Open gas forge design question

A

Adam Reichert

Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
3
Having read through a few threads (some many pages in full), I won't make the mistake of asking about fluid vs. veg oil quenching. I would, however, risk the humiliation of a question about open forges. Thanks in advance, this is all tongue-in-cheek. I know the majority of the members are very well-spoken and helpful to noobs like me.
my question is regarding some gas forge designs that I have seen that have both ends open. Why, other than for longer stock, would you want a big hole in both ends of your forge and risk losing out on the insulation that a closed design would provide? I've seen some even that are made from large metal pipes that only have 1 inch of ceramic foam on the inside. I.E. http://m.ebay.com/itm/U-S-A-Made-Pr...%3A5a1b31b315c0a8670b75a864fffd33a8%7Ciid%3A1

Thanks again in advance guys and gals.
_ADAM_
 
That one was left open to make it as cheap as possible (IMO), also ceramic wool should not be left exposed.
You do need to have enough opening to properly let it breath.
 
All I can say, is that is quite some mark up for what is being sold, and 867 of them sold, a lot of uniformed purchasers. 20 mins of labor and $50 at most in parts and needs work in order to be use properly. Unless of course you don't mind breathing insulation dust and wasting propane.
 
I'll refrain from commenting on that forge, but do have test results regarding this question. An opening at both ends of the forge reduces turbulence inside the chamber. Testing on my Atlas mini shows a 200°F lower rear chamber temperature when the rear opening is entirely blocked.
 
I like pushing the tip of the knife out the back side to keep it from overheating.
The forge you linked to has the burner pointed at the fire brick base.
I like when the burner is pointed where it will swirl around.
I love my Atlas forge.
 
You can always block, even just partially, the rear end, but it will be helpful sticking out the point or comes handy for longer stock.
Basically you have more flexibility. Look the pros on youtube...they most often have spare firebricks to pile around as needed to "shape" their base forge for the task at hand.
 
Thanks. A friend of mine sent me that link. I was more using it as an example. As I've used the one he bought and we got mild steel to a dull orange with much more gas than i thought we'd need. Y'all answered my question though. I appreciate it. Can I coat ceramic wool in diluted refractory cement? It seemed to have the right consistency on youtube
but I wonder if diluting weakens the compound, providing a lower temp resistance. It's just that the ITC HT "ceramic coating" compound used in the linked video is ridiculously out of my price range.
 
All the water in mortar will evaporate, so diluting doesn't make any difference. If it's too hard and you need to mix some water in to soften it up, go ahead. Make sure to let it dry well, or it will crack like crazy. Light your burner and let run for 5-10 seconds and cool for 2-3 minutes, repeat a couple times. I get my mortar from Menards. I think it's $20 per gallon, which goes a long way. Yes, ITC-100 is intentionally priced out of hobbyist range. I never found it to make THAT much of a difference once I got a proper size burner. When trying to use a propane torch at 6000 BTU, it did make a noticeable difference.

If you want to build a forge, find a steel yard nearby, and tell them you need 8" tubing. So much easier to work with than a cut up air tank or propane tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top