Another BBQ Question

[Parm]

Brain is in overdrive and I think I've come up with an ingenious solution to make the type of heavy weight grill I'm after. So far plan is to use material I already have and not spend too much money, so to make the grill I was thinking of using 10mm square bar, drill equally placed blind holes into which I will insert cut lengths of 6mm rod. Slightly countersink the holes and then graze together. Then do the same on the other side and et viola, a self supporting grill that won't flex and last for ages

This may seem a bit complicated, but my welding skills are a bit naff and I only have a stick welder.

The question is can I brazen this ensemble together with only a propane torch, I have all the heads from ultra fine to big boy roofer style. And yes before you ask I'm considering brazing into a countersunk hole as I have a small chance of making it look neat. If not I will go with stick welding and spend hours with a pencil grinder to make the job look respectable

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions much appreciated

 

[the snooper]

if you put a frame around it you will only have to attach everything to the frame instead of brazing up each hole so welding the square bar wont be a problem and if the 6mm round bar sits flush in holes in the frame you will only have to weld the ends of the 6mm bar to the frame

 

[BrokenBiker]

don't bother with countersinking, just put a good amount of flux on the rod and in the hole, push rod in and remove any flux from any areas where you don't want the braze to go.

heat with propane until the flux starts to react and dap some brazing wire in. capillary action will ensure the flux goes right into the joint, it will flow to anywhere where there is flux

 

[BrokenBiker]

or another idea, make the grill as you are thinking, but instead of brazing the rods in, just cut more 10mm bar, drill and tap so that the end sections will bolt into place, thus holding the rods in place as they will have nowhere to go.

 

[Parm]

Think I have solved it now. Similar approach as before but now with counter sunk holes on the outside of the frame, ie the side that will sit next to the body of the BBQ. Now I plan to drill 5mm thro holes with 6mm blind holes to accommodate rods. When I stick weld thro the 5mm hole the 6mm rod should stick. Bonus is that it will be easy to grind off my crap stick welding along one flat edge.

This I think is the best option not involving an excessive amount of fafing around. Also just ordered 5.5 meters of 6mm rod from fleabay for the princely sum of £3.96 delivered from Devon to Towcester

 

[Parm]

if you put a frame around it you will only have to attach everything to the frame instead of brazing up each hole so welding the square bar wont be a problem and if the 6mm round bar sits flush in holes in the frame you will only have to weld the ends of the 6mm bar to the frame

Good idea, I never thought of this. The bars will float in the frame. Only issei with this suggestion is that I was only planning to use a front and back support as the ends will be curved to accommodate the shape of a 19kg propane bottle

 

[Parm]

don't bother with countersinking, just put a good amount of flux on the rod and in the hole, push rod in and remove any flux from any areas where you don't want the braze to go.

heat with propane until the flux starts to react and dap some brazing wire in. capillary action will ensure the flux goes right into the joint, it will flow to anywhere where there is flux

Will propane melt brazing rods, and what diameter rods should I use. I have some rods that I liberated from my dad's factory a number of years ago, don't know much about them other than they look like common everyday brazing rods. I also have silver solder, but this may be a little expensive for a BBQ project

 

[the snooper]

Good idea, I never thought of this. The bars will float in the frame. Only issei with this suggestion is that I was only planning to use a front and back support as the ends will be curved to accommodate the shape of a 19kg propane bottle

curve the ends of the frame to suit, the ends will only be there to keep it together so doesn't have to be thick steel

 

[Parm]

Broken Biker, for your interest I'm building one like a fella built on here a while back, think it was for his biking chums and made out of a 47 kg bottle. That a little too big for me so 19kg will be perfect. But to give it a bit of charachcter I will be keeping the rounded bottle ends, I also like a good solid grill that doesn't flex or distort with the heat. Legs and frame etc will be made of 2.5 mm channel that I salvaged a while back from some shelving that was no longer required in the office. To improve on the design a little I will be making side and bottom shelves out of some roofing battens. These are pressure treated.

My current BBQ is 16 years old and made entirely of scrap materials. Many body is a S/S beer barrel. Unfortunately all those years ago I threw away the section I cut out (would have made a prefect lid) and I had no welder so it was all held together with pop rivets. It's sat in the garden all that time exposed to the elements and the only maintenance it's had is a replacement grill which was made from a metal mesh crate rescued from the Sims yard in Newport

Work commences next weekend and I will post pics as I go along

 

[Parm]

curve the ends of the frame to suit, the ends will only be there to keep it together so doesn't have to be thick steel

I have lots of 10mm square bar so might give this a try. Would only need to weld at four points

 

[GrahamGKD]

Will propane melt brazing rods, and what diameter rods should I use. I have some rods that I liberated from my dad's factory a number of years ago, don't know much about them other than they look like common everyday brazing rods. I also have silver solder, but this may be a little expensive for a BBQ project

A propane burner will melt braze - it really comes down to how much metal (in the workpiece) is conducting the heat away. It will help if you can do the job on some firebricks to reflect some of the heat back into the work. I think the rods I use with propane are somewhere in the region of 2mm diameter.