Firemonkey Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 One more note. Was adjusting my water heater yesterday when low and behold, there was the flex metal tubing going from the control valve to burner that I have been looking for. -=Jasen=- A truly dedicated grillmaster would dismantle and sacrifice the water heater for the necessary part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted May 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 Yup' date=' you must have a tubing bender rated for the same size tubing in which you want to bend. [/quote'] I have a Waring Blendor. Does that count? I love my Kitchen Aid!! It can churn out some tasty, frosty adult beverages without working up much of a sweat. Would not trade it nuttin'! Using it now...hehehe....Rum Runners! -=Jasen=- No Pics, No Rum Runners [/quote:xecgodc0] Hey, I will take my invisible Rum Runners any day! hehe -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted May 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 One more note. Was adjusting my water heater yesterday when low and behold, there was the flex metal tubing going from the control valve to burner that I have been looking for. -=Jasen=- A truly dedicated grillmaster would dismantle and sacrifice the water heater for the necessary part That wife stopped me. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobvoeh Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 That wife stopped me. -=Jasen=- Just make the Rum Runners stronger next time and get your parts before they wear off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 At last the handles arrived from Harbor Freight, and I was able to test my idea for further simplification. I used a 1/8" female NPT coupling, and threaded the ends of a 3/8" tube to 1/8" NPT. First attempt I used soft copper 3/8" OD, second attempt I used a brass 3/8" OD toilet riser tube. The brass is stiffer and touchier to bend, but it doesn't bend out of shape as easily as the soft copper does. I cut the bracket from some 16 pound copper sheet, and followed DJ's dimensions. The spark wire is a simple piece of 12 gauge pulled out of some romex. It is the perfect size to push into the socket on the handle. Note - whatever the spark wire at the end piece is, it WILL NOT ACCEPT SOLDER. I ended up making a couple of wraps of the copper around it and then squeezing tight with heavy pliers. The ends were then wrapped with self-fusing silicone tape. The 12 gauge wire is stiff enough that it holds its shape quite well. I WANTED to thread it through the tube, but the insulation is not quite good enough, and if it is in contact with the tubing, the current leaks though at the point of contact, and no spark jumps at the end. Works like a champ! Thank you DJ, for the great ideal Cheers, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Very nice! Course I gotta see some pics of it in action too?? hehe BTW, would you believe I am still on my first small propane bottle? It is crazy. And I use it 3-5 times a week usually. It has been feeling like it is about empty the last 5 uses...hehe....still going though. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorro Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hi!!! I made one of these useing 3/8" SS tubing available in small lots from "online metal supply", I had some small diameter high voltage wire with silicone rubber insulation from left over from another project--it burns with flame but works really good with fiberglass sleeve available from in minimum lengths of 5 feet from "Soller composites". The ignighter wire insert into ignighter hole in the handle was a brass rod a little too big to fit so I stuck a piece into my drill press and turned it down to a snug fit then bent it so it was far enough away from the SS tub extension for the flame thrower nozzel. The hard part was brazing the guide tubes for the ignighter wire to the main gas line. Bending the SS tubing was a breeze with a $10 bender available from many sources on Ebay. (You can grease the sliding portion to make it bend easier but it isn't necessary) The high voltage wire soldered easily to both the ignighter element furnished with the Harbor freight handle burner tip and the manufactured one from the brass rod that I got from Ace hardware but you have to have a very soft solder and a plenty hot soldering iron. I have made one for the Wichita KK Gen II on order and can finish the second one for my KK in Colorado once Harbor freight sends me the two back ordered ones. (The last one is to light my wood fired pizza oven--it will be a little funky with a long low snout to light logs in the middle. DJ's tool works great, it doesn't cost too much and it lights wood and charcoal real quick without a lot of items to deal with. Sorry for no pictures. Last sunday a week ago, lightning took out my phone system, security system, 2 internet routers, blew a 5" hole in the inside of my great room wall (no outside damage visible), blew out my theater power amplifier, welded the LMBs to my satellite dish, fried 2 satellite receivers, ruined a wine room cooler and now I can't talk to my gate from my computer to let my friends in or use the steam generator in my shower. Who knows what else I can find to get up to my $10,000 deductable insurance limit? This has been a rotten week and I don't feel like taking a picture yet. Other than that, life is grand! I certainly hope yours was better--but DJ's gadget is world class for lighting our KK's. Zorro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jehlinger Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 If you already have a 20 lb propane tank in the area' date=' grab a propane specific quick disconnect and buy one of the larger weed burners from Harbor Freight or the likes ( http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=91037 ). Plug it in, use it and unplug to store. Talk about being a Firemonkey...hehehe...could do it with that burner!! -=Jasen=- This is actually the burner I've been using for about 6+ years. I'm on my second one. It works well, I'm ready to put meat on in 5 minutes or less, and a 20lb propane bottle lasts about a year and a half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted July 