Has anyone built a flame thrower?

There is about 2" of solid ice on my sidewalks and driveway. Temps are not going high enough for salt to work for another week. Smashing it all up with a hoe or anz is real, manly work of the sort I am not inclined to do when it's in the single digits.

Can I kill it with fire?

I friend of mine built a ray gun out of a microwave oven. Not sure how it turned out. I might have to check to see if he is still alive.

I recall actually using one of these to get the garage doors operating after an ice storm...

Or invest in a whole lot of windshield de-ice fluid and ignore any environmental consequences.

What about a rosebud tip with an LP tank?

I've tried flame to melt ice before. It didn't work, there simply wasn't any good way to transfer enough BTUs into the ice with an air type of flame. If you could hook a garden hose to your water heater you might have better luck but still will be creating more ice downstream when things refreez.

Weed burner

I have. I used a squirt gun called the "stream machine" which is the kind that's just a tube with a small hole at the end and you manually force the water out from the back. Instead of water we sucked up old gasoline, lit the tip of the stream machine on fire and then forced out the gasoline. I'm talking 30'x8' fireballs.

Looking back i'm surprised I survived high school with shenanigans like that.

I remember the back of Popular Something or Other magazine back in the 70's had a DIY Jet Engine Plans ad. One of the uses they touted was just what you need, heating the ice off your sidewalk/driveway.

Get one of those engine block heaters lay it on top and plug it in? Probably doesn't get warm enough.

Stoke a really hot fire and get a fireplace poker nice and glowing and use that to start punching holes in the ice to help break it up. Certainly low impact work..

Ooo! Ooo! Make holes in the ice then use firecrackers of your choice to blow it apart! Take video.

What about a kerosene torpedo heater with a bit of ducting on the outlet to turn the exhaust down?

A cheap small tiller if you don't care about the surface below?

All I know is I'm happy I don't have to ask this type of question.

A Super Soaker with a pilot light strapped on and the right fluid in it (I've heard WD40 and windshield washer concentrate work well) is all you need!

DeadSkunk wrote: What about a kerosene torpedo heater with a bit of ducting on the outlet to turn the exhaust down?

A brick under the rear wheels would work just fine.

I've got a propane roofing torch which is pretty much what you are looking for. I'll admit, though, I've never used it on ice. I haven't seen a frozen road in over 30 years.

My sidewalks are in the same situation so I am watching this thread lol

The correct answer is pretty simple and obvious. Other than the install cost. I suspect it does not take much more energy than it does to run the snow-blower.

You are still going to be stuck with the bit near the road where the plow driver piles the stuff up.

Colin Furze the crazy inventor in the UK built a pulse jet snow blower/melter. Its on YouTube.

Propane roofing torch... should be able to rent one to try, right?

This is similar to the roofing torch I have:

They sell for about $150 at roofing supply houses.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Propane roofing torch... should be able to rent one to try, right?

Maybe not.

A lot of rental companies now avoid renting stuff like chainsaws and torches.

For what it would cost to build one you could hire someone to clear the ice, while you watch from the comfort of your living room. Throw some sand and/or turkey grit on it, that will make it safe to walk on plus the sand will absorb heat from the sun and help it melt faster (not by much, but every little bit helps.)

In reply to stuart in mn:

That sounds like quitter talk. Spending infinite time and too much money making something partially effective at snow removal but also dangerously adept at shooting flames cannot compare to just chopping the ice away. Who are you? It's like I don't even know who you are anymore.

Long, long before there was an environment, we used to thaw drainage ditches in the field in the spring with a sprayed mixture of coal oil and lampblack.

I'm guessing lampblack is not available at every corner store these days, and I can only imagine the mess involved when you track it in the house.

Salt works well below zero. I'd give it a shot.

got any black cats or other small firecrackers? walk around with a cordless drill w/ old bit, a bag of the firecrackers and a zippo. then shovel.

I know its not as fun as charring your driveway clear, but this is the easiest way.

http://dartsp.com/blue.htm