gas forge questions

[cmott69]

would a couple of weed burners put off enough heat to power a forge not worried about welding temps at this time, and if not suitable what garden varity burners would work?

any info would be much appreciated
thanx in advance

C.J.

 

[jhiggins]

In a word: Yes. Advisable? Not by me. You'd be much better off economically and academically to do the e-trail of links and diagrams starting at Ron Reil's site. Make one of those burners for pocket change, and you'll never be without a source of heat.

 

[Mark Williams]

If you want to avoid all the hassles, You cant go wrong with one of Rex Prices T-Rex burners. No blowers to plug in . They work great !! In a small freon tank size forge they will get up to welding heat. Get yourself a good regulator and a few feet of hose, some forge supplies from Darren Ellis and your cookin with gas.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

My first forge was an old hibacchi grill,a piece of 3" vent pipe with an ell,and an old bedroom fan.Used coal from the side of the RR tracks.It worked,too.Seriously,build one of the tried models with regulation.Or buy a Lowboy from N.C.Forge,or any one of the economy forges now made by suppliers and smiths.Do a search for plans and for forges.

 

[cmott69]

thanks guys does anyone have any links to a site that shows how to build a burner?

 

[Darren Ellis]

thanks guys does anyone have any links to a site that shows how to build a burner?

Hi C.J., have a look at the following url:

http://ForgeGallery.EllisCustomKnifeworks.com



-Darren

 

[cmott69]

thanks Darren that was very helpful.

one more ?
does the angle of the burner matter? I noticed most of the ones on the website are at about a 90% angle to the forge body would it not produce a more even heat if the burner was placed at a compound angle so it would sort of swirl around the inside of the forge?

well 2 more ? then.
what is the approximate thickness of the refractory wool?

 

[sirwilliamjr]

I found these sites very helpful when I was making a burner and forge.
http://metalcast.boorman.us/reil_1.html
http://www.reil1.net/minifor1.shtml
http://www.reil1.net/design1.shtml#Reil
I got all of the "plumbing" (pipes, hose, etc.) from a big Ace hardware store, an empty freon tank from my mechanic, Inswool forge liner from a local ceramic supply store, and drill bits from drillbitcity.com (search "propane").

-Will

ps. I think the total cost for everything needed (except a 20 lb propane tank and taps) was around $80-100. Pretty good deal, in my opinion.
pps. I set up my forge so the flame is tangent to the top of the indside of my forge (so the flame swirls) - I've heard that it matters and I've heard that it doesn't. The steel I'm heating still doesn't heat perfectly even- the side opposite the burner at the bottom gets hot faster than the rest of the steel (the flame either circles around and hit the back side or the opposite wall just reflects the heat). I've still been able to forge weld, however. Oh, and the liner I use is about 1.25 inches thick, and I have two layers, even though I might only need one.

 

[Darren Ellis]

thanks Darren that was very helpful.

one more ?
does the angle of the burner matter? I noticed most of the ones on the website are at about a 90% angle to the forge body would it not produce a more even heat if the burner was placed at a compound angle so it would sort of swirl around the inside of the forge?

well 2 more ? then.
what is the approximate thickness of the refractory wool?

two-thirds of the way to the back and tangent to the circle that the refractory liner will make once it's in place.

For refractory blanket, 1" is the minimum I'd use, and more is better as far as efficiency is concerned...but with an adequately sized burner, 1" should be enough to get you to welding heat. Thicker insulation just helps you use less fuel. Top-coat with Satanite and then apply ITC-100 over top of that is what I recommend.



-Darren

 

[cmott69]

questions,questions, and more questions.


Ok here goes.


first; what should the inner dimensions be, I tend to make larger knives such as large bowies and camp knives, blades range from 8 to 18 inches the one I'm currently working on is about 2.5 inches from edge to spine with a 14 inch blade.

second; how much room should be allowed for circulation inside the forge?

third; would a forge big enough to accomodate 18 inches of steel need more than one burner.

thanks for all of you help and patience.
C.J.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I would recomend a burner port every 6",so three would do.If you are making a blown forge ,that's different.Again,check those web sites for more info.