Help!

[promotive]

I have a 2 burner propane forge. I recently was making hooks and when I would remove them from the forge and do my last work on them they look like they oxidize right away. It looks like rust and is in random places. The steel is new and clean when I start. What am I doing wrong? Any ideas would be appreciated.

[ThomasPowers]

Have you tried adjusting your burners to change the atmosphere in the forge?

Iron has two oxidies, the black and the red and it soundls like you are getting the other one in places.

[promotive]

I thought maybe it was me and not the forge. Not all my work gets the oxidation. I also do not know how to change the air/fuel ratio on my forge. I do tend to run lower gas pressure because I mainly do small work. Thanks for the ideas.

[Ian]

Sounds like maybe your forge is running too oxygen rich, if your using Ron Reil style burners (venturi type) then try fitting a choke plate to the back of the bell housing of the venturi, that way you can close the choke and richen the atmosphere in the forge (without using more gas). You want a rich yellowish tip to your flame, not a bright sharp blue for an atmosphere thats not oxygen rich.
Try that first, it's probably the easiest way to enable you to control the amount of oxygen you drag in with the gas.

[promotive]

Thanks for the info. I will try it and ket you know what happens.

[promotive]

I laid a piece of steel across my burners to reduce airflow. When I first put in on and adjust the location, I could get yellow tips. But then they go away. Do you mean the dragons breath coming out of the forge should be yellow or the flame directly out of the burner? I still got the red oxide on my small parts but not larger ones. I am running about 9 psi for 1/4" material. Thanks for the help.
Mike

[Mike Turner]

Hey Mike this is what you want to see.

My forge here is blown, but this is how your flame should look. I have a venturi burner forge for my everyday work and it is very oxidizing I have given up on trying to get it to a neutral atmosphere as it is different everyday depending on the weather. But it is NC Mamma manufactured forge so I won't complain much.

Hope this helps.

[RegionalChaos]

Throw some lumps of charcoal or coke in the forge. I think it should use up some of the oxygen and get you closer to neutral.

[promotive]

Thanks for all the input. My burners point straight down to the floor, not on an angle. My flame is a nice bright blue coming out of the burner to the floor of the forge. I have blocked up to 1/2 the burner air opening and can't tell very much difference. I can turn the flame a liitle yellow as it comes out of the openings. Could I have too much open door area? I have a front and a rear opening. Thanks again everyone! Mike

[Mike Turner]

Hey Mike just keep in mind that when your burner blasts right on your work it oxidizes really bad. Do you have any pics of your forge?