pamike Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I know this has been discussed before but here is a fairly new twist. watch this viseo on youtube. YouTube - How to build a Babington Burner do you think this would be able to heat a small forge to welding temps? I also have a few ideas to simplify the whole process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Lots of talk to end up with a really poorly made Babington burner. A web search will produce real plans. A shop class will provide all the skills and more importantly proper shop safety practices. Leave the key in a chuck in my shop and I'll 86 you on the spot. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verga Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I know this has been discussed before but here is a fairly new twist. watch this viseo on youtube. YouTube - How to build a Babington Burner do you think this would be able to heat a small forge to welding temps? I also have a few ideas to simplify the whole process. This is an idea I have been considering. I might have access to a propane tank to make the forge, and all I would need is plumbing supplies and a blower to amke the burner. I saw one on instructables that was used to melt steel for foundry work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamike Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 the origional babington design calls for a #87 drill (.010") the guy in the video used a #80 so that might make a difference. I think I will put this project on hold and concentrate on building my coal forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 There are a number of items that show he doesn't understand how a Babington works. Orifice size will differ depending on the amount of fuel you want to carburate so that by itself doesn't mean too much. The glaring mistake is using the flat ended brass cap instead of a sphere. Fuel oil won't distribute itself in an even film across the flat vertical end which is critical to making one work properly. I rapidly grew tired of his endlessly clacking the components around and talking aimlessly so I skimmed the video. What I didn't see was a catchment for the excess fuel oil. I may have missed it so if there is one I'll withdraw this criticism. Then, all he had when he was finished was the atomizer portion of a Babington burner, there was no mechanism for combustion air. What he ended up with was a great big yellow CO generating flame, nothing resembling a usable burner of any description. If you really want to use oil in your forge pick up a fuel oil burner out of a furnace or boiler and mount it up. I know a number of guys who have done it and it works just fine for them. Everything is there for SAFELY burning fuel oil without you having to invent anything beyond a forge that can take the heat. The most important safety feature of a commercial fuel oil burner is the fuel shut off thermocouple. If the fire goes out (flames out) it automatically shuts the fuel off and does it faster than you can say boo. As well as the Babington burner works modern oil burners are decades more advanced in all catagories except maybe the make it yourself catagory. Something else to think about is what happens if a burner flames out in a hot forge. If you're running propane all you have to do is wait a second or at worst shut it off, unblock the air intakes and turn the fuel back on, it'll go woof and light right up. If a fuel oil burner without a thermocouple fuel shutoff flames out you get a big cloud of fuel oil vapor in your shop, then as soon as enough air gets to the hot forge to make a combustible mixture the whole cloud goes up. Look up Fuel Air Explosive FAE if you'd like an illustration of what this means. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamike Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 he just had the thing sitting in a big metal pan to catch the oil. I was also thinking about the fuel oil gun out of a furnace. but when all is said and done I honestly think that if I want a gas forge I would be better off with propane or natural gas. How would natural gas rate in terms of cost and effiency? I already have natural gas readily available, I would just have to do a little pipe work to get it to my shop but nothing too difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Natural gas works just fine with a couple caveats. First is line pressure, domestic pressure isn't enough to operate a naturally aspirated burner sufficient to make a forge go. You'll need to build a gun (blown) burner and you'll almost undoubtedly need to run a larger pipe to get the volume necessary. If you can get either higher pressure or a larger supply like you're golden. There's a general belief that because propane has a much higher BTU rating per cu/ft it's more efficient but that's not the case. Propane requires a 17.5:1 air to prop ratio for a neutral burn where methane natural gas requires a 10:1 ratio for a neutral burn. This means the gas has to heat a whole lot less ambient nitrogen so you need less to achieve the same BTUs. Nat gas is also usually cheaper by a long shot that propane. The real downside is lack of portability, you'll be tied to your gas line. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoleDoc Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 maybe I'm not seeing the big picture but this seems useless for forging. The video of the burner in action does not give me a clue how you would use it to heat a steel bar MoleDoc:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Use it to light your coke / coal/ charcoal forge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 maybe I'm not seeing the big picture but this seems useless for forging. The video of the burner in action does not give me a clue how you would use it to heat a steel bar MoleDoc:confused: It isn't a practical burner at all. At best he's built an inefficient Babington fuel mister, it falls far short of a proper atomizer. I highly disreccommend following this guy's example. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoleDoc Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Use it to light your coke / coal/ charcoal forge That seem quite a bit of work and expense when I do the same with the sports section rolled into a doughnut and a match:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Me too, but it would be a use for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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