Vertical Forge Build - UPDATED 9/28

A

Augus7us

Joined
Oct 9, 2014
Messages
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Hey All I'm about to purchase parts to build a vertical forge for general forging and welding. I wanted to run the parts list by you guys to make sure I'm not missing anything. I've read quite a few threads and have been thinking through this for some time but its always the details that get you. That and my original list that I put significantly more time into was deleted when my pc crashed...

Here is what I plan on ordering from hight temp:

Inswool 2' X 1' X 1"
Satanite 20lb Bag
ITC 100 Half Pint
Burner Kit
Propane Quick Connect - Female
Propane Quick Connect - Male
0 - 30 PSI Propane Regulator/Assembly Kit

Additional Items:

Harbor Freight Air Tank for the body
Blower 112CFM from Kayne and Son
2" Flex Duct

Optional Items:

Rolling Cart
Thermocouple
Pid for thermo couple readout



I'll have to double check the size of the air tank but I'm shooting for 12" by 16" before putting the wool and satanite in.

Let me know if I'm missing something or off base. Thanks

-Clint
 
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Your inswool calculation is way off. 24"X24" would barely line an 8X12" forge. The formula is 2*pi*r, so you need about 38" per layer for a 12" forge.

If you want a 12" wide forge, you need 3.14 feet of inswool for each layer. A welding forge should have 2" of wool, using a double layer of 1" Hi-Z wool. On a 12" wide shell, that will give you about a 7" wide chamber when done. You also have to insulate the top and bottom, so I would get a piece 24" wide by 8' long. Cut it into a 16" wide by 6' long' piece to wrap a double layer around the inside, and make the ends from the other 24". You will have a leftover 8" by 6' strip that will come in handy for other things.
I would also get rigidizer to stiffen the wool.

You also need a ceramic sheath for the TC.


Tip:
Spray the 16"x72" strip of wool with the rigidizer while laying on the driveway, and then roll it onto the inside of the forge as a double layer. This is much easier and thorough than trying to spray/paint it inside the forge.
 
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Thanks Stacy. I should have noted the material quantity. I have the items in a spreadsheet as listed on hightemp tools and a quantity next to it that I did not post here. You did however confirm I was correct on what I needed, thanks google calculator.

What type of rigidizer do you recommend? I haven't heard of using it before and didn't see any on hightemp.

As far as dimensions go will this be enough for billet welding? I don't want to make it and feel like I need something better or bigger a year down the road.
 
I got mine from them years back, and I think there is only one type. K&G and perhaps some othetr knife suppliers sell it, too. Call HTT and ask about it. I think it is just a silicate of soda liquid. Some folks used to use concentrated sugar water, IIRC.
 
Well the Quadstate happened and though I planned on only buying some tongs and maybe steel if Aldo drove his magic van over I planned on leaving with money in my pocket this year.

Well no tongs, no Aldo but I do think I scored a gem. Let me now what you guys think.

Picked this beauty up for a C note.
IMG_0258 by Clint, on Flickr

IMG_0259 by Clint, on Flickr

IMG_0260 by Clint, on Flickr

IMG_0261 by Clint, on Flickr

It does need lined which was fine I was about to place an order with high temp anyway. Its a beast though, built to take up to 8" stacks of damascus. Has a lot of bells and whistles I like also. I figured for the money and time it would take me to junkyard these parts and fabricate it, I'd have over a 100 in all of it so I couldn't pass it up.

Question for the vertical forge gurus: as you can see the input port is about 3 3/4" in diameter. The burner I was going to buy from high temp is only 1". That leaves a lot of extra space at the burner port. Would you fill that in with kaowool? Get a bigger burner say 1 1/2" or 2"? How would you guys set up the burner on this?

I'm itching to get this monster fired up! So thanks for any help

Thanks,
Clint
 
For 8" stacks of steel, I would want a 2" blown burner. You can/should stuff kaowool in the open space to keep heat bleed down.

I picked up two 12X3" high temp ( 5000F) ceramic burner tubes at Ashokan. The chap had a box full, and they were all gone in less than an hour.
 
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Thanks Stacy, your help has been invaluable.

Does there have to be back pressure on the burner? The one high temp sells is 2" then reduced at the burner to 1". My plan was to buy a 2" -> 1.5" or 1.75" reducer but if I go 2" there will be no reduction.

forcedairburner.jpg


And is that last 12" of 1" pipe that is the burner in the photo above just a pipe or is there baffles or something inside it? Thanks

-Clint
 
On a blown burner, the burner tube is just a 12" piece of pipe. Stainless steel last longer. It is a consumable, and is replaced occasionally.

The larger pipe from the blower is called the manifold. It keeps the air flow with higher volume and lower pressure. It also provides the mixing chamber.

The gas should enter the air flow well before the reducer to the burner tube. This allows complete mixing before the velocity increases as it enters the burner tube.

1" is OK for the burner tube in most cases, but if more BTU output is desired, a larger tube is better. On a forge designed for huge stacks of steel, I would make the tube 1.5" and the manifold 3". It will burn more gas at full roar, but will produce more heat. I would also use a 200-250CFM blower.

Tip:
You can make a second 1" burner tube with a 1" to 1.5" reducer and a 1.5" nipple that can be switched out with the 1.5" tube to use the blown burner on your regular forge. Just switch off the tubes and install the unit in the other forge. The larger manifold will be fine. You will have to close the gate valve more, and a choke plate on the blower would be a good idea. A VS blower would really work well here.
 
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