2002

Damn it Six flags stole my idea for my cemetery colums. *Balls up planing sheets* back to the drawing board.

I'm not an expert so the only thing I can say is triple check everything. All your junctions for leaks I mean everything. I have plenty of horror stories on what not to do. And make sure they'er high enough that no drunk idiot can put their hands in them.


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## Bascombe

we made cheap, handheld torches for Romeo and Juliet once. We took a closet rod, cut it to length, then added a tuna can to the end of it. Then we took strips of sheet metal and riveted it to the can to look like the cage around a torch. Spray painted the whole thing black.

After that we took a sanitary napkin, cut it in thirds and fixed it to the bottom of the can. Filled the sanitary napkin with lamp oil (and believe me, it held alot) and then lit the napkin. Lamp oil has a very high flash point so it needs an ignition source to burn, meaning if it fell and the lamp oil spilled out it wouldn't necessarily burn.

I've been considering doing something like this for my yard, but beefier than tuna cans.


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## stagehand1975

The place I go camping at. One of.the seasonal campers has 2 torches attached to a large tent. He is using.electrical conduit that he straps to the tent poles. Propane powered. The single gas jet is in the bottom of the conduit. He electric ignition at the top. He can change the change the size.of.the flame with an installed valve. The pipes extend to 8 feet.above the tent. They light up an entire comunity camping space and.they can be seen from accross the campgroung.


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## Lord Homicide

Shock,

The first thing is the obvious insight, BE SAFE!! leak test all the final gas connections with soapy water. the overall setup is almost identical to a gas grill or patio heater, just a different arrangement of your gas lines. any connection you have i would make it accessible for the leak test. let us know what you come up with - sounds like you are on the right track


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## Lord Homicide

Bascombe said:


> ... sanitary napkin...


too PC man! i see this term used on plans and specs at work everyday. heh

you could use a heavy gauge sheet metal. isn't similar to the flame suppressors on patio heaters?


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## corey872

Patio heaters generally have stainless steel screens which heat up and glow - these throw out a ton of infra-red so you 'feel' the heat instead of seeing the light of the fire.

Shouldn't be too hard to set something up running off a gas grill propane bottle. You can generally buy replacement regulators/hoses pretty easily, from there you just need to plumb everything up and leak check it. For the actual 'fire' you don't want to introduce any air in the line, so you don't need a mixer like you would with a BBQ grill.

For a really neat effect, you could set it up to burn methanol / ethanol which would give a translucent blue flame, or throw in some boric acid and have eerie green flames.


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## Lord Homicide

corey872 said:


> Patio heaters generally have stainless steel screens which heat up and glow - these throw out a ton of infra-red so you 'feel' the heat instead of seeing the light of the fire.
> 
> Shouldn't be too hard to set something up running off a gas grill propane bottle. You can generally buy replacement regulators/hoses pretty easily, from there you just need to plumb everything up and leak check it. For the actual 'fire' you don't want to introduce any air in the line, so you don't need a mixer like you would with a BBQ grill.
> 
> For a really neat effect, you could set it up to burn methanol / ethanol which would give a translucent blue flame, or throw in some boric acid and have eerie green flames.


what i'm trying to get at is have something to diffuse the flame a little.


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## corey872

For that, you would probably want a bed of crushed glass, lava rock, ceramic tile, or anything that resembles a porous / flame and heat proof media.. The idea of diffusing the flame is to get the gas spread out, still with no oxygen, then light it above what ever media you have.


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## fontgeek

Why not just use real tiki torches? The cost is low, and they will run for hours on the oil they use. You wouldn't have the fight of the long hose and having to hide the hose and bottle/tank, and it would give you a lot more flexability in how and where you use them.

If you are dead set on using propane, look at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. for replacement burners for barbiques. You may be able to find some old propane barbiques you can cannibalize for valves, a regulator, etc.


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## Lord Homicide

fontgeek said:


> Why not just use real tiki torches? The cost is low, and they will run for hours on the oil they use. You wouldn't have the fight of the long hose and having to hide the hose and bottle/tank, and it would give you a lot more flexability in how and where you use them.
> 
> If you are dead set on using propane, look at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. for replacement burners for barbiques. You may be able to find some old propane barbiques you can cannibalize for valves, a regulator, etc.


that's what i was kind of wondering - thought i missed something


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## stagehand1975

Wall mart has a big bowl Tiki torch. It gives you a bigger.flame. standard Tiki wick but there is a small bowl around the wick to burn fuel for.the.bigger flame.


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