<img src=”http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/11409384035_76affb9192.jpg&#8221; width=”283″ height=”500″ alt=”Workshop woodburner”>

You need the BB code:

Workshop woodburner by paulmgreen04, on Flickr

The big red ones are better! Lie them on their side and have to door at the end and you do a lot less wood cutting.
Graft a 2nd one on before the flue and you have a wonderful heat exchanger.

Lives outside most of the time but gets moved into the workshop when it’s cold.

Just be aware that it’s illegal to do what you did 🙁
https://www.calor.co.uk/news/?p=24

Illegal handling, conversion, scrapping, filling and trading of Calor LPG cylinders is unlawful. Calor Gas Limited cylinders are and remain the property of Calor Gas Limited at all times and are clearly marked to that effect by stencilling, embossing and by means of data plates.

Illegal handling

Only persons duly authorised by the company are entitled to be in possession of such cylinders. Authorisation includes those who have entered into a contract with the company either as dealers or retailers, or as end users. No other party has any authority to handle, deal in, dispose of or sell Calor cylinders.

Gas (LPG – either butane or propane) is supplied to end users in such cylinders, but the cylinder must be returned to Calor Gas Limited either direct or through one of our authorised outlets when the cylinder is no longer required.

There is significant legal precedent confirming Calor Gas Limited’s title in and right to control its cylinders at all times against third parties handling Calor cylinders without permission.

Furthermore there are tightly controlled systems and environments for the purposes of emptying or dismantling LPG cylinders, regulated by the Health and safety Executive. Even a nominally empty cylinder will contain product and represent a hazard to anyone involved in removing valves or cutting up the cylinder.

The issues

• Unlawful scrapping – We are aware of a number of scrap metal operations who are actively taking in our cylinders, cutting them up and them selling them on as scrap. The cylinders are valuable because they are made of steel and have brass fittings. This activity is unlawful and can result in prosecution.

• Unlawful export – We have exposed concerted and organised criminal efforts to obtain cylinders and then export them en masse, in containers, to countries such as Ghana and Nigeria. This activity is unlawful and can result in prosecution.

• Conversion – We are aware of instances of Calor cylinders being converted into wood burning stoves, bbqs and other such appliances. Any unauthorised person emptying or dismantling a Calor LPG cylinder is both acting unlawfully and irresponsibly, and is putting themselves and others at risk of serious injury or even death. Calor will report all such instances to the Police as this is theft of its property.

I have just changed from one of these ebay ones…

There’s always a killjoy eh Mike……

To one of these;

paulmgreen – Member
There’s always a killjoy eh Mike……

Yep kill joy, I’d probably get a ban from posting some of the pics of “When Gas Cylinders Go Wrong”

As this is STW…

Would love one, but 2 grand is a bit rich for me!

Mine didnt belong to calor. It was from a private gas supplier in kent that went bust in the mid 90s. It had been sitting in the garden full of water for nearly 3 years before I cut it up so I felt safe it wasnt going to blow up and no one was going to arrest me for destroying it. Even still I filled it with sand before cutting into it!

Just be aware that it’s illegal to do what you did

I’d be surprised if that is true. I’m not aware of any statute law mentioning Calor Gas cylinders.

As far as I can tell it’s just breach of contract, which is a civil matter: http://www.calor.co.uk/help-and-advice/customer-services/cylinder-refill-agreement

Use of cylinder

Cylinders may be used only as a container for gas and may not be sold, exchanged (other than for the purpose of this agreement), hired, assigned, transferred, mortgaged, lent, abandoned, nor damaged, defaced, decanted, filled or tampered with.

So basically it’s not illegal. However, they could claim for the cost of a new cylinder.

Nice work OP , I got two from the local tip.
They didn’t mention anything about it being illegal ,they just wanted to hear how it worked when I get it all finished 🙂
Going to use the parts of the second one for a swing door and making up a grate insert. The time I have just now,it should be ready for summer 😉

A mate has made a few of these, bbq’s too, even made a jig for plasma cutter that you could bolt on to speed things up, best bbq had an old carb for an air inlet with a spanner to manually operate the butterfly to regulate air flow, stainless flue on top, was really cool.

I have a German cylinder cluttering up my garage if anyone wants it. It’s only there because I cannot get rid of it.

Although now I am somewhat tempted to convert it to an awning heater though… Hmm…

Loads of these on egay ,I’d imagine if it was illegal then Calor’s lawyers would be onto to eBay asking for details.

