The jatsman
Member
- Messages
- 10
Hi all, just though I would share this with you, and say thanks. I have been wanting to build a log burner out of a gas bottle for a while, but, I can't weld, and if I had to fork out for the kit, or pay a welder, that would defeat the object, and not make it cheap, and I may as well have just bought one off eBay, so after reading through forums such as this one, I eventually worked out how I could build one without any welding required, and here it is, in my lounge fizzing away beautifully.
It just needs a second coat of paint and I am all done, although I may add a viewing window at a later stage once I get hold of a suitable pyrex lid.
So here is how I did it:
Removed the valve with monkey wrench and scaffolding tube (good video on youtube to show you how to do this)
Then purged the gas by filling it with water.
Marked and cut out door and cut top off, using angle grinder
Used old T hinges and old gate latch and bolted on door, with pack of bolts from hardware shop, and cut and bolted on plate to close gap on latch side using the lid of an old deep fat fryer. Door was sealed later with fire rope (approx £1.50 a meter and £3.50 for adhesive)
The grate was fixed by drilling holes for four old bolts sliding them through and fixing with fire cement, grate rests on those and grinded off points to prevent snagging when emptying ash, used an old grate I had from a BBQ bucket, but have since made a new one from cutting off the base of an old empty thinners drum, loads of these lying around, fits perfectly and also useful for other bits, like a baffle which I may add later.
Fixed flue which I got off eBay double lined stainless steel as it is going through cavity wall in old gas fire hole, luckily the sent me wrong size, twice the length I ordered, so even though it cost me £23 I may sell the offcut and get at least a tenner back. Result
Cut out hole for flue (keep cut out piece to make flue valve later) and fixed flue by cutting and bending back inside and fixing with Fire cement (£1.80)
Acquired an old drain cover and cut out top, and again fixed using fire cement, along inside rim and round outside join.
Again, acquired old piece of steel and used as back plate cutting out hole for flue, and placed on two old 3 x 2 slabs to make hearth.
Before this stage, I burned off all the paint outside, that was great fun in the recent snow, and then finally made the vents, at the bottom I made a sliding air vent using a piece cut out from the left over top of the bottle making a handle out of an old scrap washing machine foot, and also fixed a wooden handle to the door latch (I made my own but you could use an old one), and I also made a flue vent that opens and closes the flue valve from inside using steel wire and again another home made wooden handle. In fact the vents and valves were the trickiest things to get right, getting the air flow just right is the crucial part, but after a few practices where the house was full of smoke it is perfect now getting a lovely slow burn, a fast burn with the door open when re-stocking logs, and I am sitting here in a t-shirt writing this, first time I have been able to do that since August.
I am sure I have missed stuff but anyway just to show you can make one without welding, it cost me less than £50, and was great fun, kept me warm during the "big freeze" and for many winters to come
Hope it inspires someone else to do one as your forum has helped me, any questions, just ask, glad to help.
One thing I would do differently is if you can get hold of two gas bottles, to use the donor bottle to make the door so that it is oversize and maybe then not necessary to use fire rope, or it would be easier to fit it as its a fiddle to do, but works though.
I will post a better picture once second coat of paint is on.
Cheers
Jats
It just needs a second coat of paint and I am all done, although I may add a viewing window at a later stage once I get hold of a suitable pyrex lid.
So here is how I did it:
Removed the valve with monkey wrench and scaffolding tube (good video on youtube to show you how to do this)
Then purged the gas by filling it with water.
Marked and cut out door and cut top off, using angle grinder
Used old T hinges and old gate latch and bolted on door, with pack of bolts from hardware shop, and cut and bolted on plate to close gap on latch side using the lid of an old deep fat fryer. Door was sealed later with fire rope (approx £1.50 a meter and £3.50 for adhesive)
The grate was fixed by drilling holes for four old bolts sliding them through and fixing with fire cement, grate rests on those and grinded off points to prevent snagging when emptying ash, used an old grate I had from a BBQ bucket, but have since made a new one from cutting off the base of an old empty thinners drum, loads of these lying around, fits perfectly and also useful for other bits, like a baffle which I may add later.
Fixed flue which I got off eBay double lined stainless steel as it is going through cavity wall in old gas fire hole, luckily the sent me wrong size, twice the length I ordered, so even though it cost me £23 I may sell the offcut and get at least a tenner back. Result
Cut out hole for flue (keep cut out piece to make flue valve later) and fixed flue by cutting and bending back inside and fixing with Fire cement (£1.80)
Acquired an old drain cover and cut out top, and again fixed using fire cement, along inside rim and round outside join.
Again, acquired old piece of steel and used as back plate cutting out hole for flue, and placed on two old 3 x 2 slabs to make hearth.
Before this stage, I burned off all the paint outside, that was great fun in the recent snow, and then finally made the vents, at the bottom I made a sliding air vent using a piece cut out from the left over top of the bottle making a handle out of an old scrap washing machine foot, and also fixed a wooden handle to the door latch (I made my own but you could use an old one), and I also made a flue vent that opens and closes the flue valve from inside using steel wire and again another home made wooden handle. In fact the vents and valves were the trickiest things to get right, getting the air flow just right is the crucial part, but after a few practices where the house was full of smoke it is perfect now getting a lovely slow burn, a fast burn with the door open when re-stocking logs, and I am sitting here in a t-shirt writing this, first time I have been able to do that since August.
I am sure I have missed stuff but anyway just to show you can make one without welding, it cost me less than £50, and was great fun, kept me warm during the "big freeze" and for many winters to come
Hope it inspires someone else to do one as your forum has helped me, any questions, just ask, glad to help.
One thing I would do differently is if you can get hold of two gas bottles, to use the donor bottle to make the door so that it is oversize and maybe then not necessary to use fire rope, or it would be easier to fit it as its a fiddle to do, but works though.
I will post a better picture once second coat of paint is on.
Cheers
Jats
