Propane Forge Milage?

J

J.S. Carter

Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
915
hey guys I burned a huge amount of coal this past year, and was wondering what kind of "milage" do you all get out of those propane forges? What kind of time frame could I expect if I use gas grill tanks? and cost?
I can get pocahontas slack at $12.00 per 50lb sack.
and a 10 gallon gas grill is about $15.00 - $20.00 per switch.
 
my experience, IMHO....


You burn a lot more coal (money-wise) than gas to forge knives. Unless, of course, you make your own. :D


my 40 lb. tank cost me $25-30 to refill...and lasted a very long time. At least a hundred blades forged and heat-treated. I was very careful about temps, though...if you just crank it up and let it glow...obviously going to use more gas.
 
The normal size BBQ tanks will need to be warmed as you use them on most forges. They will freeze up if they are drained too fast. If you immerse them in water it will keep them from freezing up. Sometimes you will need to put a heater in the water bucket. Now to your question. It varies from forge to forge and by what you are doing. I took a class from Wayne Goddard and he can fire up his forge and have a billet of Cable Damascus welded up in less than an hour. If you are just forging then the heat does not need to be as high so you will get more mileage out of the tank. At the So Cal Forging classes a 30lb bottle would last a day or 2. Those forges were not the best for long hot forging. I get up to 18 hours out of my 100lb bottles and that is at welding temps. If I am just shaping It will last longer. I hope you can pick out what you were looking for from my ramblings.

Chuck
 
I have a 500 gallon propane tank that feeds the three forges in my shop. Forging in at least on of the forges almost daily, I fill my tank about once every 10-12 months. When I started with propane I used the 20lb cylinders, then went to 100lb cylinders because it was more cost effective, then to a 120 gal tank for the same reason, and now I'm at the 500 gal tank which was a huge savings over the 120 gal tank. I worked for a number of years exclusively in coal, and have found a multitude of reasons why I prefer propane over it, cost is only a small percentage of that reasoning. Cleaner, easier, and consistent sums it up in a nutshell.
 
J.S. Carter said:
wondering what kind of "milage" do you all get out of those propane forges? What kind of time frame could I expect if I use gas grill tanks? and cost?
Click to expand...


-It'll heavily depend on the size of your forge, the number of burners, the efficiency of the burners, the quality of your forge linings and/or refractories, and the temperature you keep it at.

I have a tiny little forge. The floor is a single firebrick, and I made made my own atmospheric burner. While I've done very little work with it so far (I'm still getting my blacksmithing stuff in order) I burned it about three hours and used very little fuel out of a normal BBQ size 15-pound tank.

On the other hand, I know a fellow with a commercial farrier's forge with two atmospheric burners, that says he only gets about six hours per tank.

But all that said, I'm told that propane forges on average are far and away more economical to operate than a coal forge. I would presume that, if you're doing forged knives on any sort of production basis, that a quality forge and a large tank, as Ed mentions, would almost certainly lead to an immediate savings in fuel costs.

(Besides, of course, being cleaner, easier to handle, faster to get lit and up to temp, etc. :D )

Doc.
 
I am getting 4 to 8 hours per tank with my blower style propane forge (if I'm lucky I get 2 hours before freeze-up summer, 1 winter) I alternate 5 barbeque tanks swapping in a replacement every time one freezes. My atmospheric 2 burner (NC whisper mama) was getting 15-20 hours per tank but that thing never got hot enough to weld (or really for decent sized bars to be workable) I think a properly managed coal fire gets you more heat cheaper, I switched to propane when I couldn't get decent coal 15 years ago, and I am currently building a new coal forge for working stuff where a clean fire isn't essential (everything but blades) I like the ease and cleanliness of propane, I like the economy and ready heat I used to get with coal.

-Page
 
I work with propane and like Ed I use about four hundred gallons a year. That said you are getting ripped off at 12.00 bucks a bag for coal. I don't know where you live but Even in Idaho I can get Pocahontas coal for way less than $480.00 a ton.Last I checked I could get it shipped in here for less than 1/4 of that price and if I bought a whole railroad car full it was much more per ton than you are paying per bag.
 
Hey Thanx for all the Respones Guys I appreciate it very much. I think I might have to figure out how to build one, A piece at a time (I'm a Graduate of the Johnny Cash School of Project Planning and Execution :D) and get one going. Sounds like i'll need a good regulator, an Air compressor regulator should work shouldnt it? anyway I got some studying on the subject to do thanx again for answering my questions!

Jason
 
Wow! Burke I only have an oppertunity to buy it convienantly once per year (first week end in June) at the ABANA / ABA blacksmith show at my county fairgrounds. a dumptruck full of 50lb and 100lb bags comes in and they usually sell out in about 2 days... I didnt know I was getting gouged bummer! oh well now I know.
 
To give you an idea, BBQ bottles hold 20# of propane, and those big armpit high bottles hold 100# of propane. For a comparison. The biggest reason propane would get better millage is the instant on and the instant off (comparably) to lighting fires.

You might want to watch places that sell propane and do propane conversions. Getting a D.O.T. tank and filling it via the 1" ACME fitting is just cheaper then wighting bottles. D.O.T. tanks are second to resadential tanks. A lot of propane suppliers will lease you the huge back-yard tanks reasonably. and can even offer a keep fill agreement.
 
J.S. Carter said:
Hey Thanx for all the Respones Guys I appreciate it very much. I think I might have to figure out how to build one, A piece at a time (I'm a Graduate of the Johnny Cash School of Project Planning and Execution :D) and get one going. Sounds like i'll need a good regulator, an Air compressor regulator should work shouldnt it? anyway I got some studying on the subject to do thanx again for answering my questions!

Jason
Click to expand...


Having never ran a air compressor reg. from the hip I think that it should be rated for propane,,,,,,,, just give a think to a petroleum product eating the diaphragm?

Farrier supplier stores may have what you need.
 
I use a venturi type gas forge. I use the same venturi and regulator I swap itfrom an 8 inch x 12 inch forge only to a 10 inch x 16 inch welding forge for damascus.

I have an adjustable regulator run about 25kpa or less for forge and up over 100 to 180 welding.

My point is only a small gas forge for small jobs may be worth the expence in the long run. If you have pipe and welders and can build it yourself a few hundred dollars will get the regulator and lining. My first forge is still running after 12 years. Keep in mind I am an amature and don't make a lot of knives.

Because I am an amature this is parttly for them I have been on before and spoken of the wire letter openers I sell.The exchange rates are all over the place now but basically I get $25 each when sell to the gallery they sell about $45 every time I light the forgeo make some damascus I make a letter upener first while it is getting up to heat. That pays for my gas aftr that it is all profit. I can make 6 in 2 hours. I am not fit enough to make more but I am sure a professional could. I have 3 irons in the fire at once. The second hour I am slowing dow quite a lot. I get 6 to 8 hours per tank when welding. Vey little frosting due to the local climate and the use rate on my set up. I have never had a freeze the forge I run des notdemand the rate of flow. I never forge openers longer than 2 hours I have made hundreds and it has become a bit boring fo long stints.

Naturally my system would not replace a large coal forge but may be a suplement for small jobs.
 
Thanx again guys I didnt think about the whole eating the diaphragm part, ill efinatly use a real propane regulator when I do build it... Thanx also for all the propane information as well! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top