Propane Forge Ventilation & Saftey

T

TimWieneke

Joined
Oct 26, 2003
Messages
176
I've always used charcoal forges, but where I live now, I can't forge outside late at night anymore so have had to move my forge indoors. This is working some of the time with the charcoal forge, but not very well unless I open the overhead door and all the windows. The problem here again is the late night noise with opening all this up - so I'd like to set up a propane forge in there to use part time.

My quesiton is, I know my garage is a relatively closed-in area and I don't want to blow it up with propane gas or kill myself with CO. What kind of ventilation do I need to set up for this? Also, can I set up non-electric system or do I really need to set up electric ventilation? Finally, do you guys install a CO detector in your smithys? Thanks.

Tim
 
I almost learned the hard way but got lucky. The propane bottle needs to be outside of your building. Run a line using the stuff your propane folks recomend.
While I have never use one I strongly recomend a CO dector, that stuff is scary. My new shop is very close to air tight, I will purchase a CO dector as soon as I can. After you run your lines, check connections with soapy water, I have a blow back preventor in my line, but again the propane guy said it was not necessary. The challenge to the use of propane forges is learning how to adjust the propane - air mixture.

If you can find some one who is blowing glass, talk to them and you will learn a lot! They can get the most out of their outfits.

Good Luck!
 
You want a LOT of fresh air. Carbon Monoxide can do more than kill you, it can cause permanent brain damage, sometimes even from small exposures.
That can cause anxiety, panic attacks, and the like. Not a pleasant way to live.

Charcoal produces explosive gases, which, when inside, can lead to unplanned room additions if ignited. :eek: Of course, it's deadly also, from the CO produced. A detector would be a good idea.

There was a thread at CKD on this very subject, and it got quite involved, with input from some very knowledgeable people. You might want to search it out.

Stay healthy!;) :D
 
Thank you guys. I will seek out that CKD thread.

Anxiety, panic attacks, unplanned room additions - sounds like marriage....;)

Tim
 
Okay, as some of you may know, the past two weeks have been very cold here in upper North Dakota.


We had a few -40 below Zero nights last week, and right now it's about -32 below zero out in my shop. Remember this is my unheated shop.

Well, I wanted to do a little late night forging out here on my spread and so about 1:00 am I went out and fired up Knipko heater. This type of heater is meant to run on kerosene but I just dump plane old diesel into it. It is smelly and it smokes, but it works.

As I was waiting for the shop to heat up I took the time to start power sanding on the Micarta handle of a knife I had in-work.

Once the shop was warm I started up my forge and began banging a new blade out. Towards the end of the forging process I like to do a few experimental cold-oil quenches to see if they might help in the over-all grain refinement.

I did two such cold-oil quenches, and each time I filled the shop with thick clouds of smoke from the quench tank.

I left the blade in the quench tank to cool and went outside to use the men's room, tree.

When I came back it was a shock to see what the air in the shop really looked like. The air was a mixture of thick Micarta dust, propane fumes, diesel smoke, and quench tank oil smoke. I have a shop that's about 40 foot long and I could not see the far wall, and yet I had been working in that shop with the door closed tightly for over 2 hours...

Learned a lesson about propping the door open next time.
 
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