Propane Torch Cooking and Adapter Hose

I love making roasted marshmallows. Other than a few cub scout campfires, the only way I could roast marshmallows was over a burner on the gas stove. But my dad complains about the smell. So I kept saying that I should find a way to roast marshmallows outdoors. We do have a propane grill, but it doesn't have a side burner attachment. Our weather is hot and dry, so there's usually a burn ban that prevents us from having bonfires. I used to have a metal bucket "candle" but it wasn't good for food. This summer, I bought a propane torch. It was only $10 from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and included a small propane bottle.

This summer, I found a lot of projects for my new torch. Even though it's not specialized for food, it works great for roasting marshmallows, carmelizing sugar, melting cheese, and roasting bell peppers. It can be used to start a wood or charcoal fire, plus the normal industrial uses like soldering.

Unfortunately, the small propane tank that came with the torch is not a cost-effective way to buy propane. These are not designed to be refilled so most people just buy a new tank for convenience. The small tanks cost at least $6 for 14 ounces of propane. Our barbecue grill uses 20 pound tanks, which cost only $12 to refill! I searched for an adapter, and found adapters to use the torch on a larger tank, and adapters for refilling the small tank from a larger tank (disclaimer- once the single-use tank has been refilled it's not legal to transport). My dad found someone online selling both. This reminded me of Hank Hill selling "propane and propane accessories".

Highlighter Refilling

 

My favorite highlighters are clear with liquid ink so you can see how much is left. When they started to run out of ink, I decided to try refilling them. At first, I tried diluted ballpoint pen ink. Next, I tried printer ink because I got a couple of old printers from a neighbor to take apart. 

The printer ink had to be diluted. I wanted it to be dark enough to show up but light enough to barely cover like a highlighter. I drilled a hole in the back of each marker just big enough to get the tip of a pipette in. After filling the ink reservoir, I sealed the hole with a teflon tape covered screw. This is slightly risky if they don't seal correctly, but none have ever leaked.    

The pink highlighter is refilled with orange printer ink. This was from an unopened cartridge someone was recycling. It's probably for a specialized printer that uses more than the standard CMYK set. The yellow highlighter was filled with blue, then cyan, and then magenta printer ink. The green highlighter was refilled with cyan printer ink. The pink and green will gradually change to the new colors the more they are used.