diy powder flamethrower design
Who doesn't dream of wielding the power of fire... but also also isn't a little weary of playing with pressurized diesel. This design uses powder (in the form of coffee creamer) to create huge flames with a safe to store fuel source.
sections
Design - Materials - Assembly - Testing - Conclusions
design
This design uses the principle of dust explosions to create a fireball with a cheap and safe fuel. When powder is suspended in fine particles, it becomes highly flammable, and is often the source of industrial accidents like the Great Mill Disaster in Minneapolis.
The design is pretty simple: compressed air is attached to a valve, which when opened routes the air through a straw into the powder bottle. This both agitates the powder and pressurizes the bottle, causing the air to exit through the barrel and take the powder with it. At the end of the barrel, an open flame ignites the now aerosolized powder and creates a (sick ass) fireball.
materials
Depending on what you already have laying around, this build will cost between 20-50 bucks. All you need is:
- 1/2in PVC Pipe (5 ft or so)
- 1/2in PVC End Cap
- 1/2in PVC Tee Pipe (Socket x Socket x Threaded)
- 1/2in PVC Male thread adapter
- 1/4 in OD x 1/8 in MIP adapter
- Nylon tube (that fits the adapter idk what its called)
- PET bottle
- Air blow gun (of choice)
- Ignition mechanism (I used a blowtorch)
- Air source (I used an air compressor)
To assemble, you will also need:
- PCV Cement
- Plumbers tape
assembly
Assembly mainly consists of cutting tube to length, drilling one hole, and cementing it all together.
1. Attach the adapter to the nylon tube (do not over tighten.) Leave a generous length to trim later.
2. Drill a 1/8 hole in the exact center of the PVC end cap.
3. Thread the 1/8ths side through the end cap from the interior. There should be enough space to slot in the 1/2 pipe without interference, if not you may need to straighten the drilled hole.
4. Using PCV cement and PVC pipe, attach the end cap to the tee socket. On the other end, add a longer section to act as the barrel.
5. Again with PVC cement and PVC pipe, attach the thread adapter to the PET bottle. The PVC cement will bond the PET and tubing together.
You now have the base mechanism for the flamethrower! The to finish it off, decorate to taste and attach a blowtorch or flame source of choice.
testing
The powder mechanism works wonderfully. I have had no issues with its consistency or range. For the best flame size I found you need a pretty high PSI. My air compressor went up to 100, but below 40 might not cut it. This may also be fixed by using a smaller barrel size to increase the pressure in the flamethrower itself.
The largest issue I had with this design was ignition. The blowtorch had trouble lighting in the face of a light breeze, which is probably to be expected but did cause a lot of difficulty. When mounted beneath the barrel, the remaining powder at the end of a burst would land on the blowtorch nozzle and smother the flame, not letting you get more than one or two bursts as well. I tested moving the torch to the top of the barrel, which prevented the smothering but was a little unwieldy. Maybe some sort of improved mounting assembly is in order, with a wind shield and powder guide. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader.
conclusions
This summer I have been living in small town western pennsylvania, working my dream job. Its a commute, a 7-4, and one of the hardest tasks i've experienced, and i'm loving every second of it. But when I get home, to the thin walled duplex i'm renting, I just feel so tired.
I don't want to lose my hobbies to work, I don't want to lose my personal exploration and drive to create. But after working all day, after driving and cooking and cleaning, its hard to find the time. This project is the first of (hopefully) many where I have to balance my time and energy with work. In the end it worked out well! But this will have to be something I continue to exercise.
- keeperofhoney, June 2026