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Sorry for no pictures. Alright, how about some pics now Zorro?? hehe You know the rule, no pics, must be your imagination! hehe BTW, I might have a new revision of the grill starter soon. I finally found the flexible tubing I wanted! -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestik Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Cool! When do I get my upgrade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Well Jasen, have you made any revisions for your starter? I need to give my Father-in-law a project! I feel safe in asking this now that he finally got rid of his last back-hoe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted October 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Nope, still working great with the orginal. Was going to make up one with the flexible SS tube (in the pic above), but decided the existing design was good enough. -=Jasen=- Yup, mine's still working like a charm. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted August 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2019 Updated and old topic since the pics got lost...... LOL....man, I found this thing in the back of my shed the other weekend when I decided it was time to get back into cooking. Luckily I always unthreaded the bottle before storing. It fired right up and worked just as great as it did many years ago when I put it away. I can't find all my original pics, only these two. Rev 2 below has a much nicer hanging mount. No idea where I stashed all my pics from years ago......oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted August 5, 2019 Report Share Posted August 5, 2019 I've never seen one of those before? I assume that the 2nd hose is just an air hose, using vacuum drag to pull in air beside the gas hose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted August 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2019 (edited) On 8/4/2019 at 8:20 PM, tony b said: I've never seen one of those before? I assume that the 2nd hose is just an air hose, using vacuum drag to pull in air beside the gas hose? Sorry, reply notifications weren't turned on. But no, that isn't a second hose, it's ceramic insulation over an ignition wire for the piezoelectric start. It was a harbor freight hand held torch which I modified and added a SS tube connection and bent some SS tube to get it down to the charcoal area. Added a length of ignition wire and covered it with the ceramic insulation for those times I walked away and it go a little hot too fast....LOL. What do you know, I actually found someone who makes something similar now. Still like mine better since it mounts to the side of the grill and my tube fitting allows adjustment to position it exactly where you want it. But still interesting someone made one...LOL. No curling iron looking fire starters for me......😁 Somewhere lost in my shop should be two more of the SS hangers and SS tubes as I made up several to start. Was going to sell a few years ago. But no idea if HF carries that model torch anymore. Who knows, I probably have some of them stashed way too. Funny how often I run across stuff and I'm like, Huh, no idea I had that. The mind is a terrible thing. https://www.amazon.com/JJGeorge-Grill-Torch-Charcoal-Starter/dp/B076HSB7MM?pf_rd_p=13a36307-d519-46e7-8f10-90b6cb959823&pd_rd_wg=HP3JZ&pf_rd_r=14SW4SECSGJTB7YNXSTZ&ref_=pd_gw_cr_simh&pd_rd_w=s4Xji&pd_rd_r=0af44f81-4453-4080-9b17-20eb9bd43c5c Edited August 15, 2019 by ThreeDJ16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stile88 Posted August 16, 2019 Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 Wow way to bring a old thread back to life 2009 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted August 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 22 minutes ago, Stile88 said: Wow way to bring a old thread back to life 2009 lol And? Last I checked lighting a charcoal grill was still a thing...LOL...or have I missed something new and the charcoal spontaneously combusts when you're ready to cook? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt93 Posted August 17, 2019 Report Share Posted August 17, 2019 I use a bernzomatic MAP torch. The JJ long extension isn’t really needed since I just light it quickly and go instead of leaving it there for a while; a waste in my opinion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted August 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, SSgt93 said: I use a bernzomatic MAP torch. The JJ long extension isn’t really needed since I just light it quickly and go instead of leaving it there for a while; a waste in my opinion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk FYI, this wasn't a review post. Found it interesting someone now makes a starter similar to what I made myself many years ago. And not everyone has the luxury of being able to stand, hunched over a grill, even for couple of minutes while it's lighting. All it takes is one dumbass not paying attention to rear end you and change the course of your life forever. So the extension and hanger built into my starter is absolutely invaluable now, where it was a convenience before. Edited August 17, 2019 by ThreeDJ16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt93 Posted August 17, 2019 Report Share Posted August 17, 2019 FYI, this wasn't a review post. Found it interesting someone now makes a starter similar to what I made myself many years ago. And not everyone has the luxury of being able to stand, hunched over a grill, even for couple of minutes while it's lighting. All it takes is one dumbass not paying attention to rear end you and change the course of your life forever. So the extension and hanger built into my starter is absolutely invaluable now, where it was a convenience before. I was simply stating that I simply activate the MAP for a few seconds above the lump, and I’m out of there. I have never had to leave the MAP in the charcoal for minutes to light it. With that being said, I understand the safety element to the fore mentioned examples and many like to use them. P.S I re-read my first post in this thread and could see how it could sound a little harsh. Not my intention at all. Have a great day! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
