Blower forge build WIP

I finished my forge. I still need to sand it down and paint it. it is fully functional now though. Here are the pictures of the finished refractory. Let me know what you think any critiques or improvements you can see? I wanted to edit the title and original post but I can't find it under my profile. well anyway here is the finished forge I used insulwool, satanite, bubble alumina and ITC-100. I have never done any forge welding and don't have a way of checking the temp of the forge so I am not sure if it will reach welding temps. The fist pic is just the insulwool and santanite.
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Thanks guys, Chuck I have been to your shop once before..... It was an awesome experience and you are fully the reason why I even made the forge. I watched you work some hot steel (you were forging some small camp hatchets) and I knew it was something I wanted to start attempting to do! I would love to do some Damascus. I am just not sure if my forge can reach welding temps. Chuck will you be doing a hammer ins or classes any time soon? I would like to bring my forge to someone who knows what they are doing to show me what my forge is capable of....
I don't have an anvil or any real hands on experience forging yet and would greatly appreciate some direction so I am not just moving metal around in circles. I also want to be able to use the forge for heat treating. I have a blank I would like to heat treat, I just don't want to give the blank a sub par heat treat.
I keep checking craigslist for an anvil and hopefully I am able to locate one soon.
 
I thought you had been here. Getting hard to remember names and forum names and faces too. You are welcome to bring your forge over. We can put a thermocouple in it and see how hot it really gets.
 
That would be great! Maybe some time this week I could swing by when I get up. I have been working graveyard and still don't have a normal sleep pattern. I will give you a call tomorrow.

I just got rid of the BBQ hook up and connected the valve and gauge I ordered from high temp supplies. It works so much better! I wasn't even close to 5 psi and the forge was raging beyond belief! I turned it down and stuck a couple chunks of re-bar in the forge it got hot enough in the forge for them to stick together.... but once they were stuck together and I tried to pound them together on a small chunk of scrap metal to "weld" them together they just come apart. I am sure I am making my ignorance in this subject painfully aware but I am having fun learning while I scrounge together the knowledge and tools to do things properly. I want to buy/make a lot more tools! this build was a lot of fun. I hope someone else with absolutely no knowledge of how to build a forge can learn from this post and piece one together. I sincerely appreciate the help and advice from everyone that commented on this post, thanks guys! I have been trying to learn the utmost basics on you tube and reading posts until I can get an anvil and start with some hands on experience. They first thing I wanna forge is some tongs and maybe if I can a rounding hammer like the one Brian Brazeal makes on you tube. Anyway Its 3 in the morning and I am just pumped my forge is working well! I will stop babbling and now.
 
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Nice work! I really want to convert mine to blown to hopefully save on the propane bill. do you have a total cost estimate?
 
I have used a blown forge forge for close to 20 years now. When i went to Dave Lisch's shop last year for the Seattle show Pre-Funk he had several atmospheric forges running. They were running plenty hot but the big thing was they were quiet. We could hold a normal conversation. That and they were super simple. In talking with Dave and a few others they were getting about 4x savings over mine. Well i came home and built 2. An 11" and a 22". They are great. They are much more efficient. Easier to pack if i need to. Also extremely easy to build. I have kept my blown forge for heat treating as i can control it from 1100f through 2500f.

If your forge is working then by all means play with it an d see what you can do. If you are building a new one i would recommend doing a Lisch forge.
 
Chuck has a point. Learn how to use what you have before you move to a different setup.

I will only comment that a properly running blown forge should be as efficient as a venturi. It is when people run them like a jet engine that they roar and burn fuel excessively. Tune it down to hold a desired temp, and they can be quite as well as efficient. To me the biggest advantage is the ability to control both the air and the gas.
 
travis i would be interested to know total cost also. i like this set up and have been mulling over the idea to build a little forge and try my hand at making tools and personal knives and trying things out but i have a bit of a tight budget
 
A nice forge can often be made for $100. If you have scrounging skills and can weld, cut metal, etc., then you can build one for barely more than the cost of the satanite and refractory wool.

Many welding shops will give you an out of date 240CF oxygen or similar size tank for free (about 7" OD). Cut it off to make a cylinder of the desired length and it makes a great forge shell. If you cut the neck end off and leave about 6-8" of side, it makes a really nice bell. Just weld a big ring on the neck to hang it from. The longer and wider the bell, the deeper the tone. A rubber or nylon mallet is a good striker.
 
JMJones said:
I am no help on a pid/temp controlled forge, as I use a kiln for heat treating. But for a blown burner, I took a pic of mine and it could not be simpler and it works fantastic.



simple as that and at welding heat in minutes. This is not my design.
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That looks like a vertical, no? If you want good consistent welding heat and easy clean out that's the way to go. Simple simple.
 
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