Concepts

At its onset, the journey to build the firetosser was one to design a simple, effective flamethrower with low operating cost and high capacity. After 3 years of testing and discovery, I believe I’ve done that.

It works very similar to the way a pump water gun works- storing liquid fuel in a tank, compressing that fuel, and releasing the stream out of the gun... with a few minor difference. The following is my conclusive research regarding the construction of thise device:

To build a FireTosser

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Fuel:

Operating on Isopropyl alchohol, due to it’s low flash point and easy obtainability, I have come up with multiple mixtures of different “proof” (actual alchohol concentration in a given solution) of alchohol.

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Intuitively, A tank full of 99% would be ideal, though I’ve found a few reasons to the contrary.

99% alchohol is significantly more expensive, unless you purchase it in bulk from a non-medical supplier.

99% ignites almost instantly as it moves out of the nozzle, producing a large cloud of smoke very close to the machine, as opposed to a flow moving away from it

3. 99% is, obviously, the most flammable and burns the hottest of all proofs. This presents a higher risk of injury in the case of a mechanical failure or intentional misuse.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that either of the following mixtures would be most effective in producing a steady, reaching flame:

{1/2 90%, 1/2 99%}, or {1/3 70%, 2/3 99%}

While I have experimented with different additives, none of them make for a safe normal use fuel.

5W-20, when mixed in, causes the flame to expand upon contact, essentially acting as a carrier fluid, thus increasing the evaporation temperature of the present alchohol and allowing it to burn for a longer period of time.

Kerosene shows no change

Petroluem oil (Tiki torch fuel), while exremely flammable, is also to volatile, and should not be used for anything other than the pilot light in small concentrations.

DO NOT USE GASOLINE IN THE FLAMETHROWER, IT CAN EXPLODE!

Additionally, dissolving CuSO₄ [copper sulfate] into the mixture will produce a bright, teal colored flame.

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Pressure:

Pressure also plays a large role in effectively delivering the flame to it’s destination.

TO BE TESTED

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Nozzle:

Tests have show that a nozzle with ≤~30° of dispersion, high coverage/ ~50 microns, and capable of handling high output stress/pressure without exploding would be the most ideal.

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Pilot Flame:

The pilot flame can either be a wick saturated with petroleum oil, situated 1.5 inches from the nozzle, OR a 2cm wide butane flame given copious amounts of oxygen. A yellow/orange flame works best; for some reason, blue/white hot flames arent as effective in igniting the fuel as it passes through.

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