Home >> Hobbies >> Other Hobbies

How to Make a Drip Torch

Firefighters across the U.S. and presumably other places in the world use drip torches to start backfires and burnouts, also known as prescribed burns, allowing them to control and contain real forest fires. The apparatus is lightweight and can be transported on the back, can be made from relatively easily obtainable materials and often uses a mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline. According to the book Rangelands, drip torches are the best method of igniting prescribed fires.

Things You'll Need

Automobile drive shaft (according to Rangelands)
Bung and bunghole from a 50-gallon steel drum
6-inch gasket and steel rod stock
3/8-inch air inlet valve
27-inch steel drag rod
3/4-inch steel conduit
4 large stainless steel radiator hose clamps
1 foot of copper tubing
1/4-inch dripper flow pipe thread control valve
1/4-pipe thread spring and ball check valve
1/4-inch copper tubing adapter
Torch welding rig
Welding helmet
3-inch steel rod

Instructions

Shaft
- 1
  Saw off the universal joint attachment of the drive shaft at the opposite end of the spline.
- 2
  Bore a hole through the bottom of the drive shaft using the torch welding rig, making sure to bore it in the center of the drive shaft.
- 3
  Tap the hole with the 1/4-inch pipe thread.
- 4
  Bend the 27-inch piece of steel rod in the shape of a U by using the weld torch, which will accompany the torch welding rig.
- 5
  Weld the U-shaped rod, called the drag bar, to the bottom end of the drive shaft.
Air Vent
- 6
  Cut and grind around the bunghole so that it fits at the top end of the drive shaft, creating a filler opening.
- 7
  Braze the bunghole to the end of the drive shaft.
- 8
  Bore the center of the bunghole, tapping it when finished and creating an air inlet valve.
- 9
  Bend the three inch steel rod in the shape of a U.
- 10
  Place the air inlet vent valve (radiator drain valve) in the bunghole.
Handle
- 11
  Bend the 3/4-inch steel conduit in the shape of a handle, allowing you to grab the torch with an open hand.
- 12
  Flatten the ends of the conduit in a vice, making it match the drive shaft in length and shape.
- 13
  Attach the handle with radiator hose clamps to the drive shaft by welding.
Dripper
- 14
  Connect the flow control valve and copper tubing adapter, which you've already made, to the tapped opening of the drive shaft by welding. Check that the valve is parallel with the drag bar.
- 15
  Wrap the 1/4-inch copper tubing once around a 3/4-inch steel rod, creating a loop in the tubing.
- 16
  Connect the short end of the copper tubing to the adapter and tighten the loop, making sure it's parallel with the drag rod.
- 17
  Bend the long of the copper tube toward the drag rod, allowing the fuel to drip from its end as it is dragged along.

Other Hobbies