Ceramic chip forge

W

Way-Barney

Joined
Jun 4, 2023
Messages
773
Is anyone using one of these and will it get to forge welding temperature?
IS it fuel efficient?

I hade my first forging lessons on one of these and remember it got stuff red hot, first noticed shadows with that forge, but wasn't experienced enough to know about knives and welding.
 
I have everything to build one ... one of these days. I doubt they are fuel efficient.
 
I have found specs of 1.8KG ph consumption. I have bought it now.
WS Build complete, I think/hope.
I found a couple of site descriptions which state that heat output and efficiency can be improved by building a firebrick hood/roof. Care must be taken though as it melts the ceramic chips. Sounds hot enough to weld to me!
 
A.McPherson said:
Where'd you end up buying it?
Click to expand...
I bought is second hand from a dealer who had taken it out of a school. One of my mates is a gas engineer, so he can help me install it and get it up and running. Its a Manufacturer by the name of Flamefast, it looks overbuilt to me, as you would expect going into a school with safety requirements and gas regulations etc. My plan is to practice forge welding by making small billets of Mokume Gane and then move to steel. When I was an apprentice welder my favorite of the processes was gas welding, there was no tig welding back then and we did it all by Oxy acetylene, it was the most satisfying time of my life workwise when I look back on it, watching the steel turn from red to yellow and the shimmering and sparkling of the surface before the steel miraculously turned into that glistening liquid pool. The accuracy of the control of the welding pool was something I loved immensely, and, of course, I was getting paid for doing it and it was never cold in winter! My welding instructor at college, Harry Culshaw RIP, used to tell us all he could weld tin foil to the glass window of the classroom, of course none of us believed him and we taunted him mercilessly. He told us all he would show us how to do it, he bet us (the students) £10, of course we took him up on it and we all chipped in a pound each, he only went and did it to our absolute amazement.
 
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Very cool, I've been wanting one of those for a while. Just never wanted to spend the money. Let us know how it runs!
 
Thank you, I will.

It wasn't very expensive, slightly less than I was considering spending on a regular gas forge, $500.
I prefer the open type forges, more traditional I think, these seem to have the best of both worlds. If it works LOL. I have to build another shed now to put it in. :)
 
Picked up the forge last night, Quite surprised at how "Industrial" it is, I was excited to get it going and post a night time shot of glowing ceramic loveliness. Not to be, plugged in and fan is working nice and quiet, but my gas engineer buddy tells me the burner jet needs a part to run on propane, its currently set up for natural gas. Having an adjustable gas and air flow i will be able to work on several pieces at once without the risk of burning up the steel. Hearth is 18". Note. test wire up has now been disconnected. :)

CCF.jpg
 
Conduction is when you touch a piece of hot iron, convection is when the wind blows the dragons breath from your forge on you.

I want one because they look like the best of both worlds between a coal forge and a propane forge. Of course it could be the worst of both worlds too.

I think the advantage to one of these is the same advantage that a coal forge has, being able to select where you are heating your steel, by where you place it in the fire.

With a normal propane forge, you have to heat the whole piece, heat one end or the other or heat the middle section that is at least the length of the forge.

With a coal forge, the center is the hottest, and you can place the iron very specifically, so maybe you want the middle couple inches hot, but not the ends.

I'm hoping that a ceramic chip forge works the same way.
 
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