A colleague brought in a Mathewson MetalSmith forge that he has had for a few years. I've made a couple of leaves and bottle openers and it's been a lot of fun. I am wondering if the forge burner is adjusted right, though. Initially, the forge did not seem to get very hot. I pulled the burner tube back a little bit and it gets much hotter now and there is no more flame coming back out of the forge around the burner. The forge now reaches 2,050°F in around ten minutes. However, every time I use the forge, I start noticing a propane smell at some point. If I crank the gas adjustment all the way to max, this is most noticeable. There is no gauge on the gas, so I don't know what pressure it is operating at. Almost forgot, this is a venturi burner. There is an air intake adjustment, basically a piece of pipe that you can slide over the air supply holes in the burner tube. I've been running that mostly wide open. I cannot detect any leaks on the fittings, so I suspect not all the propane gets burned. There is a lot of dragon's breath when I crank up the gas. When I start smelling propane, I reduce the gas pressure and the smell goes away after a while. The forge is in a large, well ventilated shop and it does not take very long to dissipate.
I am obviously a bit concerned about the propane smell and cannot imagine that this is normal. My question is how to properly adjust the burner to eliminate the issue, or at least minimize it if it cannot be completely eliminated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am obviously a bit concerned about the propane smell and cannot imagine that this is normal. My question is how to properly adjust the burner to eliminate the issue, or at least minimize it if it cannot be completely eliminated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.