How to Make a Flamethrower - 56juqingba: How-to instructions you can trust

Spread the love

|
Show more
|
Show less X

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 51 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.

This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.

This article has been viewed 410,987 times.

Learn more…

Do you want to build a flamethrower to impress your friends? Are you super bored? Flamethrowers are actually incredibly easy to make and require minimal tools (at least for basic, more unsafe versions). Read the steps below for instructions on making 3 different flamethrowers, each with a different level of output. Some may be more difficult to make than others.

Let’s be real for a minute here guys: These things are super dangerous. You’re undertaking this at your own risk. Don’t make us start handing out Darwin Awards.

Table of Contents

Steps

Method
1 Method 1 of 3:

Lighter (Minimum Flame)

Download Article

{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e9\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-1-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/e\/e9\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-1-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 1 Get a lighter. You can buy these from most small stores.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/62\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-2-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/6\/62\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-2-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 2 Take off the cover. It should snap or pull off but you can also use pliers. Advertisement
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4d\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-3-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/4\/4d\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-3-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 3 Adjust the wheel. Turn the adjustment wheel all the way to the plus side (usually the right). ^{[1] X Research source}
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7e\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-4-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/7\/7e\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-4-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 4 Turn it back to the left. Lift the tab up so that it isn’t touching the wheel and turn the tab all the way back to the left.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/14\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-5-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/1\/14\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-5-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 5 Set it down and repeat. You can do this several times to turn it up as much as possible. ^{[2] X Research source}
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c7\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-6-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/c\/c7\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-6-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 6 Turn it on. Be careful. You should get a 3″+ flame. You can readjust as necessary.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a6\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-7-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/a\/a6\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-7-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 7 Make the flame bigger. Take it up a notch by spraying WD-40 or engine degreaser at the flame. Hold both far from your body and away from other people and flammable objects. It will make a HUGE flame. ^{[3] X Research source}

Method
2 Method 2 of 3:

Can (Medium Flame)

Download Article

Method
3 Method 3 of 3:

Super Soaker (Maximum Flame)

Download Article

{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/90\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-15-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-15-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/9\/90\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-15-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-15-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 1 Get a high quality water gun. It should be able to build and maintain pressure well, be made of high quality plastic, and hold a good amount of liquid. ^{[5] X Research source}
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/22\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-16-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-16-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/2\/22\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-16-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-16-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 2 Get a metal bracket. You’ll need a metal bracket, either flat or an L bracket depends on the gun you buy. Attach the bracket to the gun, so that the flat metal comes out parallel with the ground, about 1″ below the nozzle.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-17-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-17-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-17-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-17-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 3 Wrap the gun. Wrap the gun around the nozzle with tinfoil, so that only the open is exposed (and exposed as little as possible). This will help keep the gun from melting.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f9\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-18-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-18-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/f\/f9\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-18-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-18-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 4 Fill the gun. Fill the water reservoir with lighter fluid.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/54\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-19-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-19-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/5\/54\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-19-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-19-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 5 Attach a candle. Attach a candle to the end of the bracket. You can use tacky, gum, or anything that isn’t glue.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/99\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-20-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-20-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/9\/99\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-20-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-20-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 6 Light the candle. Light the candle using your preferred method.
{“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-21-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-21-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-21-Version-2.jpg\/aid391911-v4-728px-Make-a-Flamethrower-Step-21-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”} 7 Shoot the gun. Don’t forget to pump it first.

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question

Question What is the legal status of these improvised flamethrowers? Community Answer Flamethrowers are legal in most of the US, they only have some regulations in like California. Be sensible, as throwing them at people, animals or dry vegetation is not legal and you’ll get into major trouble if injuring anyone or harming the environment and causing property loss. Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 40 Helpful 146
Question How do I prevent the flame from reaching the fuel reservoir? Community Answer Fire it in shorter bursts, if it is crawling up the stream, stop firing for a moment. Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 23 Helpful 127
Question Is it okay to use gasoline to make a flamethrower? Community Answer If you can atomize the fuel (make a fine mist), then kerosene or diesel would be better. Gasoline is more flammable and more apt to climb back into the fuel tank. Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 16 Helpful 91

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit

Video

Tips

If the flame goes out frequently, then move the candle down just a bit. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 1
Don’t use glue, because when the candle burns out, you will probably want to replace it. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 3

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

In California, you must have a permit to possess a flame throwing device. You can get one from the Office of the State Fire Marshal if you pay a fee of $425 a year and pass a background check.
You can also use other flammable liquids like spray deodorant, spray paint, silicone lubricating spray, cooking spray, and wasp killer.
Always have a fire extinguisher nearby in case the flame gets out of hand!

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial
Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement

Warnings

You might want to do this outside. Thanks Helpful 188 Not Helpful 57
If you are outside (you should be), shoot it in the direction of the wind. If you fire into the wind, it might blow the flame backward. Thanks Helpful 56 Not Helpful 13
If the sprayer tip catches on fire, blow it out and wipe it off. Thanks Helpful 147 Not Helpful 48
Use with extreme caution. ^{[6] X Research source} Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 2

Things You’ll Need

An aerosol can that holds a flammable substance inside. (ex. Hot Shot wasp and hornet killer)
two rubber bands
A 90 degree angled small wall bracket( that you can bend- preferably)
Plasti-tak
a heavy-duty match or a birthday candle

How to Make a Smoke Bomb
How to Make a Smoke Grenade
3 DIY Guides for Creating Fireworks from Home
How to Make a Sparkler Bomb
How to Dispose of Fireworks
How to Store Fireworks
How to Make a Fireball
How to Make a Signal Flare
How to Get a Federal Explosives License
How to Plan and Launch a Fireworks Show Advertisement