Forced Air Burner Forge Build

Honestly after switching to a stacked brick forge I will never go back to wool. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with wool but it’s just a pain in the ass. And it’s kinda fragile even with the coatings. A stacked brick forge is very tough and easy and quick to rebuild. And now with experancing a ribbon burner I will not go back to any other style of burner. I am shocked that these burners have not gained more popularity. I think it’s one of thoes things you have to experience first hand to believe. I went above and beyond on my brick forge but really it can cut be a stack of bricks, right Salem ;). The great thing about stack-o-brick forges is thy are very customisable to you need. I just was tired of being limited but my opening in my vertical and horazontal forge.
 
JTknives said:
Honestly after switching to a stacked brick forge I will never go back to wool. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with wool but it’s just a pain in the ass. And it’s kinda fragile even with the coatings. A stacked brick forge is very tough and easy and quick to rebuild. And now with experancing a ribbon burner I will not go back to any other style of burner. I am shocked that these burners have not gained more popularity. I think it’s one of thoes things you have to experience first hand to believe. I went above and beyond on my brick forge but really it can cut be a stack of bricks, right Salem ;). The great thing about stack-o-brick forges is thy are very customisable to you need. I just was tired of being limited but my opening in my vertical and horazontal forge.
Click to expand...

That's awesome, thanks for your insight. Next time I build one I think I may try out that route. I saw a few ribbon burners before I started this build. They looked intimidating to me to construct. Maybe they'll gain some popularity.
 
Thy are a little more time consuming to build and take a different approach to running. But the shear efficiency and temp evenness is worth it. Thy are also VERY quiet. Thy really excell with pid controll. Well most forges excell with pid coltrolls. I know a lot of people are intimidated by building a pie controll set up for a forge. I have been sorcing a bunch of parts to see how feasible it would be to make a little standalone pid control unit for forges. I’m not sure what the price would be but I will post with more details as I get closer.
 
JTknives said:
I have been sorcing a bunch of parts to see how feasible it would be to make a little standalone pid control unit for forges. I’m not sure what the price would be but I will post with more details as I get closer.
Click to expand...

Awesome! I'd be interested to see what that looks like and cost.
 
The PID control thread in the Stickys has all the info on setting up PID control. You can build an entire PID and solenoid system into into a tool box and just plug it into any forge or device you want to control or monitor. All you need is type K plugs and sockets for the TCs and propane quick-connects for the gas lines. The box should also have a controlled power socket for running things like a toaster oven or rod heater in the oil tank. You might mount a couple PIDs in the box to allow running the forge, toaster oven and quench tank.
 
Having some issues with the first test fire. Seems like it's shuddering pretty heavy. This means I have too much airflow right? I also seem to be getting some heavy heat back out of the burner receptacle gap.

My procedure is to:
  1. Get a low air flow to the forge from the blower
  2. Turn gas on at the regulator
  3. Light a flame in the chamber
  4. Start cracking open the needle valve
  5. Increase air flow

Any Suggestions?


Attached is a video:

 
Is this the point that I work on necking this burner down to 3/4" to get rid of the cold spot? Yall think I'm limited by the size of my blower to go that small with the burner tube? Does it matter that much?

Thanks for the input!
 
A little cold spot is not the end of the world but when you put steel in there the cold spot could be right on the steel which prevents it from heating up. Have you ran it up to full temp. As the forge heats up you will need to drop air and fuel. I would also test it at night to do how much fire is coming out the end of your forge. It really does not take a ton of air to burn the fuel needed to heat a forge that size.
 
Thanks JT. I think I'll be able to get that blower tuned down pretty low. May just be something I need to mess with more. I also need to mess with the positioning of the brick on the bottom... seems to disrupt my swirl.

Here is an update for the day:

I downsized the burner to a 3/4'' pipe fitting like I mused in my post @ 12:32pm. To fit in my receptacle better, I encapsulated it in 1'' and 1-1/2'' pipe.. then welded the end and ground flat (The "Picture A" below shows the new burner tube pre-welding).

I also finished the brick door rails for the front and back. ("Picture B")

After "curing" the satanite, I went back and touched up some cracking. Tomorrow morning I'll fire it a couple more times, let it cool, then put in the ITC-100.

Picture A:




Picture B:



Cheers,
James
 
Took some time to dial it down during my test run this morning with the 3/4'' burner tube statanite patches.

Way better! Got the air flow down and the pressure down to ~ 1/2 a psi.

With the 3/4'' burner (and the lower gas pressure and air rate) it appears that the cold spot has been greatly diminished, especially after about 5 min of it warming up.

Check it out:

 
That looks to be running well, an a clean build too. Nice! Now to see how it'll do for welding heats...
Also, for whoever reads this thread, to clarify- when JT talks about how nice a brick forge is, to be sure not all firebricks are created equal. these are insulative firebricks, much better for fuel economy and thermal durability than hardware store firebricks. K-23 bricks are good for sides, and K-26 are good for floors as they are a bit harder.
 
Salem Straub said:
That looks to be running well, an a clean build too. Nice! Now to see how it'll do for welding heats...
Also, for whoever reads this thread, to clarify- when JT talks about how nice a brick forge is, to be sure not all firebricks are created equal. these are insulative firebricks, much better for fuel economy and thermal durability than hardware store firebricks. K-23 bricks are good for sides, and K-26 are good for floors as they are a bit harder.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I finished coating it with ITC-100 this afternoon.

What's left to do:
  1. Cure ITC-100.
  2. Add adjustable work rest to the front.
  3. Plumb up ESD solenoid. (And quick connect)
  4. Order thermocouple, with sheath, and LCD display
  5. Get my grandfathers 105# anvil shipped from NOLA!
    • Then possibly get this anvil milled flat and resurfaced

Thanks for all the help on this thread! I'll update a few more times and things get together.
James
 
Made some more progress. Completed Items:
  1. Cured ITC-100.
  2. Added adjustable work rest to the front. (Picture below pre-paint)
  3. Added ESD Solenoid and Quick Connect fitting. Also installed powerstrip. (Picture below)
  4. My father got my grandfather's anvil crated up for me! Going to ship it next week. (Picture below)

Question:
  1. That solenoid get's pretty warm/hot to the touch when it's engaged (open). Is this normal?

Work Rest Picture:


ESD Setup and Quick Connect Picture:


Anvil Crated Picture:


Forge Running Video:
 
Just a tip, keep the quench tank closer so that you can get from forge to quench faster.

Great build! :thumbsup: I like the rest. I still need to get one on my forge but I only remember that when its at welding temp and I can't let go of the billet without it falling. :)
 
Warm to hot is normal. There was a chart I was looking at a little while ago that showed rated runtime and operating temp. The valves I am looking at using look very similar to yours. There rating is 8hr max on with a max temp of 176°. That’s rather toasty if you ask me. Is your valve rated to handle propane?
 
JTknives said:
Warm to hot is normal. There was a chart I was looking at a little while ago that showed rated runtime and operating temp. The valves I am looking at using look very similar to yours. There rating is 8hr max on with a max temp of 176°. That’s rather toasty if you ask me. Is your valve rated to handle propane?
Click to expand...

Good to know.

"for use with water, air, and other low viscosity fluids"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018WRJYR2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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