building a gas forge

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bill may

Joined
Jul 30, 2014
Messages
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I am looking for some forge building info like gas burner to forge size ratio. I bought a small gas forge that I love but it is limiting on blade size and to my dismay
I discovered that borax really eats up it's lining. is their material that doesn't do this or is a upright forge the only solution?
so if any one has any suggestions or links I would greatly appreciate them.
 
There is a ton of info in the stickies in the "Shop Talk - Bladesmith Questions & Answers" sub forum, plus check out the thread "tank forge" in Shop Talk... It has discussion about the forge I'm currently building, and Stacy has the links to the relevant stickies in there as well.
 
Bill, I've noticed that some of the guys switched to Kerosene for their flux. Apparently, it works well and doesn't damage the forge lining. If you Google "Kerosene Flux" you will find a bunch of info. I believe there are some videos too.
 
On a welding forge, the floor should be a highly flux resistant material, like bubble alumina.

This search engine will get you dozens of threads with great info (as well as the info in the stickies).
https://cse.google.com/cse/home?cx=011197018607028182644:qfobr3dlcra

Just a question for clarification - Are you welding up damascus in your current small forge?

Some basic info:
Two layers of 1" Hi-Z inswool, or one 2" layer of regular inswool, are best for a welding forge ( or any forge). The Hi-Z wool is better if you are working at welding temps.

A 1/4-3/8" layer of Satanite ( over the inswool) with a final coating of ITC-100 will give great performance and long life. Fire and cure the satanite before applying and curing the ITC-100.

In any welding forge, have a floor that is either replaceable ( kiln shelving), or made from a flux resistant material like Bubble Alumina.

High Temp Tools is the place for all your forge building stuff. They have everything from wool to ITC-100 - www.hightemptools.com

Insboard makes great forge ends and floor material.

Make it big enough, but not excessively. A 10"X16" pipe makes a great forge. The final chamber will be about 6"X14"

A vertical forge is really good for welding damascus. Put 2" of kitty litter in the bottom to catch the flux.
 
thanks for info everyone and Stacy thanks for the links and I have done some Damascus but I just got it.
it has a 2 1/2" by 11" chamber it limits me on my billet size but other than that I'm happy with the job it dose.
 
Im building a tank forge as well and was curious is there any downfall to using pearlite and sodium silicate for the bulk of the insulation material. There are many people doing this and that was my plan but it seems most here use other commercially available refractory materials. I Have already built my burners and tested them and can get them to work with little pressure to full pressure. I used iron pipe reducers for the nozzles but machined the inside threads out to 12º taper to smooth out the flow. I would like to be able to get to welding heat with this setup if possible.

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The plan was to use this steel milk can. If I use a six inch diameter space inside then ill have two or three inches of material around it for insulation. I was planning to insulate the bottom of the can as well about two inches thick. I may need to whack the neck of the can off eventually if it looks like it will get in the way but it may come in useful for something if I need to put the lid on for some reason?

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Basic burner setup with adjustable sleeves for air intake.

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The burn pattern with both on full pressure. Seems to work. Next step was to mount 2" flanges to the can so Ill have something to mount the burners to.
OK Im new to this forging stuff so you guys throw the book at me. I can take it:D
 
Looking good!

It's funny, I saw that milk can and thought "those look exactly like the ones on the farm back home" then I saw your location! I'm from the same area.
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Looking good!

It's funny, I saw that milk can and thought "those look exactly like the ones on the farm back home" then I saw your location! I'm from the same area.
Click to expand...

Man your work is impeccable! Very impressive pieces. Love your grinder setup as well. Im planning something like that myself soon. Wish we were still neighbors. Id love to watch you work your magic:thumbup:
 
bill may said:
I am looking for some forge building info like gas burner to forge size ratio.
Click to expand...

To answer the OP's question: According to Ron Reil's website, 400 BTU per cubic inch is recommended for welding. Here is a link to a BTU calculator from his site to determine orifice size, PSI and BTU output. That will allow you to determine what size burner you need for your forge.

You can also make a stainless foil liner for the bottom of your forge. It seems to work pretty well to protect the bottom of the forge.
https://www.abana.org/ronreil/BTU_Calculator.xls
 
dishaverma,
All the threads you replied to are older threads from 2015. Most of the info you posted is hard to understand due to a language barrier or google translate. Also, much of what you have been posting is not directly related to the thread topic. Please read the date of a thread before posting, and post info that is applicable to the thread.

Fill out you profile so we know things like your age, where you live, and what you do for a living. That will help us understand your comments better.
 
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