horizontal or vertical forge?

clint c

clint c

Joined
Aug 21, 2001
Messages
397
Hello fellas,

I am going to make myself a second forge. I already have a horizonal round one, about 12" diameter and 14" long. I've got a second tube about the same size, and was thinking of making a vertical version. Anyone out there have a vertical forge, and if so, what are the advantages and disadvantages over a horizontal forge. Thanks for your input.

Clint Chisan
 
That is a good question. I am interested to see the responces you get. My forge is about done and needs to be rebuilt. It is just stacked firebrick, so no big deal, but I wouldn't mind going to vertical if there are some distinct advantages. My current forge lasted for about a year, now the bottom is just nasty. But hey, a $60 box of IFB and I have two new forges.;)
 
I"m going to be curious about the replies to. I spent part of the weekend welding on my forge housing. It is about 12" dia and vertcal, will have kowool insulation.
Will be a few weeks before i have time to finish it.

Gary (pupandcat)
 
Well it kinda depends on what type work you are doing really guys. If you are making damascus then IMHO vertical is the way to go. Your work is up off the bottom so you have 360 degree heat coverage, your work is not picking up old flux off the bottom of the forge and making it hard to keep clean etc. You have to hang onto your work either by welding a handle on or handling it w/ tongs.
For general forging or heat treaating of a blade a horizontal is fine. I currently have three forges, 1 horiz. (three burner air sucker), and two blown verticals. I have not fired the horiz. forge in over a year but the two verticals get used a lot. Finally threw the old coal burner out the back door several months ago to gain more shop room.
 
Well I'll Jump in here, your going to get several opinions on whats the best style forge, I think it all comes down to what most have and are using at this time. I have worked with a horizontal forge for many years, I started out with a coal forge then made a coal forge furnace, it was on the same lines as a horizontal propane but had a long air supply line in the bottom to make for a long fire, then I bought a 2 burner horizontal propane forge, liked it very much, but it did have a problem with hot spots and heat control. So I built myself a vertical useing a 12" diameter piece of heavy pipe. forge body is 20" high, with 2 layers of Kaowool around the entire inside, top and bottom. The only problem I have found with this forge is the inside chamber is a little small, I will be building another this year and it will be made using 16" diameter material, leaving a 12" finished chamber, to me that should be ideal. As for the vertical forge over the horizontal, I love it, no hot spots, a very even heat through out and a very controlable temperture. The only advantage I could see with the horizontal is you can lay the piece your working on, on the bottom of the forge. But I weld handles on all my working pieces anyway so that doesn't hinder me in the least, I'll take the even heat and controlable heat chamber anytime.

Just my throughts, and I'm sure you'll get several :)

Bill
 
Until I made my latest revision to my horizontal, I would have voted for vertical if you intend to do any welding. I used to cringe while seeing my expensive ceramic wool get eaten up.
I crushed up a couple fore bricks into pea-sized pieces and used them flooring in my forge. No more destroying the refractory and all the benefits of a horizontal.
My $ .02
Ed
 
Thank you all for your input. I like the idea of not messing around with borax on the forge floor, which is the driving force behind my wanting to go vertical. What a mess. Even using sacrificial S/S floor plates and kiln shelving, the stuff still gets everywhere. Guess I could try to use less flux, but bad habits die hard.

The only disadvantage I can see to vertical so far is that I will only be able to heat smaller lengths, unless I happen to find a really big pipe. But then I'd have to add more heat, so may not be worth it. Anyway, think I'll build one and report back and let you know how it works. Thanks again.

Clint Chisan
 
Clint, you don't need a bigger pipe, you can make you vertical forge body using a piece of flat gauge metal just bend it around to your desired shape and weld up the seam. Thats what I'm going to do, I plan on using a piece of 14 or 16 gauge, heat and shape it into an oblong circle similar to and egg, making the finished chamber approx.
8" x 12", the burner I have know should still be plenty big enough and the egg shape should still make for a good even circulating heat.

Good luck

Bill
 
Hey guys,
just built a new verticle forge out of a pressure tank for a well. The tank is about three feet tall and sixteen inches in dia.. I used two inches of kao-wool around the inside then lined that with two inch thick, hard fire brick. I used furnace cement and mortered all the bricks in place. I put four inches of floor dry in the bottom. When everything was dry I dampened the bricks and brushed ITC 100 on them. After this dryed I put in the burner and lit er up for the first time. After the forge cooled down I then sprayed ITC 296 top coat in let dry and then fired it up again. mean while I made a new burner out of two inch black iron pipe and fittings. This set up gets hot enough to melt cast Iron if ran wide open. I have been doing all my welding in this forge and really like it. the floor dry in the bottom dosen't melt when flux drips onto it and now is a nice even flat floor of glass on the bottom. for long pieces I have a hole in the back that I can pass a piece of steel through and heat it in the middle or where ever. I can get about twelve inches hot and that is about twice what I can work on for a blade. I can send pictures if any one is interested.
 
Making an oval shape from sheet stock is something that never occured to me. Good idea, Bill! I may just try that out. Bill Burke, that sounds like one monsterous hot forge you've created. My current forge had a liner of Koa-wool, then a bunch of firebrick that I'd keyed to fit. It was great, and you could still touch the outside of the forge when it was at welding temp.. The firebrick had to go after the flux got to it for too ling, but I was thinking of doing that again with the next version. Also, is this ITC-100 really as good as Ron Reil says? I ordered a small quantity, but didn't get the top coat.
 
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