angle of burner injection on gas forge?

NickWheeler

NickWheeler

Joined
Dec 3, 1999
Messages
9,437
Well, my little freon tank forge is coming along slowly.

After much talk with smith's I decided to go ahead and up the burner a little bit.

For those of you using a Ron Reil type forge, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

I upped the bell reducer to a 2" (from a 1.5") to bring in more air for the TWECO 0.35 welding tip that I put in the burner.

Some smiths are telling me that the burner should point straight down from the top. Other's are saying a 45 degree angle to the chamber. Others are saying a tangential burner (one of which was Reil).

The thing is, most of these guys are ornamental iron workers...which is very very cool, but much different from a bladesmith.

So you bladesmith's out there...got any opinions on this???

Thanks
biggrin.gif

Nick
 
Good question Nick. I just finished a Mini Mongo burner for my Freon Tank Forge and I am going to test and tune it tomorrow. I think I'm going to use about a 60 degree angle. I'll set it mostly by eye but the idea is to have it start on the curve. I had a smaller set of burners at 90 degrees and was not happy. It created bad hot spots on the work and the direct flame is hard on the Kaowool.

Keep us posted on how the EZ burner works. I'm also using tweco tips although I will try a couple before I decide on the size.
 
Nick
I have had the best results by having the burner enter along the top of the forge so that the flame has to roll around the inside of the forge creating a little tornado efect.

Peter
I hope your kao wool forge is lined 360 deg. with some type of refractory cement. The cement makes the forge much more efective and stops that nasty kao wool from being a airborn hazzard.

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Robert
Flat Land Knife Works
rdblad@telusplanet.net
http://members.tripod.com/knifeworks/index.html
 
I set up my burner angle like Ron's with the flame aimed at the center of the kiln shelf hoping it would aid in welding small damascus billets. I may regret that decision after I get to use it for blade smithing but if worse comes to worse I can always make a new forge. I have an idea that while the mini-forge will work great, especially since it is portable, something larger with at least two burners and three inches of kaowool will be much more practical.
I built my EZ burner long before they had the Tweco tip modifications posted so I may have to build one of those soon anyway. The original EZ burner is more than enough burner for the mini-forge in any case.
I see that soon there will be many of us who are mini-forge/EZ burner experts!
smile.gif


Guy Thomas
 
Robert, I haven't lined any of them yet because I can't find the stuff to line it. I get my Kaowool at a local supplier but when I ask about a liner, all he can get is Cirro Safe (spelling) and I ask for a price. He goes brain dead then without getting a price.
 
DO NOT use your forge unless it is lined!!!!
Try a local ceramic shop. I think the stuff I used was called super tite bond mortor.
All your doing by using the forge without a clay liner is blowing the kao wool glass particals into the air you are breathing.
The refractory lining in the forge not only stops this from happening but It makes the inside of the forge a heat storing reflective area that heats your steel 4 to 5 times as fast as without a mortor liner.
That little burner in the picture with its 1.5in. vent and a 1in. tube gets that forge to 2400 F in under 5 min.
Castable refractory liner showen in K&G catalog #CFL old price $1.00 / lb. If you can't find anything locally.
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Robert
Flat Land Knife Works
rdblad@telusplanet.net
http://members.tripod.com/knifeworks/index.html

[This message has been edited by R Dockrell (edited 03-17-2001).]
 
Do a search for Jay Hayes. He lives in W. Virgina and he sells ITC100. I is the best stuff to use for coating your Kaowool with.
 
Thanks Robert but I've been using one for two years. I use it outside and wear a respirator and goggles whenever I'm around it. I've only found out about the liners in the last few months and as soon as I find some will use it on all my forges.

I think I'll stick with the respirator for a while even after I line it.
 
Well Nick, what do you think now? What a great little forge. The 2" bell reducer did make a difference in performance. A little more air induction seems to be a plus. I am still a little puzzled about using a mongo burner in the mini forge. I thought Reil felt it would be too much? Terry
 
Terry-

I am damn impressed!!! Thank you guys so much for all the help!!! Knifemaking rocks, and so do the people involved in it.

I was told that the mongo burner would be too much for the freon tank, but I have no doubt it will get that little tank hot. I don't know if "too hot" enters into that or not. I hope Peter keeps us posted on how his works out.

I put a rail-road spike in mine, at at 7 psi it was orange (head and all) in about 8 minutes. To a forging virgin such as myself, that was impressive. The forge was cold when I put the spike in...

Terry check your email, I'm apparently not quite right upstairs, and I forgot to mention I had a second bell....
biggrin.gif


Nick

[This message has been edited by NickWheeler (edited 03-17-2001).]
 
I placed my burner at a tanget to the shell and a few deg. toward the front of the forge shell. i get a little blue flame out the front of the tank at 4 or 5 psi, welding heat at 10 psi.

For long term use I would recommend refrac over the kawool, kawool is not very durable, especially when hot.

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Sola Fide
 
Blind Dog and Nick, the Mini Mongo may be too much for the Freon tank forge. See my other post for pictures of what is going on in the brick forge. However I can bring it to welding heat with less pressure than the EZ in a very poorly made brick forge. I think I'll keep experimenting with it and build an EZ for my Freon tank.
 
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