Set up my forge

steelswing

steelswing

Joined
Jan 28, 2003
Messages
888
This morning I set up my propane forge it has a single burner. Seems to be doing good. Should fire come out the front a little? All fittings are tight I teflon taped all threads and did a soapy water test, also I use to run gas pipe on new houses as a plumber. Just wondering about the small amount of fire coming out the front. Allso how long should I let it hetat up it's 24"lx10"openingit's a stainless pipe packed with Kwool. the burner comes in the top side.
Thanks
Bob
 
Fire coming out the front is good, it means you have a neutral or reducing atmosphere in there and some amount of the fuel needs to exit the forge to find enough oxygen to burn. If you ever hear smiths talking about "dragons breath", that's what they're talking about.
 
Thank you sir I was hoping all was good now to fasion some tongs and make a quench:)
Peace
Bob
 
Have fun with that puppy. Hope you have an anvil to pound that hot steel on. Tweek the gas pressure to adjust the temperture. When the color evens out inside the burning chamber the working temp has been reached. Just a rule of thumb. you will need a pyrometer if you want real temps. If you did not know; watch your eyes, you'll scorch those retinas if you look to long.Fred
 
Hope you coated the K-wool with some form of furnace mortar like Satanite. If not the K-wool will loosen and fibers will be carried out into your breathing air. This is in no way good for your lungs. Sounds like you are off on the oneway addiction path. Hey, it was well worn when I started years ago. Stop by when you get to my neighborhood.
CRex
 
CREX where would I get some Satanite?

This was the start of the end now I can HT my own blades now I can say I made this knife. Any Damascus books anyone can think of worth getting?
Will a 100lb anvil be enough?
Thanks
Guys
Peace
Bob
 
Yeah, you definitely need to wear good polarized sunglasses when forging to protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation ...and it makes it easier to watch the steel too.

I think I paid about $10 for a 5 lb container of Satanite from one of the supply houses. I used about half of it coating the inside of my forge ...thinning it with distilled water to the consistency of cream, and applying multiple coats. Good stuff. And I love watching peoples faces when I tell them it's coated with 'Satanite'. (These days you've got to get your entertainment wherever you can find it :))
 
Bob,
Mr. Wrong is right. Darren will take good care of you. If you want to kick her up another notch add a light coat of ITC-100 over the Satanite. Helps reflect more of the heat back into the forge and makes it work more like a catalytic converter. Darren's got that also.
100#s is a good alround size and somewhat portable. As long as it has life in it, it should do you well. Set it well on a solid stand or stump. I'm still looking for a 300#+ just like the idea of the extra mass.
CRex
 
Atmospheric bunner? If so make sure it doesn't point straight down. For general forging and heat treating some guys don't use the ITC100, cause it just refects the light onto your skin and eyeballs, for a welding furnace, you really need the heat, and may be taking longer soaks, so ITC is the way to go.
 
I actually like the top mounted burners. I can heat treat by setting the item in the mouth of the forge, propped on the blade 'rest' and control how much heat is directed at the blade by positioning it around the flame. Ditto for forging.
 
It just goes to show you, there's are many ways to skin a cat.
I coat with ITC-100 because it helps even out the reflected radiant heat and makes the fuel burn more efficiently. It doesen't matter wether you coat with ITC or not, staring into your forge is just plain bad for your eyes on many levels. The radiation is there and being emmitted regardless. Polarized lenses actually do not help much in this application as they are designed to reduce reflected surface glare. Safety glasses that are rated to more effectively block the radiation are readily available from MSC, McMaster-Carr, Granger, etc. I do concur that the tinted glasses are preferable in welding situations but make it very hard to accurrately judge color at welding temps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top