Low Temp Salts Burner

J. Hoffman

J. Hoffman

Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
1,798
I'm setting up a low temp salt bath. I'll be using a 1/2 size black metal tank from Brownells and will be setting it up for propane. I'm having trouble finding a burner that will work. Brownells sells a tube burner for big bucks, but it's only for the full size tanks. I was told that a gas grill burner can be used also, but I'm confused how those burners connect to the gas supply. Does anyone have a photo of their set-up, or could you let me know what I need to get/make.

Thanks much
Jess Hoffman
 
Great questions, I am looking to the same and will follow this post. my thoughts so far is black steel pipe with end caps heated with a sunflower propane heater that are typically used as a heat source for ice fishing.
 
Any side burner from a gas grill or gas camp stove could be used. They are just a venturi burner with a multi hole round flame port. You could probably use a small gas "hot plate". I bet HF or Sears sells one.
 
The pot on that one is 12" OD and 4" deep. The rolled edges and wall thickness would reduce the max ID to about 11.5 or so. As long as the pot wall are vertical and not inwardly tapered at the base, a 10" OAL blade would fit. But again, the pot is aluminum, which may not prove suitable for many substances.
 
From what I have been seeing with the turkey fryers they come in either aluminum or stainless. Stainless being more expensive of course. I imagine one could be found on Craig's list this time of year.
 
Brownells is telling me not to use SS with the salts. Not sure why that is though. I was going to get the stainless tank and they told me to get the Black Iron tank instead.
I was hoping for a burner that fit the size of the tank. I'll be setting it up with PID
 
Went looking online and basically, the way I interpret several articles (they used a bunch of multisylable words that I had to look up :D) is that some of the components of SS can be leached out by the salts, in turn contaminating the salt solution, which leads to "unsatisfactory results", e.g., uneven bluing, freckles, etc.....

There seemed to be a general consensus that the boiling water tank can be SS since by the time the part goes into that tank, the bluing process is a done deal. It's just the bluing salts tank that needs to be "black iron" rather than aluminum or SS.

I could never find a specific reason as to why aluminum pots were verboten, other than that "negative results" would ensue. Probably some more of that "contamination happens" verbiage.

I now know way more about the bluing process than I ever expect to need. :D:D
 
I think bluing salts will eat Aluminum, as in totally dissolve parts that are dunked in it. When I was bluing guns, I made my own burner out of iron pipe with a cap on it and holes drilled in a line along the top of the pipe. I don't know if something like that would work for you but it was fairly simple. I think I got the plans for the burner from one of their Gunsmith Kinks books.
 
I got to looking and couldn't find the info I posted about in the Gunsmith Kinks books. It is in Roy Dunlap's book "Gunsmithing". I used the info on page 378 to build pipe burners like the ones in the Brownells catalog.
 
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