WMO Kiln.

[Julian]

Looking good, but for heaven's sake don't line it with concrete, the stuff will explode if it gets too hot.

I made a small iron melting furnace some years ago and you could buy small quantities of refractory material, I think the generic name was "grog", quite cheaply.  It seemed to be clay with some type of pea shingle mixed in.  You lined the casing and then lit a small fire, increasing the temperature over quite a long period to dry it out slowly.

Once dry it set like concrete but withstood temperatures of around 1100°C!

As a side note this type of refractory material can be radioactive, a lowish MB count but radioactive all the same.

Ah, that would explain why I've grown a third ear.

Three ears and still can't hear the wife.

Yeah, it's a sort of selective hearing that filters out everything except "Dinner's ready".

[Head Womble]

We knew it as either cast, spray or ramable.

I suspect ramable is what you know as grog, it's a bit like clay and is malleable in your hands.

I could have got you some cast but not any more.

All our material was supplied by the contractors that did all the refractory work.

[Julian]

Do you still have contact with them?

[Head Womble]

Do you still have contact with them?

Not personally, but I can get there number or contact them threw my old manager.

[Head Womble]

This is the company we used
http://www.ngjohnson.com/contact.php

[greasemonkey]

Can you let us know more detail of the burner too -

Am i right in thinking that you are only using it as a fan? 

And how is the WMO added (pumped or what?) and whats the WMO pipe terminated like?

I read about that american kit a bit - that seems to work by blowing high pressure air over a vertical nozzle, to create a syphon setup.

The central heating burner is only being used as an air source.
The WMO is gravity fed. I have a control valve near the tank. The tank is a proper bodge up, of the copper tube, soldered into a piece of 22mm copper water pipe, with one end blanked off, and a 1.5 litre pop bottle taped to the other end, and the whole lot precariously balanced on an empty gas cylinder.

The WMO pipe simply goes a quarter of an inch past the end of the air pipe, so the oil drips down into the air stream.

There is plenty of air flow, and its amazing how such a tiny drip of oil can create such a mass of flame.

I've taken my inspiration from another website, the link a posted up on the other thread I started about photomans burner.

Most of the stuff on the web about this seems to be American. I can only pressume its a good bit warmer where they are doing it. The size of pipe they are using, and getting the thing started. My WMO is like treacle. I'm putting 25% waste red diesel in to start it, and then going to 100% WMO.

With some improvements it might start on 100%, but most seem to be starting on LPG, or diesel.

[greasemonkey]

Looking good, but for heaven's sake don't line it with concrete, the stuff will explode if it gets too hot.

I made a small iron melting furnace some years ago and you could buy small quantities of refractory material, I think the generic name was "grog", quite cheaply.  It seemed to be clay with some type of pea shingle mixed in.  You lined the casing and then lit a small fire, increasing the temperature over quite a long period to dry it out slowly.

Once dry it set like concrete but withstood temperatures of around 1100°C!

Maybe I won't line it with concrete then. I thought it may be OK if I tamped the air out, but like you say, it will crack anyway. I might just make a smaller burn chamber, and insulate the outside with fiberglass. I doubt there will be enough heat to melt steel.
The builders merchants sell a 25KG bag of Fire Clay, for around £16. The bloke in the link below says mix it up with vermiculite and cement. Don't really want to spend anny money yet, till I refine my idea. I've got loads of half bags of cement about, and enough sand, so thought I might try it. Perhaps I just won't insulate it at all, till I'm happy its working right.

This is where I have been taking my inspiration from.
http://backyardmetalcasting.com/oilburners10.html

[greasemonkey]

As requested, i now have some video.
Somewhat frustrating. Took four attempts to start it, When I got it started, it went the best it has been, and I must have accidentally turned the video camera off..................

This wasn't its best run, but I discovered after that a flexible hose coming from the fuel tank had kinked, restricting the oil flow.

Just a word of warning, the one video flicked back to the start after a few minutes, dunno why, but it seems OK now.

This is the setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc_QqFMccLw


If there is one thing worse than hearing a recording of your voice, its hearing a recording of your voice, and watching video of yourself. I think I have just had an insight into why dogs bare their teeth and bark at me, babys burst out crying, and people quicken their step when the see me.

I had to split this video in two pieces, They over lap by a couple of seconds.
First piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKYWBdXo8Ok


Second piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1vTzdPzTg

The stopper in the side of the drum is Aluminium. It started melting on the good run. It was dripping into the bottom of the drum.

[Tony]

Wow that's going well. You can see the heat haze over the drum.

[julianf]

This has given me motivation to (think about) looking into a syphon nozzel setup with compressed air.

Do you still have the ignition transformer on the burner?  If so, im wondering if running that constantly on startup might be any use?  (of course, i know the electrodes are in the wrong place at the moment!)

[photoman290]

i would try starting it on kero and gradually change over to WMO ah fter it has got good and hot. that way you could use the ignition transformer to get it started. of course most of those burners are scrapped due to the transformer dying. i have a load the transformers  here if anyone wants to play with one. free apart from postage. no guarantee they work of course.

[greasemonkey]

I still have the ignition transformer on the burner, but the electrodes are pulled out, along with the jet and some pipework. I've snipped the wire that operates the no flame cutout as well.

In all fairness, I suppose it could be started on kero. If i was going to do that, I think I would have the waste oil burner setup, then maybe just slip a functioning central heating burner, running on kero, into the burn chamber, and pull the thing out once its going. Maybe make a hatch with a good sealable door on it.
I really don't think you would want to leave it in the heat. It would just melt it.

The fact is, when it starts up, its easy. When it doesn't start, its because I've done something wrong. Its one of those things that as soon as I think I know what I'm doing, I get impatient and try to cut corners.