When I have some spare cash I’m looking at getting one as a cheap way to heat my garage.

plenty of small local gas suppliers now not trading

Ive got about 6 different bottles from companys that no longer exist

used to buy a lot of cheap caravans, and got 1 or 2 bottles with every one!

Some please take my bottle.. Free…?

wrong wrong wrong! you should be running rocket stoves! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBWSNjvO4cc

Although now I am somewhat tempted to convert it to an awning heater though[/]

Caravan awning? With a flue and C02 monitor I hope after the BBQ near death instances recently.

Mines Shiite smoke comes out if the door

Where abouts are you Molgrips?

Here’s my effort before I painted it-

It goes without saying take extra care when working with these!

Breadcrumb -any pic of inside and as you went along?
I’ve two knackered ones that need a use 😉

Caravan awning? With a flue and C02 monitor I hope after the BBQ near death instances recently

Hell yes. Flue out of a specially added flap in the ceiling. Smoke inhalation would get you first, otherwise.

Anyway, I can’t weld, now do I have a welder, so it’s academic. The cylinder is in Cardiff but I should mention it’s 1/4 full of gas!

Breadcrumb – what size cylinder was that (amazing job!!). What type of welder did you use?

How do you all ‘open’ the cylinder to begin with (to release any gas remnants)?

Eskay

I’ve just started one. To open I just put the valve in the vice and turned the bottle to loosen, then a spanner to undo when outside. Left for a day to empty, then poured the last bit out, filled with water to displace any gas before cutting. No drama and my bottle was 90% full when I started.

Loads of these on egay ,I’d imagine if it was illegal then Calor’s lawyers would be onto to eBay asking for details.

They have in the past chased people for it. The main reason for not wanting people to do this is the massive risk if you don’t know what you are doing, plenty of people do but many are clueless idiots. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong just playing with cylinders can go wrong and you need to know what you are doing.
They would probably take the sellers from a H&S angle in the end.

Thanks Oldschool, I have an old empty cylinder and wouldn’t mind having a bash myself.

All I need is some spare time….!

You can’t go around being the headmaster / nursemaid ……. Yes I’m sure there has been the odd accident with people not knowing what they are doing ……. I’ve seen Lots of road accidents too because people don’t know what they are doing…., As someone said above it’s not really illegal…….. Worry not my friend , I’m sure all the guys here are quite sane and careful and will risk assess before they do any cutting ! ;-).

as a note to safety.
even when filled with water and then emptied they can still catch. maybe the gas impregnates into the steel? i dont know.
if i need to cut them, i cut them while still full of water….the grinder gets wet obviously, so now instead of singing your hair, your running the risk of electrocuting yourself.
common sense has seen no accidents so far though.

i wont make woodburners after discovering rocket stove tech
mcmoonter can keep his woodpile, scrap wood for the win!

i wont make woodburners after discovering rocket stove tech

Yes! Rocket stoves are awesome! I’d love to build a rocket mass heater, but make it look good unlike all the ones I’ve seen.

molgrips – Cardiffs a fair hike, at anyway.

Hammyuk – I’ll get a photo of the inside for you, it’s basically just got a small baffle to stop flames from escaping up the flue. I TIG welded it but a MIG would do just fine. I’ll have a look for any progress photos.

When making the initial cut I had it filled with water, once the top was off I drained it and chucked a burning rag in for safe measure.

Yes! Rocket stoves are awesome! I’d love to build a rocket mass heater, but make it look good unlike all the ones I’ve seen.

Do it! I’d love to see one that didn’t look like something out of some sort of godawful hobbit fantasy play house.

Ah, the rocket heater.. This could be what my sister described to me that was heating a yurt with a gas pilot light. She said the flue was a small pipe running under the floor.

I reckon if you had a vertical chimney then a pipe coming back down from that to underneath the floor the hot air would rise in the up section and the cooler air would sink in the down section to force air through the rest of the system.

I reckon if you had a vertical chimney then a pipe coming back down from that to underneath the floor the hot air would rise in the up section and the cooler air would sink in the down section to force air through the rest of the system

yup that’s pretty much it – rocket stoves don’t do anything a good woodburner won’t, ‘complete combustion’ is what any decent woodburner will achieve… and you can fling a decent sized log into a normal stove.

rocket mass heaters are just using some spare energy present in flue gas to increase efficiency a bit – the wood equivalent of a condensing boiler

don’t believe the hype, etc

From what I read it’s about extracting the most energy out of the combustion. If you have a simple vertical flue a lot of heat just goes straight up and out of your house, of course.