FLAME THROWERS

In his report on the task at Hartland Moor on 27/28 March 1999 Ian mentioned that I used a flame-thrower to start a bonfire. When we returned to Hartland Moor on 28 October the weather forecast was for rain so I took the flame-thrower again and lit a fire in pouring rain.  This time our Newsletter editors were present and asked me to write a few words about this device.

My flame-thrower was intended for burning weeds. It is about 3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter and can be easily held in one hand with the nozzle a few inches from the ground. The fuel is paraffin and it works on the same principle as the old Primus stove or blow-lamps.  There is a pump built in so that the fuel tank can be pressurised. The fuel under pressure flows through a coil of pipe situated in the nozzle where it is heated by the flame and vaporised before reaching the jet.  A great disadvantage is that it has to be preheated before it will work. If there is no other source of heat available I use methylated spirits in a cup supplied for the purpose.

I do not know when such things were first used for weed killing, but my father bought one soon after World War 2.  His was much larger than mine, the fuel tank holding ten times as much as mine. It was mounted on two wheels and had a nozzle 4 or 5 inches in diameter.  At that time chemical weed killers had not reached the market   for ordinary gardeners.  The flame-thrower was particularly useful for the vegetable gardener to clear an area before sowing a crop, the manufacturer claiming that not only were the weeds killed but also the weed seeds lying on the surface. I wonder whether the idea came from someone having experience of the flame-thrower as a weapon of war. The demand for them probably ceased when chemical weed killers became available.

About ten years ago I was looking for a flame-thrower to kill weeds growing through an area of tarmac without using chemicals but could not find one in the Garden Centres I visited. I borrowed one from a friend which was then about twenty years old and chanced to tell a neighbour who made some enquiries and found that our village hardware shop had one in the storeroom where it had been for many years. It was identical to the one that my friend lent me.

Now that more people are wanting to avoid chemical weed killers, it seems to me that the flame-thrower may make a come-back. There was a mention of one being used by the organic farmer in "The Archers" on BBC Radio 4 and I have seen one on a TV gardening programme although it was hardly mentioned.  Apparently they are available from specialist organic gardening suppliers.

Gordon Hobday

Click here to see a diagram of the flame thrower